Ravenscroft School 7409 Falls of Neuse Road February 2013

Former NBA Player and Recovering Addict Delivers Powerful Message to Spellbound Students

JamieHerakovich & CaseyHarrisSTAFF WRITERS

Chris Herren, former NBA player and author of “Basketball Junkie,”spoke to a captivated crowd comprised of the entire Upper School student body, faculty, staff, coaches and eighth graders on January 11th in the main arena of the Finley Center. Her-ren told his life story, focusing on his strug-gles with addiction and his rocky path to recovery.

Herren’s style was commanding and he insisted on the audience’s full attention as he delivered his heart-felt message to be happy with who you are. He held everyone’s attention by singling out anyone who dared to talk or use their phone while during his presentation. At one point, he paused, stared directly at a couple of students, and waited for their silence. “You good?” he asked with a reassuring, knowing smile before com-mencing with his presentation.

More than once he mentioned that he vividly remembered sitting in the top left corner of a drug awareness program by a former athlete when he was in high school, and commented that he “had the nerve” to tune him out, thinking what this addict was saying had no relevance to his own life be-cause he was privileged. Herren’s parents were successful professionals, he was an All-American athlete, they owned several

Doreen Kelly, Head of School, explains

that her use of Twitter helped to contact

Herren.Photo by Jordan Bednar

I applaud the eight members of our student-athlete leadership group who initially got behind Project Purple. They presented Project

Purple and Chris Herren to the student-athlete leadership group and the Upper School.

After having the opportunity to hear Chris Herren speak in person, and to further explain what his Project Purple stands for, I feel the response

of the student body has been excellent. Hopefully, our community hears the message and follows through

when the opportunity to make good decisions presents itself.

Doreen Kelly, Head of School

Chris Herren talks with Jessie Lutz, ‘14, after his presentation in the lobby of the Finley Center.

Photo by Susan Washburn

homes, and stated that “all [he] did was drink and smoke a little weed.”

Herren has addressed many other groups including high schools, colleges, and sports teams such as the New England Pa-triots, Green Bay Packers, the University of Alabama football and Duke University bas-ketball teams; but he prefers the high school audiences.

“If I could do all high school, and only high school, I would. College students are one of the more difficult groups to speak to because the kids are set in their ways,” adds Herren. Herren mentions that football players tend to be more receptive to his mes-sage because they best understand the hard work and the pain that accompanies success; especially in athletics.

Herren started Project Purple, a non -profit organization created to raise aware-ness for drugs and alcohol in schools and to support kids who are staying sober through school.

The idea for Project Purple came to Herren when he was speaking at a high school in 2011, and six students stood up, all wearing purple, and exclaimed they were the “sober students” of the high school.

“Shortly after they announced that they were sober students, the whole high school started laughing at them,” Herren re-called. It was then that Herren decided to “be a part of what those kids are doing, being OK with being themselves.”

He began Project Purple to be dedi-cated to supporting those students, and to en-courage high schoolers across the nation to be themselves. Herren’s hope is that kids be-gin to see that it is possible to have fun and enjoy high school, without drinking,doing drugs or picking up other self-destructive habits, like cutting.

He advised students who party on the weekend to ask themselves what it is that they do not like about themselves that drives

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H e r r e n , G o t o N e v a r m o r e O n l i n e

Photo by Michael Hall

The Ragin’ Ravens student section at the varsity basketball team on January 11, 2013, proudly sporting purple in the aftermath of Herren’s presentation.

Photo by Susan Washburn

Big Bill To Fill

Pages 8 & 9

“I support Project Purple because there are students

who don’t necessarily want to drink or do drugs but feel that they have to to fit in and ‘be cool.’ With Project Purple, those people can feel comfortable with

themselves and not feel like they have to alter their state of mind to have friends

and fit in.As a group, we support those people and

provide them with positive peer pres-sure, letting them choose to not do those

illegal things.”

Senior Will Barefoot explains why he is involved with Project Purple:

Page 15Page 2

Winter Formal

Page 13Page 12

them to try to become someone else with the help of a “substance.”

Ravenscroft has its own chapter of Project Purple, led by seniors Will Barefoot, Chase Duncan, Emily Bedsole and Wesley Frazier along with juniors Mary Grady Bell, Emily Ratliff, Rebecca Powell, and Jamie Herakovich.

The most important piece of advice Herren believes he can give to student ath-letes is to love the game, and to find the in-nocence in it.

“Once you lose that [enjoyment], you are on your way to losing the love of the sport,” says Herren, “I don’t think any kid should wake up and do something that they feel like is a job.”

Out of all of the drug and alcohol awareness speakers that have some to Ra-venscroft, Chris Herren has sparked the greatest response among the student body as evidenced by the duration of conversa-tions that can still be heard throughout the hallways of the Upper School. Students and faculty are still talking about his powerful testimony. In fact, on the night of his speech, the Ragin’ Ravens Student Section of the basketball game was nothing but purple to show the impact that Herren made earlier that day.

Resolutions Classroom Decor Vegetarianism

2 News

Page 2Winter FormalLayla Tanik, Emerson Storch, Daniella Solovay

Page 3ShakespeareEmi Myers

Page 4Sandy HookEmi Myers

Page 4Mental HealthStephanie Wiehe

Page 5Gun ControlCaroline Scales

Page 6AnorexiaSarah Lowery

Page 7Chris HerrenEditorialCaroline Scales, Calley Mangum & Max Sminkey

Pages 8 & 9PrudenAudrey Hammerstein

Page 10StressLindsay Thompson

Page 11StressLindsey Thompson

Page 12New Year’s Kate Sweeney

Page 13VegetarinaismAustin Morin

Page 14TrendsCasey Harris

Page 15Classroom DecorGreg Harper

Page 15TravelTate Replogle

Page 16SportsAbbie Green &Marianela de Oro

Nevarmore NamePlate ArtWorkBella Kron

Table

of

Contents

Winter Formal: Sadie Hawkin’s History

Ravenscroft’s SGA Hosts First Sadie Hawkins Dance in Recent Memory

Traditionally, when it comes to high school dances, boys are expected to ask the girl to be their date, and this has been especially true at Ravenscroft. This year, however, Ravenscroft Student Government Association (SGA) decided to make the Winter Formal dance Sadie Hawkins style. This meant it was the girl’s responsibility to ask their desired guy to be their date. Many years ago, Ravenscroft had an annual Sadie Hawkins dance, but this was the first time it returned. This was not the only change to the Winter Formal. Instead of a DJ, SGA decided to have the energetic band, Liquid Pleasure. The band has been extremely well known for their energy and involvement with their audience.

The tradition of Sadie Hawkins originated from a comic strip. In the cartoon, Li’l Abner created by Al Capp, there was a day in November when unmarried women could chase bachelors around the town, hoping to catch one of them for marriage. According to the comic, this was Miss Sadie Hawkins’ favorite day of the year, and schools from all over the US began throwing their own Sadie Hawkins dances, taking their ideas from this cartoon.

The big question was, since the girls seemed to be holding most of the power regarding dates, was it also their responsibility to pay for the tickets, dinner, and pick up their date? If the Sadie Hawkins’ tradition covers all the bases of the dance, then this may be the girls’ responsibility.

“If they are in a relationship, then the girl should not pay. If they just asked the guy to go as

a friend, then the girl should pay for tickets and dinner. The driving is a tough decision, but girls should probably drive.”

Casey Harris,’15

“Girls should pay for the tickets and dinner,

but driving could be dangerous!”

Jamie Herakovich, ‘14

“I think girls should pay for tickets, food,

and it’d be cool if they drove.”

Greg Harper, ‘14

This seems to be the common opinion of the males of Ravenscroft: they believe Sadie Hawkins means total

role reversal from our traditional dances. Many of the girls, however, are willing to pay for the tickets but think the guys should still pay for their dinner

and provide the transportation. Most likely, the way the students of Ravenscroft will approach the dance

will differ from couple to couple.

Raven Opinions: Who pays for the Dance?

Scan this QR code for instant access!

Watch More Raven Opinions in Video by Lloyd Mallison, ‘13

Feedback From Ravenscroft Upper School Students

After the recent Winter Formal dance, The Nevarmore sent out a survey to find out what Ravenscroft Upper School students thought of the dance. More than 90 students completed the survey and overall, the student body thought that the Sadie Hawkins dance was a success with 79% suggesting that SGA should host another dance with this theme.

The band, Liquid Pleasure, proved to be tremendously popular. Students sent in strong positive opinions about the band, and almost every single response was a raving review.

Layla Tanik & Emerson storchStaff Writers

Daniella solovay & Layla TanikStaff Writers

This dance posed no disciplinary issues for the administration; which suggests that most students probably did make good choices that evening.

“Well, I hope most people did. Probably more than usual, but I’m sure there are

still those people that rely on illegal activity to be cool.”

- Will Barefoot, ‘13

After the recent visit from Chris Herren, we asked students how many people they thought had stayed true to Project Purple virtues. These virtues included avoiding drugs and alcohol.

“Probably the best band ever. Scratch that; definitely

the best band ever,”

- Payne Lubbers, ‘16

“I thought they were great. They really got everyone to

‘get jiggy with it,’”

- Parker Mikesh, ‘15

Survey Results for Cutest Couple

Chase Duncan,’13 & Allison McAdams,’13

Nevarmore Survey: Over 90 Responses

Another Sadie Hawkins

Dance?

YESNO

YES

NO

Was the Dance

a Success?

Cartoon by Marki Bryan

Eight Upper School students recieved awards for visiual arts at the Junior Woman’s Club of Raleigh on January 29.First and second place winners will continue to the General Federation of Women’s Clubs-North Carolina State Arts Festival

at Campbell Univeristy on March 9.

3News

Emi MyersSTAFF WRITER

All the World is a Stage, and Lloyd Mallison is Merely the Winner

Ravenscroft’s 14 finest Thespians competed on January 17th in front of three judges. The competition was organized by Ja-son Sharp, Upper School Drama Instructor.

Each competitor prepared a monologue from a Shakespearian play that was at most twenty lines long. Excerpts were chosen by stu-dents and prepared both in and out of Drama class. Performers were judged based on clarity, tone, dic-tion, and memorization.

Judges David McClutchey, Betsy Henderson, and Jen Avery, are all renowned performing arts affiliates both in Raleigh and in-ternationally. McClutchey is the Theater Director at Saint David’s School in Raleigh. Henderson is the Department Chair of Fine Arts and Humanities at Vance Granville Community College, and a third-year participating judge in Raven-scroft’s Shakespeare Competition. The third and final judge, Avery, toured internationally with The Sound of Music and is currently a choreographer at Peace College for musical theater.

Judges from outside Raven-scroft were brought in for a vari-ety of reasons, but mainly for the benefit of students. Mainly, this to fit the requirements for fine arts awards. In order for a student to receive an award the recognition must come from someone, or in

“Michael Hall was the biggest surprise

in a good way”

- Jason Sharp, Drama

Instructor

“It was a great competition with some very tough competitors. Studying

Shakespeare in the first semester helped me focus on the performance

rather than the lines.”

- Lloyd Mallison, ‘13

“ This was the best year! The other

judges and I felt the students were well-pre-pared across the board.

They were dressed professionally and rep-

resented the school and Drama program very well. I was impressed by the variety

of the material. The students choose a wide variety of Shakespeare’s work and I

was glad to see that.”

- Betsy Henderson, Judge

this case a panel of judges, that is not employed by the school, and would not be biased.

Sharp commented that this year the participants seemed much more prepared than last year. He agreed with the decision of the win-ner, Lloyd Mallison, ‘13, but noted that the judges had a difficult time

coming to a decision regarding second and third place. Joelle Za-potosky, ‘14, and Michael Hall, ‘15 rose to the top and claim the runner up positions.

Now, Lloyd moves on to the state level competition to compete and possibly head on to nationals. Break a leg!

1st Place

2nd & 3rd Place

Lloyd Mallison, ‘13, displays his tattoo to his long lost love in the play “Almost Maine” as a part of the Upper School Drama

class performance in November of 2012.Photo by Dr. Watters

Stunningly Beautiful Art Awards

Bella Kron, ‘13First place in Charcoal

Drawing

Sophia Giovinazzo, ‘14First place in DigitallyEn-

hanced Photography

Caitlin Given, ‘14Second place in Graphite

Pencil Drawing

Natalie Holdstock, ‘13Second place for Graphic

Painting

Rebecca Powell, ‘14Second place for Mixed

MediaLayla Tanik, ‘13

Kristin McCarthy, ‘14Third place in Colored Penicl

Drawing

Taylor Ednie, ‘13Third place in Charcoal

Drawing

Third place in Graphite Pencil Drawing

4 News

Stephanie Wiehestaff writer

Shooting at Sandy HookOn Dcember 14, 2012,

Adam Lanza shot down the door of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and took the lives of 20 children aged 6-7 years and 8 adults (including himself and his mother). The suffering of these 27 families has been felt worldwide and expressed in a multitude of ways with a specific concentration on the National Rifle Association and gun protection laws.

This tragic day started at around 9:30 a.m. when Adam Lanza murdered his mother, Nancy Lanza, in her home with three gunshots to the head. He then proceeded to take all four guns used in the attack on the school from his mother’s home. The guns were all registered to his mother.

Death count: 1 At approximately 9:35 a.m.,

Lanza shot down the front door of Sandy Hook Elementary School. Af-ter hearing gunshots principle Dawn Hochsprung and school psychiatrist Mary Sherlach confronted Lanza and sustained fatal wounds. The first classroom that Lanza entered was a first grade room with fourteen stu-dents, all but one died from multiple wounds. Substitute teacher Lauren Rousseau died trying to shield the children from the shooter.

Death count: 18

Lanza then entered the third grade classroom of Victoria Soto,

14 minutes,150 rounds, 28 deaths, 20 children, 4 guns,1 tragedy

The topic of mental health as a whole has been greatly ignored, swept under the rug of social ignorance to be discussed at a later date. It is an un-comfortable topic to be discussed, one that brings sadness and the realization that not everyone is simply good or bad, that there are greater factors in the functioning and decisions of people. Mental health is controversial in causes, effects, solutions, and policy, but with the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook El-ementary, it is an appropriate time to discuss mental health and insanity.

In recent years, tragic crimes, such as the Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Colorado, and Sandy Hook shootings, have been committed. Besides the obvious commonality of guns, these tragedies all contain the common ele-ment of a mentally ill shooter. While gun control policy is being taken into serious consideration after these events, policies involving mental health and discussions on mental health have received very little attention.

What’s the Problem?Certain mental issues pose risks for society, even more so when paired

with other mental diseases as they often are. Psychopathy and sociopathy are severe personality disorders causing a lack of emotion and remorse. When a psychopath also has bipolar disorder, anxiety problems, or an emotionally dis-turbed past, an emotionless and unstable individual is created. If left untreated, conditions such as these can make the diagnosed a ticking time bomb, waiting to possibly release an remorseless, hate-filled tirade on potentially innocent people.

Obviously, there have always been mentally ill people in society, from Mel Gibson (bipolar), to Paula Deen (agoraphobia and anxiety problems), to Abraham Lincoln (manic depression). However, the population living with mental disorders has risen an estimated 10% in recent years, and the number of diagnosed, but untreated patients has risen a shocking 20%. The problem with this is the population with severe mental illness is constantly increasing, and tragedies involving these issues are also increasing, yet the help needed is being neglected.

What has changed over the years?In the 17th and 18th centuries, people with severe mental disorders were

thought to be demon-possessed, thus they were killed or ostracized. While mental health has evolved and is more understood modernly, changes since the mid 1900’s in mental health policy have greatly altered the nation’s view and willingness to help those with mental illnesses.

In the early 1900s, the significantly mentally unstable were sent to gov-ernment run mental institutions across the nation. There, medications and medical care were given, however, in extreme cases, straight-jackets and re-

straint devices were used to control patients, shining a negative light on these institutions. While there was much skepticism as to what went on behind the padded and locked doors of certain state mental institutions, the institutions were effective in helping and protecting the patients, and society.

Similar to most situations in American policy, what was working had to be picked apart with a fine tooth comb and altered to suit the desires of some, and so, mental institutions underwent major changes in the mid to late 1990s. As seen in our own state, government run institutions were closed and private institutions were opened to help those in need. How does this change anything? Well, not everyone with a significant and potentially dangerous mental disorder wants to or can afford to seek help from a private institution. While government run institutions were in place in the early 1990s, those di-agnosed and considered dangerous could be institutionalized, while modernly, the access to these governmental institutions is primarily through the court system after a crime has been committed. These policies are certainly less effective, as seen in the increasing numbers of shootings by people who could have possibly been diagnosed and helped before the crime was committed.

What can be done?It is imperative that our government takes time to look at mental health

policy as seriously as gun control. Without a change in policy and more help for the mentally ill, it is possible that tragic events caused by psychopaths, such as the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, will continue to happen, regardless of any action taken in regards to gun control. So what can be done to help?

Knowledge and compassion are two key factors in helping the mentally ill. Mental diseases and personality disorder are misunderstood in effects and significance, thus by educating the public, more will be aware of the problems and will be more willing to help.

Emi Myersstaff writer

27. Upon hearing gunshots from the other classroom, Soto hid her stu-dents in cabinets and closets and told the shooter that they were in the au-ditorium. Police speculate that after hearing their teacher talk to Lanza six students tried to escape the room but were shot and killed. While trying to protect her students, Soto was also killed. Anna Marie Murphy, a spe-cial needs teacher assistant to Soto, died in the attempt of saving Dylan Hockley, 6, resulting in a simultane-ous death.

Death count: 26

Rachel D’Avino assisted special needs children and was killed by Lanza. The details of her death have not yet been released.

Death Count: 27

A couple mourns the death of 20 students and 6 teachers at a candle light vigil in Newtown, CT

Walking the halls, presum-ably to his next target, Lanza spotted a police officer and hid in a closet where he died of a self inflicted hand-gun shot to the head sometime be-tween 9:46 and 9:49 am.

Death count: 28

First responders arrived at Sandy Hook Elementary following the numerous distress calls as early as 9:35 a.m. Many officials on the scene are being currently treated for the atrocities they witnessed inside the building. The bodies of the vic-tims were left inside for 24 hours in order to complete a full investigation. The students of Sandy Hook Elemen-tary returned to school January third for a half day.

People from all over the world sent homemade snowflakes and letters to the victim’s families in such large numbers that the Newtown post office could not keep up. The fu-nerals wer held throughout the week following the shooting but Newtown did not grieve alone. Candle vigils in Karachi, Pakistan, rows of crosses in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, a moment of silence in Toronto, Canada, not to mention the countless ceremonies and events in cities and towns all over the United States honored the wound-ed and dead victims.

A World in Grief

Gun ControlAnother response to the

shooting was the public call for a crackdown on gun control. Congress is battling over a ban on assault weap-ons. Wayn LaPierre, an NRA chief executive, is opposed to this idea putting out a statement, “It shouldn’t be a dialogue about guns; it really should be a dialogue about danger-ous people.” This statement supports a possible change to be focused more on mental health rather than restrict-ing gun purchasing.

StudentOpinions onGun Control

Modern Mental Health

“I think that we need to have more strict

rules for getting guns but I don’t think

we should take peoples’ guns.”

- Kate Sweeney, ‘13

“If you make guns illegal, people are just

going to want them more and they will find a

way to get them, legally or illegally.

Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”

- Audrey Hammerstein, ‘15

Kate Sw

eeney ‘13Picture by Lifetouch

Audrey H

amm

erstein ‘14 Picture by Lifetouch

“It [A ban on gun control]

isn’t going to help anything.”

- Jamie Herakovich, ‘14

Jamie H

erakaovich‘14 Picture by Lifetouch

Mental institutions such as Dorthea Dix Hospital have been helping the mentally ill for centuries.

5

EditorCaroline Scales

Less Guns, More Peace

But don’t Americans have rights under the Second Amend-ment to bear arms? Actually, not re-ally. Here’s a little history lesson: the amendment states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the secu-rity of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Many wonder why there is an amendment about guns in the Con-stitution. The founders recently used guns to ward off the English in order to attain independence. The need for militias (since there was no national Army or Navy yet) was important to keep the English away.

Many gun advocates interpret the Second Amendment as granting every American the right to own a gun. Really, the Second Amendment gives every American the right to be in a militia, and while in the militia, to own a gun.

Plus, why do so many gun advocates believe that the Second Amendment is the only one without limitations? We have the right to free speech, just as long as it doesn’t pres-ent a clear and present danger, and the freedom of religion, as long as there’s no animal sacrifice. There are limits on the Second Amendment as well. This limit being the fact that it

does not grant every American citi-zen the right to bear arms, just to be in a militia, and the members of mili-tias have the right to own guns.

Every American has the right to privacy, but that’s infringed when the government can track phones, books checked out of the library, oh, and make sure shoes are taken off in the airport, and no one seems to com-plain. But, for the love of God, don’t take away the “right” to buy thou-sands of ammo rounds.

Gun control policies such as President Obama’s should have been instituted long before the Sandy Hook tragedy, though, given Amer-ica’s atrocious history of gun vio-lence. According to Slate Magazine, 297 people have died in a total of 137 school shootings since 1980.

With so much bloodshed, it is unfathomable that it took the slaugh-tering of twenty children and seven adults murdered to spur action by the government.

Gun advocates such as the NRA (National Rifle Association) be-lieve that the recent shootings such as Sandy Hook and the Aurora, Colora-do movie theatre shootings were just strange phenomena. In reality, one of the first school shootings in America was in 1891 when a Kentucky student

The recent tragedy of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut is just one of the many disasters that influenced President

Obama’s recent gun control proposal to have mandatory background checks before purchasing a gun and to put a

ban on assault rifles.

Photo credit: MCT Campus

EDITORS: Corrects locations of Birchwood, Wis., and Brookfield, Wis., which were transposed, and removes the DC sniper from the list. The sniper was more a serial killing than a mass shoot-

ing.

Neil Heslin holds a framed photograph of himself taken with his son Jesse, whom was a baby at the time, while appearing at a hearing of the legislature’s Bipartisan Task Force On Gun Vio-lence Prevention and Children’s Safety at the legislative office building in Hartford, Connecticut, Monday, January 28, 2013. Jesse, 6, was one of the twenty children killed in the Sandy Hook massacre. “Jesse was my buddy and my best friend,”

Heslin said.Photo credit: Cloe Poisson, Hartford Courant, MCT

shot and killed a teacher. The reason? The teacher punished the student’s brother. Obviously, shootings are not a new phenomena; even the mass murder variety.

Still, some gun advocates think shootings are caused by mentally un-stable individuals who attain guns il-legally. But, in 1989, a gunman killed five school children and injured thirty at Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, California. Patrick Ed-ward Purdy fired 106 rounds from a legally purchased Type 56 Assault Rifle. The reason he was allowed to buy the gun was because, at the time, the law allowed anyone not convicted of a crime or adjudicated as mentally ill to purchase a firearm, and he was neither.

Many argue for the “respon-sible” gun owners. January 19, 2013 was deemed Gun Appreciation Day in rebellion against President Obama’s gun control proposal. On Gun Appre-ciation Day, 106 separate shootings took place in 35 states (including the District of Colombia), killing 40 (in-cluding one dog) and wounding 60.

One of the people killed was six-year-old Neveah Benson who was shot in the face by her father’s gun. It is unknown if she found the

gun, played with it, and self-inflict-ed the wound, or if she was shot by another person. Needless to say, if stricter gun control and safety edu-cation were in place, this could have been prevented.

There still is the fact, though, that if someone wants to kill some-one, banning guns isn’t going to stop them. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people, right? But if it’s more dif-ficult to buy a gun, it may dissuade people from buying a gun. Plus, if an attacker is running toward a person with a knife, it is much easier to dis-arm and stop a knife than a gun.

Since Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook shooter, committed suicide after attacking the school, people believe he was mentally unstable be-cause he wanted to commit suicide. But there are plenty of depressed and suicidal people in the world who don’t shoot innocent people at school.

For example, Japan and South Korea have the highest suicide rates of 21.0 and 31.7 suicides per year per 100,000 people, respectively. These two countries have the low-est gun-related deaths, though. The United States, on the other hand, has less suicides (roughly 12 out of every 100,000) and the most gun-related

killings of the developed worldOf course, some people want

guns for protection; self-defense in response to an attack. However, this rarely happens. According to the American Journal of Public Health, between 1987 and 1990, a gun was used only 0.2% of the time in self defense.

Throughout American history, guns have been ever-present, so why mess with tradition? Well, so was the oppression of women until the early twentieth century. Look how much progress we’ve made with women in a century - since women were given the right to vote early in the nine-teen hundreds, women have almost reached total equality to the point where Hillary Clinton could run for president and become Secretary of State in America.

Another tradition was slavery. If we kept the tradition of slavery, our president wouldn’t be elected, let alone given the chance to run.

We shouldn’t ban all guns, that’s unrealistic. But with stricter rules and regulations on the purchas-ing of guns, maybe America’s image of trigger-happy red necks can be re-paired.

opinion

6 News6 opinion

Starving for Information to Help a Friend

I met my best friend in middle school, and all during eighth grade we were inseparable. She had al-ways been a little self-conscious about her body, even though she had always been a normal size. At the time, it seemed insignificant. Regardless, she had always been so much fun to be around, because of her generally happy demeanor and her bubbly personality. But instead of ignoring what would later evolve into a huge mess, I should have tried to help her early on.

The summer after my freshman year, I traveled to visit her in Chicago after a year had passed since we last spent time together. When I got to the baggage claim of the airport, I did a double take when I spotted her. She looked very different from the girl I had just seen the previous summer. The jeans that she was wearing, which were already seemed pretty petite, were barely hanging on her thin frame.

The transformation was so dramatic that I found myself repeatedly glancing at her to make sure I wasn’t just hallucinating. Unaware of how she lost the weight, I complimented her image out of politeness, which was probably not a good idea. According to Dr. Susan Perry, Guidance Counselor, people with eat-ing disorders may react in many different ways to positive comments about their appearance. So, I think my friend was relieved to receive some sort of approval from me which might have encouraged her to lose even more weight.

We arrived at her house a short while later, where I was greeted with a delicious dinner. When we sat down to eat, I caught myself staring at her plate, surprised by the size of the portion on her plate. All she consumed were a couple of bites of the salmon and the small portion of vegetables.

I felt uncomfortable and gluttonous after comparing the amounts of food we had both eaten that night. I was also alarmed, knowing deep down she hadn’t eaten enough. But I was afraid to express my concern to her because no one else, including her family, seemed to see a problem.

This pattern of eating continued on for the remainder of the time I was there. At restaurants, she would order a small green salad and take a few insignificant bites, claiming she was full and satisfied. How was she able to sustain herself with so little nourishment? Concerned wait staff would even question the quality of the meal, curious as to why so much food was left remaining on the plate.

Deep down, I knew that she was not by any means eating enough to sustain basic body functions, yet, I still denied that she actually had a problem. I mean, why was I the only one noticing it? Was I just envious that she was skinnier than me, and searching for a reason to comfort my own feelings of self-consciousness?

Occasionally, her parents would mention the issue at hand, but almost as an afterthought; as if there was no real problem. It didn’t help that she was completely blind to the fact that she wasn’t eating enough, and her stubborn view allowed very little opportunity for anyone to change her opinion.

Eventually, I felt as though I was the one who had the problem. I was beginning to believe that I ate too much, and slowly began to eat less and less, becoming more and more convinced with each passing day that I needed to change the way that I looked. I myself started thinking that it was okay to eat so little.

Interestingly enough, when I ate portions similar in size to my friend’s, she didn’t hesitate to point out that I needed to eat more adding that, surely, I was still hungry. Yet, that same portion seemed to be of an acceptable size for her consumption, which struck me as a bit backward.

I also noticed that my friend’s physical appearance was not the only major change that had occurred while I was not present. At times, she could be very irritable, which was unusual for her. She seemed as if she were constantly deprived of energy, not able to jog much more than a mile at a time or more than fifteen minutes of tennis, even though she claimed that she did both of these activities often.

She also tended to refrain from activities that involved exposing parts of her body, like going to the pool or going to the beach. When we both came to North Carolina, I discovered that she was always finding excuses to eat less and less. Often, there was an “I’m full” or “I’m not feeling well, I’m not hungry.” I even found uneaten food, like untouched oatmeal or barely-eaten salads under the seats in my car.

She almost passed out at the water park where we went one hot summer day. I discovered myself becoming more and more frustrated with every meal. Why wouldn’t she eat? My mom had even tried to talk to her and tried to make her eat, but even her efforts were fruitless. I started getting angry with her, trying to tell her that she had to eat, which was a HUGE mistake. She eventually returned back to her family, and in my opinion, worse off than before.

Looking back now, getting frustrated was definitely the biggest mistake I made. I didn’t real-ize that there were limits on the amount of help I could offer. Letting myself become angry posed a risk to our friendship, and losing a friend wouldn’t help either of us. I just couldn’t understand why she couldn’t see what I was seeing, the bony arms, the tiny legs, the gaunt face.

My advice to others in this situation. would be not allow someone else’s eating habits affect their own because that can just double the prob-lem. Don’t doubt the presence of an eating disor-der, catching it earlier and fixing the core of the problem is better than allowing it to complicate and intensify. Be a friend without acting like their mother. Nagging will only hurt your friendship. The only way that a friend will recover from a disorder is if they want to change and help them-selves. Until then, they will continue with their lifestyle, and all you can do is be their friend.

In order to help a friend with anorexia nervosa or other eating disorders, you must realize the complexity of the cause of the problem, which can be any number of things. People with anorexia and other eating disorders might be actually looking for some sort of control over their emotional lives, since they have felt overwhelmed with previous attempts to do so.

“Unfortunately, eating disorders aren’t like a broken arm. You can’t put a cast on them and watch and wait for them heal” explains Dr. Perry, Upper School Guidance Counselor at Ravenscroft.

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia (and their sub-types) are complex psychiatric dis-orders with some of the highest mortality rates of any diagnosable condition listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).

“Eating disorders are ‘caused’ by a number of factors, some of which are still being researched and discussed. However, we do know that the complex interplay of physical, emotional, and psychological issues have a role in the disorders to varying degrees. [Of-ten eating disorders] start out as a preoccupation with food, procurement of food, or one’s body weight or body image; but the “disorder” part speaks to the fact that they become much more than that. Dieting, binging, purging, restricting intake of food, rigidity of thoughts and compensatory mechanisms are all potentially ways individuals try to man-age life situations that are otherwise overwhelming,” says Dr. Perry.

Eating disorders create impairment for individuals ranging from dramatic changes in weight, energy, focus and the ability to concentrate or perform to “longer term, more complicated health issues such as disruptions in normal immune system functioning, ad-renal gland dysfunction, disruptions or cessation of a woman’s normal menstrual cycle, cardiac arrhythmias, dangerous loss of lean body mass, or decline in cognitive function-ing or physical coordination. And, of course, all familial or peer relationships an individ-ual has are affected as well. Eating disorders appear to be more prevalent in industrialized societies with more access to food, which is paradoxical, but these same places also place a disproportionately high value on a certain body image---where attractiveness in women is linked to being thin and for men where masculinity is associated with hypertrophied musculature,” adds Dr. Perry.

While women are affected by eating disorders in much higher percentages than men, Anorexia in men is also under diagnosed, with some men not receiving treatment for their problem. According to Dr. Perry, eating disorders can often appear in the adolescent years, but in the last decade, the disorders have started to appear in folks as young as eight or nine years old. Adults can also suffer from eating disorders.

“It affects all of your body systems,” says Martha Janes, School Nurse about an-orexia and other disorders’ effects on personal health. She also confirms that death can result in some severe cases of eating disorders, due to heart disease from the incredibly imbalanced electrolytes in the body.

Other effects include extreme thinness, paleness and roughness of the skin, and regular fatigue. Decreased concentration, which can target one’s performance in the classroom, is also a side-effect. Overuse of laxatives in an effort to lose weight can result in a very severe loss of fluids and diarrhea, according to Janes, who also says that these ailments associated with eating disorders can follow you around for the rest of your life.

Cutting out specific food groups, like grains or meats, even in the case of allergies, need to be balanced by finding alternate sources that can provide necessary nutrients, like protein or iron, notes Janes.

Find your resources and educate yourself about these conditions Speak with a counselor or a trusted adult. Read a book. Our library has informative,

recent publications about caring for someone who suffers from an eating disorder. Students can also use the “Talk About It” website log in on the counseling home page:

(http://www.ravenscroft.org/page.cfm?p=520)

Other website resources are also an option, but examine their credibility The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)

http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ Duke University Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

http://studentaffairs.duke.edu/caps/self-help/disordered-eating/disordered-eating-terms-and-diagnosis.

Speak with your friend in a quiet place, free of distractionsShare your concerns with your friend through “direct observation.”

This means using sentence framework like, “You look tired, and I have heard you de-scribe how tired you are” or, “I’ve heard you say...,” or even, “You have told me...”

“I care about you and I think we need to get you some professional help.”Then, offer places and resources where your friend can get help, such as a counselor, teacher, or parent. Expect denial and you probably will have to approach the person

more than once and remind your friend you are not willing to keep a secret that actually results in her/him being hurt.

It’s important to not judge your friend, but equally important to recognize that eating disorders are complex psychiatric conditions that often require

multi-systemic treatments. Thus, there are limits to what you can do to “solve the problem “no matter how much you wish for it to be different for your friend.

A friend doesn’t let a friend drive drunk, but does a friend let a friend starve herself right in front of her? My best friend started suffering from

anorexia last summer and no one has seemed to notice, except for me. At first, I had no idea how to

approach her. But over time, though, I learned how to deal with the

problem. I believe that by sharing my experience, I can help guide others through the process of

identifying and resolving eating disorders in friends.

Sarah LowerySTAFF WRITER

Sarah LowerySTAFF WRITER

Eating Disorders: Resources and Limits When Helping A Friend

I know from personal experience that there are the people who can really help a friend with an eating disorder, more so than you can. More than likely,

your friend will refuse any help and deny the presence of the issue, and brushing it off as nothing. Just ask yourself, is it worth

the trouble to keep your friend alive? At that point, the problem may not be flirting with death, but catching and resolving it early can

certainly prevent it from evolving to that stage. I hope this article helps someone out there who may need it.

Primary Steps in Order to Help a Friend:

If your friend is experiencing fainting spells, light-headedness, or expresses suicidal thoughts, this is a life threatening situation which

requires immediate response from an adult or by you calling 911. Do your best to not leave your friend alone. Your friend may be angry

with you, but good friends do not let friends suffer in isolation.

GET AN ADULT INVOLVED

7Editorial

Wire ServiceThe Nevarmore subscribes to MCT Campus, which provides photographs, national news & entertain-

ment services to high school newspapers.Faculty Advisor: Helen Velk

Editorial Content:1) The students on The Nevarmore staff

will print articles which have been researched to the best of their

ability to obtain the most complete information.

2) The information will be presented in an objective, truthful

and fair manner.3) When personal commentary is given

it will be in good taste on issues that have been researched, analyzed and

where expert opinion has been sought, and then presented to the best ability

of the writer.4) No material which is obscene, libel

or anything that will cause a “material and substantial disruption” of the school day, according to accepted

legal definitions, will be printed.

The unsigned editorials in this issue are a reflection of the combined opinions of the

editorial team. Responses in the form of a letter are welcomed

and will be considered for publication.

This paper serves as a communication link within Ravenscroft School and between the

school and the local community. The Nevarmore staff strives to

produce a professional-quality publication that follows the Code of Ethics of the Society of

Professional Journalists. Our overall objective

is to print the news for and about our students and other members of our school and community

in a fair and objective way with the utmost regard for integrity.

Editor-in-ChiefCaroline Scales

Associate EditorsCalley Mangum &

Max Sminkey

NamePlate ArtistBella Kron

Students Are Herren the MessageFormer Celtics Player Chris Herren Impacts Students with His Story of Addiction, Struggle, and Recovery

Cartoon by Caroline Scales

An unspoken part of be-ing a teenager seems to be constant lectures on how drugs and alcohol can ruin your life. Many speakers who come to Ravenscroft talk only of the statistics of underage drink-ing and the tragedies that follow. But very few impact the whole student body in the way Chris Her-ren, former NBA player, author of “Basketball Junkie’, and founder of Project Purple, did when he si-lenced the gym full of teenagers with his story of addiction.

For years, students at Raven-scroft have listened to guest speak-ers tell of the dangers that drugs and alcohol can cause. Past talks have focused mainly on the physi-cal and mental consequences post-

We Just Don’t

Hear the Average

Drug Speaker...

But, We Were

HERREN Chris...

addiction. They warn of the legal, social, and health problems that arise from using these substances.

Additionally, every student at Ravenscroft is required to take a physical education course, where it is taught, through lecture and dated films, that drugs and alcohol are in-herently “bad” for your body and your reputation.

Yet, though it is often down played, the issue of substance abuse still exists, even with these preven-tative measures. Like it or not, Ra-venscroft not only creates a culture where alcohol and drugs are easy to obtain, because of wealth and ac-cess, but also a place where silence toward an unspoken problem has become the norm.

Just like at other schools, both private and public, students face similar pressures from a soci-ety where drinking is expected and the concept that drugs can offer an escape from the stresses of daily life.

Hearing the occasional speaker, video, or news headline about teen drinking temporarily discourages students from these be-haviors. Social expectations and desires to “fit in” simply outweigh the dangers associated with risky behavior. The significance students should take away from these mes-sages is, unfortunately, forgotten almost immediately.

What made Herren’s story more compelling was the personal

angle that made him stand out as not just another statistic or typical “druggie”. His stunning anecdotes, open honesty, and direct tone capti-vated his audience unlike any drug speakers have before.

The fact that he never explic-itly stated not to take drugs or alco-hol, allowing students to draw their own conclusions and look at their own lives introspectively, gave his speech a unique meaning to each student, convincing from the inside out, rather than the outside in.

The question for the future, however, is how well and how long Ravenscroft can remember what Herren said that day. The issue of drugs and alcohol has been a press-ing one for decades, addressed,

though ignored. Chris Herren has given the

community an opportunity for change, the strongest point made in recent memory against drugs and alcohol. We now have a choice: do we allow Herren’s talk to fade into memory as just another preacher against the “innate” human desire for drugs and alcohol, or can we use his message to gain a better under-standing about ourselves and our peers, and try to change a culture that has become increasingly apa-thetic and accepting of substance use? The answer, like his speech’s meaning, is one that will come from within.

A Day in the Life of Bill Pruden

What Do the Students Think Pruden Does?

Crawford Sloan, ‘15, hangs out in Rhonda’s like Mr. Pruden Photos by Audrey Hammerstein

“Prance around the Upper School spreading joy

through song.”

-Austin Morin, ‘15

What Qualities are the Most

Important to the Students?

1. Leadership2.Patience

3.Academic Standards4.Friendliness5.Timeliness

6. Humor

“He makes future plans for the Upper

School and talks to kids who

gives teachers trouble.”

- Jamie Herakovich, ‘14

“‘Make executive decisions

about education.”

- Emi Myers, ‘15

“He has to deal with a lot of parent complaints

all day, which would be really annoying.”

- Matthew Quesenberry, ‘13

“Have patience to make

decisions regarding teachers

and students.”

- Stephanie Wiehe, ‘15

“He does paper work, makes phone

calls to Mrs. Kelly, grades papers,

has college councling meetings, and then he

chills.”

- Shane Litcher, ‘14

“Approve and create policies that would best benefit the high

school”

-Kate Sweeny, ‘13

Recently, the high school has learned that Bill Pruden will be leaving his position as Head

of Upper School to become Director of Civic Engagement here at Ravenscroft. Now the search

is on to find someone to fill Pruden’s shoes. But what exactly is his job?

Everyone knows Pruden and everyone knows that his current title is Head of Upper School; but

many are unclear as to what a day in the life of Pruden is actually comprised of. In other words,

what does he really do all day?The Nevarmore conducted a survey to see what the current student body thinks he does on an

average day.

Audrey HammersteinSTAFF WRITER

“The Head of Upper School is responsible for the leadership and management of the program, grades 9-12,

and will serve as a member of the dynamic school leadership team. This position oversees teaching and

learning, curriculum and instruction, faculty supervision and development, guidance to parents and students, day-to-day operations, and fosters culture and

community. The Head of Upper School is responsible for planning, supervising and evaluating the academic growth,

character, development and co-curricular opportunities, experienced by students in grades 9-12. In

addition, the Head of Upper School is charged with consistently meeting accreditation standards

for the high school.”

The Actual Description

Bill Pruden being interviewed for a Nevarmore article by Karyn Miller, ‘09Photo by Eric Scheier

Pruden’s Dream Courses to Teach?Sports History

This course is analysis of the origins of sports, and the way they impacted our society. With a special focus in baseball, basketball, and football, the three most popular sports in America, this course will trace the evolution of sports. Sports

History with Bill Pruden would look at the way sports truly influenced the course of the world, like the way Jackie Robinson’s and other African American athletes

impacted the civil rights movement.

History of Supreme CourtThe judicial branch tends to be the most misunderstood branch of the govern-

ment, but with one court ruling, life in America can change drastically. This course will study past cases that have had such an impact on our nation, and also monitor current cases passing through the Supreme Court, literal history in the making. Taught by Bill Pruden, with degrees in law, social studies, and politics,

this course would be a rewarding study of an angle of history that often gets forgotten.

Excerpt from March 2011 Nevarmore Article by Katie Kumbar

A Day in the Life of Bill Pruden

Crawford Sloan, ‘15, hangs out in Rhonda’s like Mr. Pruden Photos by Audrey Hammerstein

“Prance around the Upper School spreading joy

through song.”

-Austin Morin, ‘15

Bill Pruden showing his stripes.Photo by Katie Kumbar, ‘11

“He chills, runs the school, and goes to meetings. He has

administrative duties, college councling, and then does

whatever he wants.”

-Mitchell Andrews, ‘14

“He does impor-tant things, meets with people, and

solves problems.”

-Margaret Edwards, ‘15

Bill Pruden literally chillin’ his ankle that he injured about a month ago.Photo credit: Audrey Hammerstein

A “Normal” Day

“My day can range from high level discussions about educa-tional practice and how to best prepare students for college to

moving desks in order for exams to proceed. Someone has to do it and

I often feel I can help and serve better if I do the little things, and

let the faculty do the important jobs.”

-Bill PrudenHead of Upper SchoolBill Pruden being interviewed for a Nevarmore article by Karyn Miller, ‘09

Photo by Eric Scheier

Pruden’s Dream Courses to Teach?Sports History

This course is analysis of the origins of sports, and the way they impacted our society. With a special focus in baseball, basketball, and football, the three most popular sports in America, this course will trace the evolution of sports. Sports

History with Bill Pruden would look at the way sports truly influenced the course of the world, like the way Jackie Robinson’s and other African American athletes

impacted the civil rights movement.

History of Supreme CourtThe judicial branch tends to be the most misunderstood branch of the govern-

ment, but with one court ruling, life in America can change drastically. This course will study past cases that have had such an impact on our nation, and also monitor current cases passing through the Supreme Court, literal history in the making. Taught by Bill Pruden, with degrees in law, social studies, and politics,

this course would be a rewarding study of an angle of history that often gets forgotten.

Excerpt from March 2011 Nevarmore Article by Katie Kumbar

10 Feature

LindsayThompsonSTAFF WRITER

Here at Ravenscroft, the student body is fortunate to be able to participate in a wide variety of activities. Students have the opportunity to pursue interests and be ac-tively involved in everything from rigorous academics and athletics to fine arts and other extracurricular activities. One concern that often arises because of these commitments is stress and the associated pressures that students face on a daily basis. By taking a look at the results from a student survey, one can see that this is a real student concern, and there are undeniably many stressors in the lives of Ravenscroft students. Also interviewed were members of the Ravenscroft faculty and administration, who were able to highlight some of the school’s perspectives on student stress. Based on the results, it is clear that an ongoing discussion of this important topic may be exceptionally beneficial to the health and welfare of the students.

Bill Pruden, Head of Upper School, was interviewed about stress that the student body faces, and represents the administration’s point of view on this interesting topic. Pruden con-firmed that the administration does indeed care about the amount of pressure placed on stu-dents, although this is not something that is formally monitored. One concept that is important

to understand is that stress comes from many different directions besides school, including parents, coaches, colleges, and more. However, the school does believe it is important to be reasonable, and one way it has attempted to relieve some pressure on the students is by allowing for free common periods at 9:35, instead of scheduling an event every Tuesday and Thurs-day. It is also important to remember that it is difficult for the individual schedules of each student to be monitored due to the fact that they are so many different schedules, as sometimes emphasized by conflict on the test calendar. The administration does value listening to any students’ concerns and believes that students should be tested on “what they know, not what

they can survive.” Pruden recommends that overstressed students should use techniques such as prioritization, organization, time management, and a focus on the knowledge and development of themselves. It is indeed a goal of Ravenscroft’s to promote an environment in which students can thrive academically and athletically, while simultaneously maintaining healthy habits like

The consideration of stress in educational environments is an issue that has recently gained attention in many schools around the country due to ongoing research in the field of neuroscience. Chris Rappleye is a high school English teacher at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, an independent school in St. Louis, Missouri, that is similar to Ravenscroft. Here are some quotations from his article entitled “How Mind, Brain and Education Science is impacting the classroom” that were submitted to the school’s magazine in Fall 2012.

STRESS AT RAVENSCROFT

THE HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL’S COMMENTS

AN OUTSIDE OPINION

daily exercise and adequate sleep. The administration believes that this can be possible. Pruden heavily emphasized the value of a balanced schedule, and also noted that Ravenscroft does not require students to take advanced courses. When asked about the possibility of limiting the number of AP and Honors courses to two a semester, a policy that some schools have adopted, Pruden said that such a policy has not been formally considered. This is partially because an-other goal of the school is to work with students to make their own choices, and not limit anyone who feels that they will thrive in a more challenging academic environment. This is difficult because different students have different needs, however schedules are definitely factors that im-pact stress, and students would probably benefit from assistance developing a realistic sense of their own needs and limitations in this area. Pruden was also asked about the school’s thoughts behind the policy of not requiring students to participate on a sports team, which would certainly ensure daily exercise as well as foster a sense of community and team spirit. This is a policy that many boarding schools have adopted. However because Ravenscroft does not have control of its students’ time once the school day is over, this policy has not been adopted. Additionally, there are certain facility issues that would need to be considered if this were to be enacted. However, it is a goal of required PE classes for the majority of one’s Ravenscroft career to promote the importance of exercise and healthy habits, which can be beneficial in relieving stress.

“Successful teachers and learners need to be thoughtful about ‘how’ not just

‘what’ we learn.”

S t r e s s e d for Success

“A certain degree of ‘stress’ is desirable, even necessary, for learning or perform-ing at our best. A sense of challenge improves engage-ment, helps us fo-cus on the task at hand and signals us to rise to the

“This sense of challenge- sometimes called ‘eustress’- is part of the fun of learning and gives us our sense of accomplishment when we meet the challenge. Distress on the other hand is what people usually mean when they talk about being ‘stressed

out,’ and can be divided into two types. Acute stress can prevent us from taking in information; chronic stress can actually damage the brain, literally erasing

the dendrites that connect one neuron to the next.”

“For long-term health as well as short-term learning, dealing with stress is a serious issue.”

“There are effective ways of building our stress awareness and resilience, but these require conscious practice before they become automatic or habitual responses: cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness

meditation practices, exposure to nature, exercise, and even good nutrition all contribute to building healthy, resilient brains.”

“Sleep is vitally important to learning for a number of reasons.”

“While sleep needs vary by individual, such high numbers of students reporting such low nightly averages does raise real

concerns based upon what we are learning about the connec-tion of sleep and learning.”

“First, sleep refreshes the body and brain, which allows students to pay attention the next day, a crucial first step in the learning process. Sleep resets the brain and body for learning. Secondly, the brain rehearses and con-solidates what we learn during different phases of sleep.

Cutting back on sleep cuts out stages of sleep necessary for consolidating what we are trying to learn, and under-

mines our studying.”

“While staying up to cram may feel effective in the short term, the long term impact is pretty negative: the information never makes its way into long

term memory centers and ‘evaporate’ after a short period, and sleep deprivation keeps new information from getting into the brain. Sleep

deprivation means that real learning is not taking place.”

Justin Bednar, ‘15Photo by Lindsay

Thompson

Jennifer Funsten, ‘15Photo by Lindsay Thompson

Kate Sweeney, ‘13, and Stephanie Wiehe, ‘15

Photo by Lindsay Thompson

Stephanie Wiehe, ‘15

Photo by Lindsay Thompson

occasion whether on the stage, in the big game or in the classroom.”

Kate Sweeney, ‘13

Photo by Lindsay Thompson

11Feature

To determine whether or not students at Ravenscroft are indeed stressed, a survey was sent out to the student body asking a number of relevant questions pertain-ing to the issue of stress. In total, 100 students responded, and there was a generally equal representation of respondents from each grade level. Students were asked to esti-mate about how many hours of homework they have each night, and almost 75% said that they have at least three hours each night, over 40% said they have over four hours of work, and one fifth replied that they work for more than five hours. Students were also asked how much sleep they get on an average school night, and 59% said they usually get less than 6 hours of sleep, while 90% sleep for less than 8 hours. Based on the statistic that 95% of students participate in extracurricular activities, it is likely that activities and homework are the two main factors that compete with sleep during the evening hours. One might also be curious as to whether these replies are representative of students taking advanced (Honors and/or AP level) courses, and the answer is yes. 48% of these students are taking 4 or more advanced courses and 68% are taking three or more. Although it is not required of students to take these more challenging classes, it is clear that many students are striving to succeed in these advanced courses. However, when a very high percentage of the student body is feeling too much pressure, stress as a factor should be a consideration. On a scale of 1 to 10 measuring stress levels (with 10 being the most stressed), 47% of respondents rated themselves at a level 8 or higher, and 70% rated themselves at 7 or higher. Overall, about 90% of the students said that stress is a problem for Ravenscroft students, and 90% also said that it would be beneficial for the school administration to consider stress on the student body more than it currently is doing.

Given the number of students in the community who are feeling such an excessive amount of stress, it may be valuable for the school to consider a few suggestions that may help to relieve unnecessary pressure. Of course there would still be strain on the students, as this is just an inevi-table part of school. However there are probably some steps that the school could take to provide students with a healthy environment in which to learn.

First of all, many would appreciate it if there were a way for more emphasis to be placed on the monitoring of students’ daily schedules for the purpose of limiting stress. On one hand, there are certainly some obstacles to effectively doing this given the variety of individual situations and numerous sources of stressors. However, if the school could find a way to consider the pressure coming from it, then it is possible that this could lead to beneficial changes. For example, if each teacher considered the amount of time they felt a committed student should spend each night on their subject, and multiply that time by six or seven, it would be interesting to see what the number ends up being. When each class assigns homework and a student doesn’t get home until very late, the workload can add up very quickly. Although advanced courses are not required, nor are extra-curricular activities, it is not entirely fair to say that too much work and not enough time is entirely the students’ faults for trying to do too much (although to be fair this is sometimes the case), unless the goal is to discourage such endeavors.

In regard to the comment on busy work, there are also a few suggestions. On one hand, this is school, and students will never get away with not having any homework. In fact, homework

In the survey, there were a few concerns that came up repeatedly. One common request was that teachers be aware that students truly do take more than one class, and it is not just a rumor that we might have up to seven. Thus, the workload can add up

quickly. Another prominent observation referenced the assignment of too much “busy work” on a regular basis. This type of work can be defined as work that is considered unhelpful with the mastery of material by a majority of students, and takes a

significant amount of time to adequately complete. Additionally, the mental health of the students was also a frequently mentioned issue. Students commonly complained that there is no time for them to explore their interests and passions.

Part of the student survey included a comment box allowing students to express their opinions in the form of a direct quotation. Here are some of the responses:

HOW MANY HOURS OF HOMEWORK DO YOU HAVE

EACH NIGHT?

HOW MANY HOURS OF SLEEP DO YOU GET EACH

NIGHT?

HOW STRESSED ARE YOU? (1: relaxed, 10: stressed)

STUDENT SURVEY

SURVEY RESULTS (100 RESPONDENTS TOTAL)

STUDENT COMMENTS

GENERAL CONCERNS & SUGGESTIONS

can actually be very helpful and it is not unreasonable that students are required to complete some amount of it. However, it is a very legitimate point that there are cases in which teachers, although perhaps unintentionally, go too far with their assignments. It would be nice if there were an ef-fective way to reduce these assignments, which can often be very stressful, time consuming, and counter-effective.

It would also be nice if there were more time for students develop their interests and involve themselves in activities that inspire them. An interesting point was made about the common peri-ods at 9:35 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. While many students advocate for free periods, allowing time for work to be completed, others bring up the point that this time could be used for more pleasurable activities designed to promote happiness, encourage a sense of community, develop class unity, and relieve stress. It would be interesting to conduct a separate survey about this topic and prevailing preferences as well.

There are definitely some actions that students can take to control their own stress, how-ever it is the also school’s responsibility to consider what it can do to help. Taking a good look at whether it is possible to have a proper amount of sleep, to excel in challenging courses, to partici-pate in sports, and to maintain healthy relationships with peers is a process that the student body is eager to have the administration address. The type of homework and number of tests and quizzes should also be part of this discussion.

S t r e s s e d for Success

“The administration needs to make sure ath-letic and extracurricu-lar coaches/leaders are aware that academics come first, and even if they are, make sure they aren’t punishing their

players in any way for this. Also, AP teach-ers need to be aware that their class does not necessarily come first and that theirs isn’t the only class students are taking. If AP teachers each assign an hour of homework per night, a student could be up to 2 or 3 am finishing their homework due to after school activities and family commitments.”

- Calley Mangum, ‘13

“It would be great for teachers not only to think about sports and other extra cur-ricular activities, but about the workload

in other classes as well.”

-Adam Jordan, ‘16

“The school should be less uptight and more easygoing.”

- Jonathan Prather, ‘15

“Students in fine arts should not have to take tests the day after a concert!”

- Emily Bedsole, ‘13

“If students weren’t playing games on their chromebooks during class they’d have less stress. And sleep is not made a priority, so people complain that they’re forever tired. I don’t think I could make my home-work last the length of time some people claim to work for.”

- Lloyd Mallison, ‘13

12 Feature

New Years is a time for reinvention, renewal, and erasing all wrongs committed the previous year. Making resolutions is a tradition that dates back to 153 B.C., accord-ing to teenkidsnews.com.

Ancient Babylonians made a promise on the new year to return all borrowed goods and pay all debts, ridding themselves of guilt and stress.

The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, who represented new begin-nings.

According to the University of Scranton, roughly 45% of people in the United States make New Years Resolutions each year. That means that 55% don’t make resolutions, which is a surprising statistic.

Student and faculty responses when asked what their resolutions were at Ravenscroft mirror the national statistic suggesting that the majority of Americans do not make resolutions, however their reasoning behind neglecting to make resolu-tions varies greatly.

While Myers thinks that resolutions are good in principle but need to be adhered to every day of the year instead of just being made

at the start of the year, Caroline Scales, ‘13, has a very different rea-son for not making resolutions.

The ‘crofters that do end up making New Years resolutions tend to fail early on at keeping them, just like the majority of Americans, but according to a study from the University of Bristol, women upped the probability of sticking to their resolutions by a grand total of 10%

when they made their goals public, specific, and got support from their friends, family, and peers.

While Hammerstein jokes around about not sticking to her resolution, certain students at Raven-scroft approach the New Year with a determined and headstrong attitude. Austin Morin, ‘15, proudly boasts of his unwavering devotion to his resolution.

While Morin might be dis-gusted at the sight of cow muscle on the barbecue and pig fat simmering

in bacon grease, his resolution actu-ally falls in with some of the most popular ones in America. Not eating meat is an exceedingly popular reso-lution, and goes hand in hand with probably the most typical resolution for Americans: to get in shape and lose weight.

Bella Kron, ‘13, sits quietly below her locker with her chrome-book propped up on her lap.

Bella Kron and Caroline Scales, ‘13

A discussion about resolutions begins and she remarks, “I’d like to get in shape! I’m so small.”

Caroline Scales retorts by saying, “You’re already in shape! Everyone says that is their resolu-tion.”

Scales’ statement holds truth: getting in shape is indisputably the most common resolution.

In addition to the vast range of opinions about resolutions at the

1. losing weight 2. getting more orga-nized and

tackling organi-zation

projects

3. spending less and sav-ing more

4. being happier5. eating more healthy foods and less fatty foods

6. learning something newand finding new hobbies

7. Quit-ting bad habits like biting your nails

8. Helping others and doing good deeds

10. Spending more time with loved ones

9. Improving dating life or asking someone out

“I don’t believe in New Years resolutions. Why do you have to decide to make a change just on New Years? It’s not a one day thing. And people

never keep them because they make too many at one time.”

Emiko Myers, ‘15

“I didn’t make any New Years resolu-tions so that when, later down the line, people ask me how my resolutions

are going, I can just say ‘Great!’”Caroline Scales, ‘13

“I made a resolution just to be happy, but

it went horribly wrong starting

at 12:01.”

Audrey Hammerstein, ‘14

“I made a resolution to not eat meat, and to not bite my nails. So far I’ve stuck with it and I feel great!”

Austin Morin, ‘15

‘croft, students celebrate the New Year in many different and exciting ways:

Every New Year, downtown

Raleigh hosts something called “First Night” where families and friends gather to watch the giant acorn drop and socialize. This year, the band Delta Rae made a spectacular perfor-mance on First Night and added to the New Year hype.

When Edwards was jamming out to Delta Rae, Hammerstein had an entirely different experience which included eating ice cream and sitting in her room by herself. To some, the New Year is nothing special and does not warrant any cel-ebration or register as a new begin-ning, but to others, it’s a special time of year and a chance to start over.

Top Ten Most Common New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions: New Year, New You! “I went downtown

this year but it was my first time. It was really

fun and we got to listen to a band that I’ve

never heard of but

really liked.”

Margaret Edwards, ‘13

STAFF WRITER

Kate Sweeney

13Feature

STAFF WRITER

AustinMorin

History

Here is a little history on vegetarianism: the first vegetarians can be traced to people of ancient Greece and India. While many people think of India with its many Buddhists and Hindus, to be vegetarians, not many can picture Greece with its very burly culture to be vegetarians. Some important people you may not have know to be vegetarians are Homer, the writer of the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey”, Pythagrius, the inventor of the Pythagorean Theorem (A2+B2=C2), Plato, and many more. The practice of vegetarianism began to grow in Europe up until the Dark Ages, when it became almost obsolete. The practice re-emerged during the Renaissance Era. For those who do not know what the Renaissance was, it was a time of rebirth of learning and arts in Europe during this time some of the best works in all of history were created like the “Mona Lisa” whose creator, Leonardo Da Vinchi, was a vegetarian. By the 19th century, vegetarianism became more and more popular. In the 1960’s, when the “hippies” emerged, vegetarianism has seamed to go hand-in-hand with them and that view still hold true today.

Health

People may say that dropping the beef is hard because then you will have to regulate your diet more, but you are getting protein from so many other sources that is may not be as much of a diet change as you may think. You can get protein from beans, corn, rice, wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts, fruits, and soy but you don’t consume the unhealthy saturated fats that you eat when you have beef which can lead to heart disease.

Ethics

If you think that vegetarian is just not your thing, take a trip to one of the thirteen major slaughter houses in the United States and see if they will give you a nice tour of their little American style farm. You will be rudely denied because they don’t want you to know what is going on inside. A modern slaughter house is very gruesome. Some of you may have learned this from the movie “Food, Inc.”. Many of the animals are genetically modified to produce more likeable traits. The animals are abused by worker in order to put them into cages. They also live in dissecting conditions, often thousand of chickens being forced to live in dark crowded building in order to save money for these billion dollar companies. The absolute worst part of the slaughter stage is how horrible it is they slaughter pigs. The pigs are herded into a room with big metal walls then, when the pigs are all in the room, the walls close in, crushing them all to death. The movie shows this and the pigs squeals almost sound like human screaming. It seems like something out of a horror movie. Then they are send on to the next stages when underpaid employees work in awful conditions that are extremely unsanitary, where diseases like E.coli and salmonella are rampant. Companies use harsh chemicals to rid the meat of the diseases and parasites, these chemicals are very harmful to our bodies. Meat is not always like this though, if you want to buy a better product buy from local farmers at flea markets and make sure that your meat is organic. That way you know that you are helping out your local economies and that your meat has not traveled far and is fresh.

Dissecting the Facts about Vegetarians

It all started in biology class about a year ago. It just sat there, a gray mass, and it wreaked of formaldehyde. I picked it up to get a better view of the brainstem, its cold spongy texture could be felt under my blue latex gloves. It had a slight resemblance to the color of cooked chicken.. When I placed the brain back upon the tray and picked up my scalpel. I cut into the once living piece of matter. I made a deep cut so that I could view the cerebellum from the inside. As a boy I could not be more excited to be cutting open a dead animals brain, yet a little reluctant to end the sheep’s life. Never again could I fully bask in the glory of a BoJangles Cajun filet biscuit without being reminded of this biology dissection.

As the months went on meat started to make me cringe a bit. Every time I ordered a juicy cheeseburger with fries I thought about what if it was my body being shredded

Austin Morin, ‘15, takes a bite into a sheep brain. Photo credit: Emiko Meyers, ‘15

I actually became one

because I thought it would make

me eat healthier. I had planned to do it for only a

couple of weeks, but then I just kept going. I eat a lot

of Middle Eastern food, like hummus and stuff, but I also eat a lot of veggie sandwiches and fries,

or Asian noodles.

My family became vegan about two years ago to become healthier. Being vegan means that my family

doesn't eat food with animal products in it. I personally tried being vegan for about a year, but

now I'm a vegetarian. I just couldn't part with cheese and eggs.

My mom still cooks a vegan dinner every night. Contrary to popular belief, we don't just eat carrots and salads. We have

things like grilled tofu, mushroom burgers, vegan quiche, and pasta dishes. We drink soy milk and almond milk. You can pretty much make any recipe vegan; you just need to find substitutes. I like my Mom's vegan food

and I like eating as a vegetarian.

I only eat meat from local farms so that I know where the meat came from because the way animals that are raised by [companies like] Tyson and Perdue is really bad. They treat the animals really badly; which is why I don't eat meat from companies like that. I usually eat a lot of tofu and vegetables and fruit during the day.

I became a vegetarian almost

two years ago because it was

one small change that I could make

to help reduce pollution and protect natural resources. The overgrazing of livestock has led to decreased

biodiversity due to habitat loss. I do not believe that vegetarianism

is for everyone, and do not advocate that everyone attempt a vegetarian

diet; I view vegetarianism as just one of several ways to

conserve precious resources.

Many People Think that Vegetarians are Hippies, While Sometimes True, Often this Judgement is a Missed-Steak...

into a thousand tender pieces topped with a ripe red tomato, a crisp piece of lettuce on a warm toasty bun. I thought is it really worth it. Will I really have grown as a person from eating this and will I even remember it in three days. No, then why would I even eat it? So I started cutting back on the intake of meat products and it finally came down to on New years eve I decided to give up meat completely in my diet and I became vegetarian.

According to Vegetarian Times, “eating vegetables, grains and fruits in place of the 200 pounds of beef, chicken and fish each non vegetarian eats annually would cut individual food bills by an average of $4,000 a year.” Think about what you would buy with that extra cheddar!

I am not saying that you should radically change the way that you eat but just think about all of what your meat products have gone through, and ask yourself if you could do that to another animal. If not, beans and rice taste really good too!

This image is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the National Institutes of Health.

Meat a VegetarianAysia Demby, ‘13

Liz Kloster, ‘13

Jessie Lutz, ‘14

Laura Nasland, ‘15

Austin Morin, ‘15, dissecting a sheep brain.Photo credit: Emiko Meyers. ‘15

Qualifies as fair use.

14 Feature

Casey HarrisSTAFF WRITER

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15

GREGHaRPERStaff writer

Inside Scoop on ‘Croftastic Classroom Decor

It has been a tradition for teachers to treat their classrooms with the up-most care as they would their

home. In the eyes of a teacher, their classroom must be fit or organized a certain or special way for them to best suit their

students and their teaching style. However, the most unusual things are found in the classrooms. Most teachers

would agree that the they learn new things everyday in the mist of teaching

and that they hear/see the weirdest things from their students. Do the weird behavior by students causes

teachers to be weird too? Scop-ing the halls and classrooms, the Nevarmore found some interest-ing objects are investigated their

purposes.

Over a decade ago, farmers in various countries awoke to find their goats, sheeps, and chickens dead in their pin.

An unidentified predator had mutilated the animals’ necks.

This man dressed up in a custome is part of the spiritual celebrations to get rid of the sins from babies. He jumps over a group of babies as apart of the festival to get rid of the sins of the baby. These festivals are normally tended in some

parts of Spain.

Straight Up, Now, Tell Me...Finger Puppets in Room 139?

The Nutty Advisory with Squirrel Mascot

Famous Artists In History

No entiendo, Señor

Student Project: Sacrificial knife

Student Project: El

Chupacabra

According to Emi Myers, Avery Advisee, the group wanted an Advisory pet.

They had many ideas for Avery, like Teacup pig, a pole-cat and a hedge hog. Avery even

said “no” to a fish. So, Alex Woodward ordered the fabulous stuffed squirrel pictured above to serve

as this group’s collective pet. The squirrel has not yet been named. If you have any suggestions, please pass

them along to the Avery crew.

Oh, the Places Ravens Roam

“Traveling can be fun, full of adventure, and it will open your mind. It allows us to see the world from a different perspective. Whether you are in the most remote, desolate part of the Amazon jungle, or in the busiest street in Shanghai, it is a new

experience. It is learning and growing. You can try new foods, smell new smells, hear new music, dance and see unimaginable things. Traveling can make you feel grateful,

empathetic, happy, or very small. It can enhance your value and respect for diver-sity. It is also the best way to learn another language. Travel to another country and totally immerse yourself in the language and culture. Nelson Mandela said, ‘If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.’ There is another

French proverb that goes, ‘A man who knows two languages is worth two men’.”

David Kates, Director of International Affairs

Kates believes that traveling can help people understand the world better by helping “dispel misconceptions and debunk stereotypes. When you read, see, or hear the news in another part

of the world, you realize what is important to our friends in other countries and how we as Americans are perceived through other lenses. Traveling can be a step to solving the

world’s problems.” His mantra has always been, “You don’t know until you go.”

“I have traveled to many places. I have been to most of Europe, China,

Peru (the Amazon), Mexico, Canada,

and South Africa.”

Tate Replogle, ‘14

“My most exotic vacation was probably the Dominican

Republic. My family and I went there for my aunt's wedding and we went jet

skiing, chilled by the pool, went to a spa and some other

stuff.”

Megan Boericke, ‘16

“I went with the Raven-scroft exchange program to Beiing and Xi’an over the last summer and it was amazing! I had so much fun, tried so many new things, and met so many incredible, and welcoming people. The plane ride was SO long, but it was totally worth everything I got to experience and learn about. My most favorite trip, by far!”

“Bettmeralp, Switzer-land Details: Easily the most beautiful place I have ever been. It's a remote, car-free village that can only be reached by hanging cable cars (AKA gondolas). It's stretched over a few

of the Swiss Alps and has snow year round. There are 2 restaurants and 4 stores, one being a grocery store. There are no hotels. Instead, you stay in houses scattered on the mountains. There are many activities such as skiing, tennis, hiking, boating, fishing... etc.”

Abbie Green, ‘16

“Traveling to other countries has allowed me

to experience different cultures and how the people

in these cultures live day to day. I've spent a total of three months in Italy and

their way of slowing down and appreciating the daily

things, like cooking a family dinner, appealed to me.”

Calley Mangum, ‘13 “I went to Madrid, Spain with the school last winter break. We had a lot of personal freedom, and the only other big city that I have been to was Las Vegas. We even got to go to a teen club. They Spanish kids just hung out in the park or at restaurants with their friends, and we went shopping a lot.” Rebecca Powell, ‘14

“I went to France last year and stayed in a hotel in Paris and with a French woman named Agnes in Nice. For my friends who went on the trip: "Che Che?"

Chris Antonello ‘15

“I was born in Bad Soden, Germany and

when I was two or three I moved to Tokyo for a few years. I don’t remember much, but I

remember in Tokyo, my brother ran around a buffet table and he hit his head on the corner of the table. He has a

scar until this day. In Germany, our babysitter, Lita, was an old woman who didn’t like to get up from her rocking chair, so if my brother or I were getting into places we weren’t supposed to, she would just say ‘Don’t go in there - ants live there and they’ll get you!’ That is why, to

this day, my brother and I are deathly afraid of ants.”

Caroline Scales, ‘13

TAte ReplogleSTAFF WRITER

Recent Raven Journeys...“I’ve been to: Canada, Mexico, Grand Cayman, Curacao, the Bahamas, England, Scotland, Wales, Spain, France, Italy (and

the Vatican), Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Estonia, Rus-sia, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. They were all memorable

experiences with different things to offer. In Xelha, Mexico, there was cliff-diving and wild birds and iguanas all over the place and

underground river tubing.”

Alex Nesvisky, ‘14

Caroline Gainey, ‘15

Student Project: Rid Sin of Babies

Señor Steve Swaim, Spanish Instructor, shared the stories behind the many projects in

his classroom.Photo by Greg Harper

Dr. Jonathan Avery posed for The Nevarmore with a slightly larger-than-life squirrel.Photo by Stephanie Wiehe

Julie Cardillo, Art Instructor, exlained that “They are artists from history. Mrs. Fortlouis [Lower School Art Instructor]

gave them to me as a present for the holidays.”

Frida Kahlo Claude

Monet

Vincent Van GoghSalvador

Dali

Julie Cardillo, Art Instructor, points out the artists.

Photo by Helen Velk

Feature

16 Sports

Abbie Green & Marianela de Oro STAFF WRITERs

V a r s i t y B a s k e t b a l l S p o t l i g h t

Chris Corchiani is a member of the varsity basketball team, and has

been playing since he was nine-years-old. He encourages future

players to start around the same age as he did, and to feel

comfortable, not pressured. Some of his highlights from the season

have been going into overtime five times, and winning four

of those games. He believes a benefit of playing is that people

look up to you.

Elle Stumpo likes playing basketball even though she knows it takes a lot of her time.

She is tired a lot of the time, but enjoys being close to a group of girls. Stumpo started playing when she

was seven, but she recalls playing when she was five as well.

So far, beating NRCA was her main feature of the season. Stumpo would encourage future basketball

players to start playing as young as they can, because it is so much fun!

This is Matthew Quesenberry’s second year on the varsity basketball team. Some of the highlights for him have been winning the

Christmas tournament and beating Cardinal Gibbons in overtime.

Throughout his basketball experience, he has learned that working hard pays off in the long run. Matthew believes future basketball

players should start playing in elementary school. His advice to them would be that the most athletic players will always be

important, but all teams need someone who understands the game and can shoot.

Cailin Dorsey started playing basketball competitively when she was six-years-old.

A big feature of her 2012-2013 season has been their defeat over NRCA. She believes Middle School is the prime time for future basketball players to start.

Dorsey’s advice to young players is to give your best, practice only makes you better, and

not to focus on your stats. Concentrate on the teams’ stats instead.

Marki Bryan has had a basketball in his hand since he was

two-years-old, and this is his fourth year on the varsity basketball team.

He encourages future ballers to start around age eight or nine, so

they actually enjoy it, and don’t burn out.

His words of wisdom to those future players are to

“make sure you love playing, because if you play for someone

else, you won’t enjoy it.” Bryan thinks a drawback of playing

is that it takes all your time; however, it has its benefits such

as to attend into college through a full scholarship and learning time

management.

Sophomore Cailin Dorsey

Senior Elle Stumpo

Senior Marki Bryan

Senior Matthew Quesenberry

Junior Chris Corchiani

All Photos by Dr. Watters

“In the winter, practice is long, it is difficult to finish homework, but

being part of a team is fun”

“Do the best that you can on the court”

“I started playing basketball in the garage when I was five”

“Beating NRCA has been a

season highlight”

“Have fun, it goes by fast”