Herald15.1HappyBirthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHH

The world in 2010 was a vastly different place. The iPhone 4 was the new kid on the block in terms of technology, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill plagued the Gulf of Mexico and Instagram was launched for the first time. Over and above that, the website “WikiLeaks” did exactly that, spreading classified U.S. documents to various corners of the internet. Yet somewhere within that noise, a new medium was born on the campus of North Cross School.

Somewhere within that noise, a group of students gathered to report the truth.

In October that year, The Willis Hall Herald published their first ever issue, tackling complex issues and diving headfirst into important topics that were plaguing North Cross, most notably the disastrous budget crisis of 2010. Today, NCS has changed its financial situation tremendously, especially in light of the massively successful Day of Giving Campaign in which generous benefactors raised over half a million dollars. In 2010, though, due to miscalculations of funds, North Cross was on its way to destitution. Despite the optimistic story at the bottom of the front page, the school would lose more than 70 students the next year. North Cross escaped the budget crisis primarily by increasing tuition, which sat around $12,000 that year. In fiscal year 2024, North Cross made $12,366,740, with about 80% of that being accrued from tuition.

And yet, there are more similarities between then and now.

Just like today, the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team and Boys’ Varsity Football team were on their way to state championships. The latter, around this time in 2010, was also preparing to play Atlantic Shores. They later went on to win a state championship, so here’s hoping that history repeats itself.

Some of us are about the same age as the Herald. It is a little odd to work on a newspaper that’s around the same age as you, and in many cases, one that has grown (and is growing) with you. The style of the paper was a broadsheet, similar to a newspaper, around the same time I learned to walk. While I eventually stopped toddling and the news magazine is now printed in a glossy 8.5x11, we remain, in essence, the same as we were in 2010–stubborn and growing, but with an unmistakable commitment to becoming something greater. And we haven’t stopped trying. Last year, we delivered the very best content by way of the largest staff in the magazine’s history. While we may not pack the same punch, we still hold with us the same resolve to make The Herald entertaining, informative and engaging.

So today, let’s celebrate The Willis Hall Herald’s 15-year commitment to publishing the truth. And while we no longer use BlackBerrys or think the Harlem Shake is the epitome of humor, you can rest assured that we here at The Herald are as dedicated to telling the full story as we were 15 years ago.

And we hope it will have that same dedication 15 years from now.

Founded in 2010 and based in the Journalism elective, The Willis Hall Herald is the official student-led publication of the Upper School at North Cross School. The Herald may be published in magazine form three or more times per year. Founded in 2017 and produced by the Herald staff, GeoPrism: A Global Studies Journal may be published in magazine form once or twice per year. the Herald welcomes letters, commentary and submissions of original content that adhere to the Herald’s dedication to factual journalism. Letters and other content must be signed and may be edited for length and Herald style. The Herald does not guarantee publication of outside submissions. Submit letters to willishallherald@northcross.org. the Herald won Gold Medals from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in 2012 and 2015. The Herald is also a member of the National Student Press Association, whih awarded The Herald “First Class” honors in 2024.

The Willis Hall Herald

Grey Days and technology bring wave of sustainability to campus

By Paul Smith Editor of

Spanish

teacher Tom Keelan have brought a wave of sustainability to North Cross this year.

“I like grey days because they give us the opportunity to see if we can do with less light than we think we need,” said Douglas, “and from that I hope that some people can

SCHOOL ANNOUNCES BUDGET CRISIS

By Catherine Merritt Editor-in-Chief

Inside the Issue:

Sustainability: Page 2

Save Stray Dogs! Page 3

New Teachers: Pages 4 and 5

Review on ‘Easy A’: Page 6

Sports: Pages 6, 7 and 8

Upper school reaches historic peak with 168 students

By Catherine Merritt Editor-in-Chief

- Aynsley Haviland (‘11)

ERRATA: The Herald apologizes to Associate Head of School Victor Lamas for publishing a flawed transcription of the interview on page 3.

INTERVIEW

Herald asks Associate Head of School for Academics Victor Lamas about mainstream and alternative media

Lamas studied journalism and history at Washington and Lee.

Kaitlyn Perkins: What’s your favorite news show?

VL: Okay, so I don’t watch as much as I read. So I’m going to confess to a weakness. The actual news site that I check the most is called the Daily Mail. I love the Daily Mail. It’s, I think, an American version, but it’s a British tabloid digital one, and it is chock full of stuff, and I love it. So the Daily Mail is something that I read when, just to get, you know, the news. I do consume, I do read the Washington Post. I do have a, thanks to the school, I have a free subscription in the New York Times. And then I watch. I read, you know, I read stuff across the spectrum. I read the Free Press, right, which is Bari Weiss’s. I don’t think it was, it a Substack. I read a lot. I subscribe to a lot of Substack folks. I subscribe to the Free Press. This guy named Matt Taibbi, his Substack called Racket, who used to write for the Rolling Stone magazine. I’m really interested in sort of like Narco, Narco states, Narco crime, things like that’s just, I find that fascinating. So I subscribe to a Mexican journalist named Ioan Grillo. His Substack is $5 a month. And he’s an investigative journalist, and he his beat is crime, global crime, mostly Narco stuff.

stuff, so you always read a lot to just say stuff, right? So I’ve always been into the news, and how’s that helped me in my career? I mean, as a teacher, I think it definitely helps to be aware of everything, what’s going on. But I always try to be when I was teaching, I always tried to be careful about not expressing opinions in a way that my students knew actually how I felt about certain things, because I didn’t do it that way. But I love to read. I actually, at some point, thought I wanted to be a writer, and so I thought journalism was the way to go. So one of my majors in college was that one, but I ended up happily, ended up as a teacher.

MB: So you mentioned that when you were a teenager, you were very opinionated. You had strong opinions. So like, where did some of those fall? And, like, how did some of those register? What were some of those opinions?

by Robert Robillard

Mason Bibby: So, how did you like find yourself, like, drawn to Substack? Was it just like you just stumbled across it one day? Or you saw these guys, like migrating the Substack and you you went along with them?

VL: It’s a great question. I’m trying to I’m just trying to retrieve my memory. How did I first start? I think probably I started because even though, even at my age, I’ve always been interested in the news and reading news, but just out of ease, you start reading the same news on the internet. And so, you know, it’s described in magazines and things. So the internet is obviously an easy way to to now I’m going to click on this. Now I’m going to click on that. And so some of the I was interested in, some of the work that some of these journalists had done before. And so when I heard that they were going independent, I decided to check, check out their sites, and then then you have to make the decision. They draw you in, right? And you can read some couple of things articles for free, and then, boom, you run out of free articles, and then you have to put up or shut up. And then, am I going to put some actual money into subscribing to get the content? And for a few them, I did, but probably just the easy way was, I was I found them through the internet. You find a lot of stuff on the internet. Apparently, if you spend time on it right scrolling, you.

KP: Have you always been so interested in the news, or did that or has that helped your career? Like, what made you interested? Like, just following the news from so many different sources?

VL: My parents discussed world events, American events at the dinner table. My parents, were big readers, and so they were very and so they talked about these things, and then they would often talk about the historical connections behind things. And so my brother and I were always interested in history and the news. So I think that’s an easy connection. And . . . I loved reading. I read anything. If I was bored, I would read the back of the cereal box. So when you read a lot, you just read a lot, and a lot of that was also news. And being a teenager at that age, I also had strong opinions about

VL: You’re not gonna get me to say those opinions. Nice try, though. I’ll say this in my in people probably think of where people are on the spectrum of certain a lot of issues. I found my it’s in some of the ways I felt at certain ages. I don’t know if I feel exactly the opposite now or I hear but you’d be amazed, maybe as you get older, so you’d be amazed how your opinions will change about stuff that you felt pretty certain about, you know, trying to think of, I’m trying to think of an example capital punishment. I used to have a very strong opinion about that, and then I veered on the other side, and now I find myself veering back a little bit to where I used to feel when I was young,

KP: just the more you’re educated, I guess.

VL: Well, yes, but now on the third swing back, it’s not so much education. Yeah, as I get older, in some ways, I am more certain about some things and far less certain about others, right? And one thing I’ll say, connect this back to the news, is one thing that I do find fascinating is reading the news. Is reading the point of view of with opinion stuff. It’s easy to know what the point of view of the person is, but actually reading what is often described as objective news, figuring out from what’s left out, or what’s in there, or the way certain words are chosen, what the point of view is of the writer reporting something right? Sometimes, when you read, how many of you read . . . the Washington Post, the New York Times? Sometimes, for example, you can see what’s happening based on what you think this person’s sources were right. If a person has anonymous sources and they’re saying things source and then you have a quote like ‘sources familiar said,’ or ‘people close to the administration,’ or ‘people close to the blah, blah, blah, blah.’ So, you can often figure out who is talking to the reporter and making themselves look good, and you know, and making the other folks as part of story looking bad, and the reporter has that source, right? I find that. I do find it myself reading the news and. And sometimes trying to figure out what it is that the writer is actually trying to convince me of.

KP: So do you prefer objective new sources over ones that lean in your direction of thinking?

VL: It’s a good question. It depends, and depends is such a mealy mouthed answer. . . . I often like the mask to be off. Whether’s it’s left wing or right wing, right? Just let me know what your biases are, but then you know. . . .

From ‘Yeah’ to ‘Yes, We Can’ to ‘Pokémon Go’

By Mason Bibby

On July 14, 2016, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a rally in front of a roaring crowd, rousing supporters of the Democratic candidate during her campaign against Republican business mogul Donald Trump. “We’re going to have a lot of jobs,” Clinton said to a group of younger voters. “Jobs from building infrastructure to coding. Creating new apps. I don’t know who created the app ‘Pokémon GO,’” she continued, attempting to connect to her audience. “But I’m trying to figure out how we get them to Pokémon GO to the polls.” If only the then-69-yearold would’ve realized the absolute hilarity of her comment, no pun intended.

To her credit, she wasn’t the worst one.

In the 2004 Democratic Primary, candidate Howard Dean, Governor of Vermont, gathered his supporters at Val-Air Ballroom in West Des Moines, Iowa, following a rough third–place finish in the state’s primary, trailing U.S. Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina. Designed to reassure supporters and bolster support among Democrats, the rally seemed to be serving its intended purpose.

That was until he ended the speech.

“Not only are we going to New Hampshire, Tom Harkin,” Dean said, referencing the junior senator from Iowa who had recently endorsed him. “We’re going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we’re going to California and Texas and New York. And we’re going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan, and then we’re going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House!” Now, on its own, this would’ve been fine. It was,

however, the obnoxiously highpitched screech that he emitted after, resembling the word “Yeah!”

Within four days, it was broadcast over 633 times on a multiplicity of television networks. And, in the age of the early internet, this was ruinous. Parodies, commentary, and “prehistoric” memes began to proliferate around digital circles, spelling a P.R. disaster for the candidate.

About a week later, Dean suspended his campaign due to the controversy surrounding not only the scream (colloquially known as “I Have a Scream” due to its performance on Martin Luther King Jr. Day), but the ridicule that followed. Dean was decried as “unelectable,” “unpresidential,” and lacking the proper decorum for the nation’s top office.

These, if you haven’t guessed, are extreme examples. But they reveal a genuine issue: “why are the Democrats so unelectable?”

Gaffes alone, obviously, don’t tell the full story. If Democratic candidates were only defeated by awkward phrasing or high-pitched screams, we’d have no Democratic candidates left. And while New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez can play Among Us, Former Vice President Kamala Harris can admonish us for saying “Merry Christmas,” and President Bill Clinton can play the saxophone like no-one’s business, there comes a certain point where the American

people expect a certain level of seriousness from their politicians.

And the Democrats, with their counter-culture narrative and general rebellious streak, oftentimes fail to deliver.

This is not to say that the Republicans don’t have their fair share of swings and misses too (or in President George W. Bush’s case, a drive), but the American left fundamentally struggles with muddled messaging.

Let’s look at a few examples. In 2004, Senator John Kerry (the same one loosely associated with the “Dean Scream” nonsense we covered earlier) emerged as the victor of the Democratic Presidential Nomination, and quickly became a popular candidate. He was charismatic, a war hero, and a statesman through and through. However, his lack of an ability to take a definitive stance on certain matters seriously

hurt his campaign.

Kerry, like Clinton and Dean, was also “memed” to death over this. The popular internet political satire known as JibJab took shots at him for, as the caricatured President Bush put it, “having more flip-flops than a house of pancakes.” But for Kerry, this wasn’t just a joke that he could gloss over. It was a serious issue—one that greatly haunted his campaign.

This culminated in an appearance at Hantington University in West Virginia, where he famously said:

“I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.” He was referring to an Iraq War funding bill —an earlier version which he had supported, but the final one he didn’t. By the time he finished explaining the nuance, however, the damage was done. To most Americans, it sounded like a man trying to have it both ways.

OPINION

Democrats ride recent rollercoaster of messaging

Within days, the Bush campaign seized on it, branding him as indecisive and elitist.

A single sentence became the defining image of his candidacy: a politician too careful to stand for anything at all. And yet, after an embarrassing electoral defeat to President Bush (286 to 251), the Democrats found their Lionheart in a young Senator from Illinois.

Enter Barack Obama.

Senator Obama’s rise was not simply a triumph of timing. It wasn’t just a classical outwit or an archetypal victory. It was the victory of charisma, persuasiveness, and a masterclass in message discipline. While others in his party tripped over how to relate to voters, Obama was authentically himself. After courting the near unanimity of his party (Hillary Clinton had her gripes), he delivered a clarity that far exceeded Dean’s scream or Kerry’s explanation.

“Yes We Can” wasn’t just catchy. It was resonant. Hopeful. And it encompassed what the Democratic Party is supposed to represent. Change.

That’s not to say he didn’t face his share of cynicism or mockery. Every politician does. But unlike Dean’s scream or Kerry’s flip-flops, Obama’s brand of communication was rooted in emotional precision, deep humanity, and humble optimism. Every speech was built to connect. When he said, “In no other country on Earth is my story even possible,” it didn’t sound like political theater or a brag—it sounded like faith in America itself.

“Yes We Can,” however, is now just a burning memory.

President Joe Biden’s message, cited as a noble return to decency, often struggled to cut through an increasingly digitized world.

And that’s putting it politely.

Appearing outside the White House with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson and Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden

HOPING TO CHANNEL JFK: Shephard Fairey’s (in)famous Hope poster for Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign courtesy of Wikipedia. Fairey used a photograph of Obama tilting his head upward like another youthful presidential candidate. Fairey used the image from the internet without permission and had to settle with the AP and the photographer out of court. Nonetheless, the poster raised the bar for political messsaging and the Smithsonian bought a version of this image for the National Portrait Gallery. It included the rising sun logo that also symbolized a new dawn.

aptly described America in one word: “ASUFUTIMAEHAEHFU. Excuse me.”

Somewhere after that, I’m sure an Obama sign rolled in its trash can.

President Biden’s very apparent cognitive decline was never quite assuaged by his staffers. And when he had a particularly good remark, it usually came off as rehearsed, cliché, or something that you’d read off of a notecard during a school presentation. Hardly presidential. It isn’t all his fault; aging, obviously, is a very

unfortunate fact of life. And, unlike previous candidates—or the next one—there is little he could do.

Vice President Kamala Harris, however, in her historic 107-day presidential race, had full agency over her remarks. And even before that, she wasn’t exactly a sage rhetorician. Her infamous “Do not come” remarks to migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021 confused both progressives and moderates, leaving many unsure what the administration’s stance even was.

Harris seemed to channel the spirit of Kerry in her policy shifts.

The party today often feels like a brand with no slogan—or worse yet, one that continues to try to appeal to modernity (looking at you, Cracker Barrel). The Democrats constantly try to convince everyone, not realizing that in the process, they’ve convinced no one.

If the Obama era was a symphony of justice and progression, the Biden-Harris years have felt like a series of jazz improvisations—interesting, unpredictable, and sometimes pleasant to the ear, but almost always off-key.

So what can the left do about it?

First, they must find their voice again. Not the voices of aides whispering into their ears, even though help can be good. Not the voices of algorithms, even when they present important data. The Democrats are nothing without the strength of their conviction. And once they sound like they’re reading from a DNC-approved teleprompter, they lose the faith of the American public.

Second, simplify. If a message takes longer than ten seconds to explain—especially nowadays—it isn’t worth pursuing. The power of “Hope,” “Change,” or even “Make America Great Again,” (that last one really worked), is that they can fit on a t-shirt, bumper sticker, or a billboard.

And finally for God’s sake, stop trying to be cool. Coming from a teenager, albeit a very politically involved one, there’s nothing less cool than doomscrolling at 3 a.m. and watching a political party desperately trying to stay relevant via memes, slang, or pop culture. The key isn’t to mimic culture. It’s to build, defend, and lead it.

Until they rediscover that sense of moral clarity and cultural confidence, Democrats will continue to “Pokémon GO” in circles for the foreseeable future.

Llewellyn conveys love of literature to students

By Kaitlyn Perkins

“I’ve always loved books,” Katherine Llewellyn, Upper School English teacher, said. “I loved reading and I loved English when I was a student but I didn’t know if I was going to become a teacher.”

Despite being unsure of whether or not she would pursue teaching, Llewellyn went on to teach at North Cross where she hopes to/aims to/ strives to instill a love of reading, writing, and learning in each of her students daily.

“She prioritizes an interactive classroom rather than lecturing,” Evan Duncan ‘29 said of Llewellyn’s class. “It’s fun.”

It took Llewellyn a while to figure out that teaching was the right path for her. “My parents are both professors so I grew up around schools,” Llewellyn said. “When I got to the end of college I realized that education was the thing that I kept doing, like I kept tutoring or going to volunteer in schools, it took me a long time to realize that I liked it.”

Growing up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Llewellyn had many role models and teachers she looked up to all throughout school. She recalled one specific pre-school

teacher named Ms. Pat who was “wonderful” to her. “[She] was very supportive, very kind and she taught me the word dilemma.” Llewellyn continued saying, “I had just fantastic teachers all through school and I particularly had some really good English teachers.” As her teachers were for her, Llewellyn is a role model for her many students at North Cross. “When you ask her a question, she answers very thoroughly,” Declan James ‘29 said of Llewellyn. “And she’s very sweet too.”

“She explains all of the points, it’s good.” Mateo Gonzalez Fierro ‘28

said. “She’s very optimistic.”

Olivia Ball ‘29 enjoys another aspect of her teaching.

“[Llewellyn] moves the desks a lot,” Ball said, “and we get to write on the board.”

For high school Llewellyn went to R. J. Reynolds high school, and for college and grad-school she attended Wake Forest University. Her first year of teaching was in 2017 in a small school in Malaysia in the Fulbright program, a cultural exchange program. Later she taught in her hometown of Winston-Salem and also worked for an educational

‘Salve!’Hamel arrives to teach Latin

By Jax Bentley

Everytime I see Latin teacher Seth Hamel he greets me and says “salve” (the word that means hello in Latin) and I say salve back, and that shows me that we have a connection now. I know some Latin and he knows a lot, but it’s great to have something in common with a teacher. And that we are both new to the school makes it way better.

Jamauri Young ‘29 said, “Mr. Hamel is a great teacher.” He loves Hamel’s class because he teaches Latin well.

Hamel is an amazing teacher because he involves everyone by working in groups, having conversations about the Latin topic we are on, and making sure everyone is on track. Things like that shows the true connection he has with everyone he teaches and talks to.

He is also my advisor and study hall teacher, so

we see each other a lot.

Hamel is the new Latin teacher. When I met him on the first day of school, he was so polite and said that if I find anything out I should tell him because we both shared that we are new to North Cross. From then on we have created a strong bond by talking to each other after class, talking to each other in Latin. He helps me with my work and more. Hamel has helped me so much even though it is only the first quarter of the year.

Hamel grew up in Woodbine, Maryland; however, he moved here to Roanoke from Belchertown, Massachusetts. He earned his masters degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Hamel also went to Penn State for his bachelors degree. He goes to a summer camp called 4-H, a youth development program offering hands-on, experiential learning in a supportive, natural place to teach life skills and foster personal growth.

non-profit called Helping Education, where she taught elementary school students reading skills. She also teaches each summer at the North Carolina Governor’s School, a summer residential program for gifted and talented students.

Allison Kier, Director of the Upper and Middle School, emailed Llewellyn expressing interest in her filling a teaching position. After learning about NCS’s commitment to putting students front and center and meeting the friendly faculty, Llewellyn happily accepted the position. Llewellyn teaches all four grade levels in the Willis Hall, teaching Literature and Composition, American Literature and World Literature.

“She has a very good way of teaching that helps me understand World Literature,” Sophie Dalton ‘29 said.

Fun fact: Llewellyn has been to all the continents except Antarctica. She also liked singing as a child and making puns because her dad trained her in the art of puns.

Llewellyn loves energy at NCS.

“I love how much is going on,” she said. “It’s really energetic and everybody is so kind to each other and the kids are awesome.”

OPTIME! Seth Hamel shows his warmth with a consitent smile. Every time someone says something that makes sense he says “optime” which means good in Latin. I also learned that he and I both like oxtail and go to the same spot to get oxtail. Caption and photo by Jax Bentley

FEATURES

Solving the case of the missing contest winner

By Kaitlyn Perkins

Try as you might, you will not find the winner of the Country vs. Country Club costume contest in the photo.

When it came to the Country v.s. Country Club costume contest Sam Schaefer ‘26 was readily prepared in his all-white country club outfit; what he was not ready for was winning the contest. This was because while he showed up for the judging portion of the contest, he wandered off slightly too early and was not around when it came time to announce the winners. “If I’m gonna look stupid I might as well look stupid with a purpose,” Schaefer said as his reasoning for why he dressed to win. “I decided if I was gonna go [dress up], I was gonna amp it up a little bit.” Schae-

fer also explained that he had originally planned to dress for country instead of country club but when going through his closet he could not find the right clothes for a country costume and ended up finding a winning costume for country club. Susan Wenk, the SCA supervisor, organizes homecoming week school spirit days like Country v.s. Country Club with the help of the students on SCA. “I kinda thought it was funny,” Wenk said. “Sam was so great leading the entire parade and he looked fantastic, so I think the judges were really excited to give him the first place award and then he was gone and nobody knew what to do. Do we give it to somebody else? But we decided we’d have four winners and so Sam came up afterwards and got his prize.”

Luke Cocowitch HoCo hero

Living The High Life: Luke Cocowich ‘28, a member of homecoming court, cherishes the moment as he passes other high schoolers during the North Cross Homecoming Parade. Riding in a decked-out BMW driven by me, Anderson Ratliff ‘26, Luke smiles as he experiences something most teenagers never get to. Luke told me before we took off to “Play Homecoming by Kanye West,” and “Get this car bumping!” The event was a great experience for us both, with one of the most memorable things being the little kids yelling “six seven” at all the cars. Luke attended the homecoming dance, where he was presented alongside the rest of the homecoming court in a special ceremony. Caption and photo by Jax Bentley

Petting Zoo Shenanigans: Katherine Ellett ‘29 holds a baby goat from the Spring Valley Farms petting zoo during the week of homecoming. The tiny goat was being held by many people, including Ellett, who seemed to love the goat. “It was really fun holding the baby goat. He/she was really light and soft,” Ellett said, “But it was very squirmy and I don’t think it liked me very much.”

The petting zoo was an enjoyable experience for all ages at NCS and hopefully Spring Valley Farms will come back next year. “If it was a girl, I’d name her Dolly,” she said. “And if it was a boy I’d name it Fred.” Caption and photo by Piper Malloch

Historical Immersion: Jamauri Young ‘29 wears a hat and a wig from the children’s section of the O. Winston Link Museum in downtown Roanoke. The first and third period ninth grade Ancient World History classes visited the O. Winston Link Museum to dive deeper into the Rooted and Roanoke projects currently being worked on through the class. Young enjoyed, “dressing up and seeing the art on the wall,” he said, “and also the movie theater.” The history class will be returning to the museum to continue the project through the month of January. Caption and photo by Piper Malloch

ARTS

Six Upper School students help behind scenes of Lower School musical ‘Suessical’

By Piper Malloch

Six Upper School students embarked on a mission to help make the Lower School musical ‘Suessical’ a success.

Suvi Hansen ‘26, Noah Shorey ‘26, Caroline Welfare ‘27, Taahir Imam ‘27, Alexandra Conlee ‘29, and James Austin ‘29 worked hard to make this show a possibility.

After nine weeks of rehearsals, 42 Lower School performers with Middle and Upper school crew, performed the show five times including two dress rehearsals and three performances for the public. Austin (left) greeted guests and announced that all seats were taken -- “standing room only” -- on Friday, Nov. 7. Hansen was stage manager and Austin was her assistant in supporting theatre director Thomas Costello. They worked together to run the backstage and make sure everything went smoothly. In the photo above, Imam helps Dithvi Odeti ‘33 and Hansen helps Jack Parker ‘35 get set with mics. Conlee led the make-up crew to make sure no one will look crazy on stage. Imam and Shorey are controlled the sound and the light from the booth at the top of the auditorium. Welfare managed the spotlight to highlight the stars on stage.

This new movie release will

be wicked

Almost everything you need to know about Wicked for Good.

By Kaitlyn Perkiins

If you are a fan of the Wicked book, broadway show, or the movie, and even if you’re not, here is everything you need to know about Wicked for Good, which begins Nov. 21.

Wicked, the movie adaptation directed by Jon M. Chu, starring Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba was released on Nov. 2, 2024. Since then it has grossed over $700 million worldwide at box office, is rated 88% Rotten Tomatoes, and 7.4/10 on IMDb. It has also been nominated for 10 academy awards. The movie is an adaptation of the Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, Gregory Mcguire’s 1995 Wicked novel, and L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It reimagines the story of Elphaba or the Wicked Witch of West from the original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, telling her story from an entirely different perspective and complicating the original plot of simply good versus evil.

While it is not necessary to have watched the first Wicked movie or the original Wizard of Oz film to enjoy Wicked part two, there are seemingly endless references. From Nessarose’s ruby

slippers to the cowardly lion, there are references that can only be picked up on having previously read or watched some version of the stories leading up to it. Needless to say, Jon M. Chu has

good

incorporated a multitude of book, musical, and movie references in the upcoming film. To avoid spoiler alerts, the rough plot of the new movie follows Elphaba, now known as the Wicked Witch of the West as she follows her morals in an attempt to fight for the animals of Oz, while being outcast from society. Glinda, on the other hand, now known as Glinda the Good is a public figure in Oz who is also feeling the consequence of her actions. The new movie is a continuation of the friendships, betrayals, and complex moral decisions that each character makes leading up to the finale.

The new movie also explores the lives of some of the characters we met in the first movie more in depth. Some of the major actors and actresses appearing in the new movie include Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Ethan Slater as Boq, Jeff Goldblum as the wizard, and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible. From the complex love triangle between Fiyero, Elphaba, and Glinda to the crumbling relationship between Nessarose and Boq, there is certainly a lot to look forward to in the upcoming movie. As a last little teaser - “No good deed goes unpunished,” and not seeing the upcoming film would certainly be a punishment.

If you’re wondering about the winter play - here’s a Clue

By Kaitlyn Perkins

It’s Clue.

Get ready to see your favorite board game characters come to life, because Clue is coming to North Cross! That’s right - the board game’s characters including Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, Mr. Green, and Colonel Mustard, among others, are coming to life through the upper school actors and actresses. Lily Lenkowski ‘28 said she is most excited about the costumes. Lenkowski said she’s probably going to audition for Mrs. Peacock. “I remember when I was playing the game as a kid I thought she was the coolest one.”

The winter play was originally going to be Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Six years ago English teacher, English Department Chair, and Winter Play Director, Polly Jones, directed the play Clue. Although

originally wanting to put on a Shakespeare play, Jones decided to do Clue because none of the Upper School students would have done it already.

Jones explained it was really fun because, “there are eight principle roles and two or three roles that are in and out during the play and a few almost cameo roles so it does let a lot of people get on stage.”

some stage experience and several of them are not and it’s the whole picture: it’s the backstage crew, the sound and lights. This one really big thing that everybody is doing something different and it all comes together and that’s really fun.”

never had the chance to do so before so he is very excited.

Jones said that Clue was a good option as many students have played the game and are familiar with the characters, plus in a survey Willis Hall’s actors and actresses voted on the play.

“I just love encouraging young people to act,” Jones said, “and several of them are students who have

Jones said she is really excited about “the big reveal at the end when everybody finds out who everybody is.”

She didn’t say too much about it though because it is going to be great and there can’t be any spoilers.

“It’s gonna be fun,” Spencer Britton ‘27 said, “something new, I’ve never done this.”

Britton says he has always been interested in acting in a play but has

Noah Shorey ‘26 said he is most excited “for the set and the actors to come together.” He is likely going to be working as the assistant stage manager or in the tech booth. “I wanted to audition for Yvette because she’s outside my comfort zone and she’s a character that I’d like to learn how to play,” Akali Koeda ‘28 said. “I’m most excited for the scenes with her in the winter play and the community we build during the play.” If you’re interested in auditioning for the winter play stop by Room 4 to talk to Jones or email her at pjones@northcross.org. Auditions and last days to audition for the winter play are Nov. 11 and 12. The play debuts on the last two days of January. Don’t miss it, everyone wants to be clued in on the fun!

Poster images from Wikipedia

By Kaitlyn Perkins

On the top of a hill in Clover County, Transylvania, Frankenstein prepared his haunted house for his soon-to-be bride. Frankenstein has always been kind of awkward, never much of the conversational sort. But this woman certainly brought Frankenstein out of his shell. He wasn’t much of a romantic type either, but he wanted something one of a kind for his one-of-a-kind woman. Out on the back porch he plucked Wisteria flowers from his flower pot. Then he scattered the petals throughout the doorway of his house, lit some candles and dusted the shelves in preparation for the woman’s arrival.

It was the perfect evening for a proposal; the sky was pitch black, the moon was full with a yellow tint, there were a few clouds, and a slight gust of wind. It was also quiet with slight noise coming from the bugs, spiders, rats, and snakes crawling and slithering throughout the house. Frankenstein headed towards the back of the house where he went through the creaky back door and out into the yard. He took his garden shovel and began to dig up his mother’s grave. She’d always said once the time came for Frankenstein to propose she’d want to be there and so, naturally, Frankenstein decided to dig her up and plop her on a chair near the doorway. She was just bones at this point, after all she had been dead for a while. She also smelled terribly but Frankenstein assumed the smell of the candles would overpower the stench. Frankenstein carefully pulled his mother’s wedding ring off her finger and slid it in his coat pocket. With a knock on the door, Frankenstein knew she had arrived. He had expected she’d knock as his doorbell hadn’t worked in years and he had no

motivation to fix it. He rushed to the door, opened it, quickly bent down on one knee, and pulled out the ring. The woman was jubilant at the surprise and then slightly startled as anyone would be after seeing the skeleton of a dead woman greeting her at the entrance. However, she turned her attention back to Frankenstein and replied simply with a smile and a kiss on his cheek as they began to celebrate.

A couple short weeks later after Frankenstein and his fiance had invited each guest, planned for the food and drink, and arranged for music and decorations, they were finally ready for the wedding. Or at least Frankenstein was ready for the wedding. Frankenstein’s soon-to-be-bride was overwhelmed by the thought of marriage now that she had really considered it. Theoretically, Frankenstein could live forever as he was just made out of old body parts and could be assembled time and time again when necessary. Was she ready to live the rest of her life with him: the rest of what could be a very long lifetime? After weighing her options she decided that she was not ready to be a bride and upon consultation with her friends she realized she needed something more.

On the day of their wedding Frankenstein and the guests waited patiently for the bride to grace the aisle with her presence. But after 15 minutes of delay, Frankenstein grew both impatient and concerned. She had told Frankenstein she loved him and he was not willing to accept a different reality. Frankenstein decided to postpone the wedding so he could locate his bride. As he went to change out of his wedding day attire, he found a note on their bed reading - “Dear Frankenstein, you have to understand that I love you very much, however, there is a fire burning inside me and I’ve decid-

Frankenstein’s

Frankenstein became terrified: terrified of what terrified of what sent so many people into an uproar furiously burned down the whole village sparing

Frankenstein’s Fiery Bride

what he thought had killed the love of his life, uproar of screaming, terrified of something that sparing no child, infant, or elderly person in its path.

ed I must go to address the fire inside as it has burned a hole in my heart. If I can figure out how to heal the hole in my heart, I will return and become your bride.” Frankenstein didn’t understand this and he believed she had gone mad. How could a fire burn inside someone? And how could he help douse it?

He went off in search of his love. He searched high and low, day and night, with very little help, and found her among companions in a small village living as she called it, “dangerously.” Frankenstein asked, “Have you cured the fire burning inside you?” To which she replied, “This new life I’ve found gives me a fiery feeling inside everyday and the intensity of it all is exhilarating. I’m sorry but I cannot go back with you until the fire burning inside is doused.” Lacking understanding and heartbroken, Frankenstein snatched his fiance and as she screamed and kicked in terror he brought her to a well where he figured the water would be able to douse the fire she explained burned so intensely inside. He opened her mouth and shoved her in the water repeatedly, only bringing her up for air every minute to ask if the fire was out. And as she coughed violently and gasped for air she muttered, “You don’t understand, feeling, feeling.” He repeatedly asked, more desperately each time, “Will you come back with me, will you come home,” and she barely muttered, “No, not a fire.” He continued to drown her until he asked her a final time and she no longer replied. Her face became blue and her body limp. He laid her on the ground hoping the fire had finally been put out and tapped and kissed her on the cheek just waiting for her to wake up and tell him she would come home. But she just lay there lifeless.

Eventually, villagers took notice and a crowd had gathered to take in the scene. A

doctor arrived and upon further examination pronounced that she was dead. Frankenstein was confused and exclaimed that she had a fire burning within her that he needed to douse. But the fiery feeling she had felt for a life other than marriage could not be doused with water. Frankenstein was brought to the village prison where he spent many days and nights in silence wondering what he had done wrong, why she had left, and what the fire had meant. When the guard let him out in the courtyard for his daily breath of fresh air, he found two sticks and presumed to make his own fire in hopes of understanding. But once the fire had been lit it quickly grew out of control with the guards and other prisoners panicking as it spread rapidly through each dry tree, leaf, and crumpled piece of garbage. Soon the fire was out of anyone’s control and everyone began racing to evacuate.

As the very dry village went up in flames, swallowing each building, home, and person in sight Frankenstein became terrified: terrified of what he thought had killed the love of his life, terrified of what sent so many people into an uproar of screaming, terrified of something that furiously burned down the whole village sparing no child, infant, or elderly in its path. In the commotion of everything, Frankenstein escaped through the smoke into the darkness of the night. From then on only the survivors of that horrendous disaster were able to piece together and retell the events of that night. People attempted to piece together the story of fire-fearing Frankenstein and his so-called bride. There was never again a record of his existence, only stories claiming anytime a fire burned in a village you could hear a faint screaming of Frankenstein in the crackling of fire and his drowning bride in the water buckets dousing it.

Horse Show Shenanigans: Alexandra Conlee ‘29, rides a Hanoverian named Quip, for a Halloween show at the Healing Strides barn. All of the riders dressed up and decided to match their horses. Conlee ‘29 and Quip were butterflies. In addition to dressing up and riding horses, Conlee got to practice her French braiding skills on some of the horses’ tails. When asked about her favorite part of the show Conlee ‘29 said, “making the costume and dressing up.” Her next show is sometime before Christmas, but the dates are still being determined. Caption by Piper Malloch. Photo by Aimee Conlee

Thrillseekers: Dorm director Kaitlyn Brantiforte and her assistant Annie Elwell ‘14 buckle up for “Windseeker,” a high-drop ride in King Dominion’s amusement park. Kevin Tran ‘26 is on the same ride. The dorm embarked on a trip to the renowned amusement park, King’s Dominion. Having all afternoon to themselves, they went on all of the park’s most thrilling rides: Twisted Timbers, Wind Seeker, Racer 75, Grizzly, Delirium and Dominator - world’s longest floorless roller coaster. A main attraction, Wind Seeker, climbs up to 300 feet momentarily, followed by a drop that makes you feel like your stomach is falling out. “My favorite was the large wooden roller coaster,” said Alessio Nunez ‘28. “I rode with Ms B and Ms Annie behind me and it was very fun hearing them scream.” But when the first drop hit, Nunez exclaimed, it “surprised me as it was very rough and made my stomach turn. The Coaster just kept on going up and down and spiraling and it felt like it would never end.” This experience was different because the fall long weekend is one of the few breaks when the dorm stays open. We love that the dorm parents provide such amazing opportunities to let international students explore more of America’s culture. Caption and photos by Andrew Weng

9th- and 10th-graders win PowderPuff classic

POWDER-FUL PLAYER:

Quarterback Tina Chickwata ‘26 runs the ball during Spirit Week’s annual PowderPuff game on Sept. 24. She scored multiple touchdowns but on this play she continues to run unaware that Margaret Bass ‘28 already grabbed her flag. Penelope Lampros ‘28 continues the chase, but Bass and Brooklyn Chen ‘26 have a laugh. The four girls joined the game everyone seems to love for Homecoming week. Essentially a girl’s flag football game, everyone was excited because both teams—the upperclassmen and underclassmen were athletic and entertaining. The competition was tough, but in the end, the underclassmen came out on top in quadruple overtime, upsetting the upperclassmen for the first time in years. Overall, it was a spirited event with a heated confrontation between the two yearly rivals. Caption by Anderson Ratliff, Mason BibbyPhoto by Robert Robillard

Ou and Chen win dorm pool tourney Nov. 8-9

POOL SHARKS: Above left: Seniors Brooklyn Chen and Hanchen Ou show off their victory. Above right: Chen drops the 5 ball in the corner pocket. In the boring dorm life, everyone can always find different interesting things to pass the time. Brooklyn Chen ‘26 and Hanchen Ou “26 often play billiards and chat at night. Chen has been playing billiards since primary school, so she’s really good at it. Ou learned to play from Haoyi Lyu ‘25, but since Lyu is busy studying hard at university and doesn’t have much free time, it’s usually just Ou and Chen playing and chatting together. This helps to explain why they won the dorm’s pool tournament. Captions and photos by Andrew Weng

Left: Kevin Ttran ‘26 prepares to get the 3 ball in the corner pocket. Around 4:30 p.m. one Saturday, Kevin, Duke and Haoyii decided to go play pool together. They found a new place, so I decided to go with them. Unfortunately, the day we came, people were smoking, which made the smell of smoke fill the room and smell really bad. But, the interior of the place looked pretty nice, like a restaurant, so you couldn’t tell it was a place to play pool. The owner of the store is Chinese. She said this place actually sells cigars, but since there’s not much business usually, she allowed them to come here and play. I asked Kevin why he chose this place: “Because the place has a luxury pool table,” he said.”It’s better than other places and also the prices are affordable.” In my spare time, it is a blessing to have someone to accompany me and friends who are willing to take me out. It was a wonderful day to go with them and I also enjoyed it. By Andrew Weng

Winning easy as ABC: 1-2-3 undefeated doubles dominate BRAC

play

STRAIGHT A’s: Above: Anne Bradley Cullen ‘27 hits a backhand return while Anna Ciccozzi ‘26 prepares to volley in the BRAC championship match against VES. The No. 1 doubles team won 8-3 and were undefeated in doubles play against BRAC opponents. Middle: Aashna Patel (left) and Alejandra Trullois ‘28 tap rackets to congratulate each other after winning another point. The No. 2 doubles team beat VES 8-2 and were also undefeated in BRAC play. Bottom: Sophomores Elizabeth Jackson and Akali Koeda stay bundled up on the cool and windy day. The No. 3 doubles team were down 4-7 before reeling off five consecutive games to win 9-7. No. 1 singles Cullen and No. 2 singles Patel then won their singles sets 8-0 to complete the sweep and commence the celebration. Photos by Aadeetri Pandey

ABC returns to give Raider tennis title hopes

By Aadeetri Pandey

Anne Bradley Cullen returned to NCS after a year at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN. Her return and the addition of Patel and Chen gave the team a chance to compete for conference and state titles.

“It’s really exciting and fun to be back on the team and play with all of my old teammates,” Cullen said, “and be able to play No. 1 doubles with Anna again.”

Cullen has been playing tennis all her life. She is a three star tennis recruit who is ranked as the No. 7 girls tennis player in Virginia according to tennisrecruiting.net. She has been a part of the varsity tennis team since the eighth grade along with her doubles partner Anna Ciccozzi’26.

“I’ve been playing with her since middle school, and we were always undefeated, so it’s just nice to have her back, and also, just for the team,” said Ciccozzi. “It’s nice to have her back because we can play more at a collegiate level, and she’s a really solid player and great teammate. She always supports me through doubles, and it’s just overall really good getting to play with her.”

GIRLS TENNIS WINS:

Beat VES 5-0 for first title in three years.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL WINS BRAC TITLE

Defeat New Covenant for first conference championship since 2016.

BOYS XC WINS 8TH BRAC TITLE: Boys win with 21 points!

Times for Boy’s 5k Race

Spencer Britton (16:24.43)

Finn Chaney (16:54.27)

Bryce Austin (16:58.30)

Justus Horner (17:04.11)

Kyle Brochero (18:18.8)

Peter Anderson (19:22.71)

Evan Duncan (19:47.81)

Aiden Bai (20:11.90)

Caleb Miao (20:31.70)

Gabe Dickenson (20:45.14)

21! The boys score may be the lowest total for an NCS team winning a championship race. The top four runners were all Raiders!

The boy’s cross country team celebrates their win at conference after placing their top-five runners in first, second, third, fourth, and 11th, landing them with an overall score of 21 points, comfortably defeating the runner-up, The Covenant School, by 38 points. Team captains, Spencer Britton ‘27 and Finn Chaney ‘27 placed first and second individually, followed closely by Bryce Austin ‘28 in third and Justice Horner ‘28 in fourth. Kyle Brochero ‘30 stepped up from the middle school team to varsity to earn 11th place individually and round out the boy’s varsity team. “I’m pretty excited for States,” Peter Anderson ‘27 said, “I feel like we have a really good shot at winning. It’s a real morale booster, being able to win.” The team hopes to stand atop the same podium at states.

GIRLS XC WINS 3RD BRAC TITLE: Girls win

Times for Girl’s 5k Race

Kaitlyn Perkins (19:41.96)

Ainsley Myles (20:27.69)

Lillian Phillips (20:49.76)

Olivia Ball (21:36.64)

Madison Ball (21:52.63)

Gabby Miller (22:15.14)

June Bradley (22:34.25)

Finley Patterson (23:25.05)

Maddy Camp (25:10.20)

Catherine Cline (25:43.91)

22! The girls won with 22 points -- just as dominant as the boys. The Raiders won by placing their top 5 inside the top 8 finishers.

Below: After battling a cold all week, Kaitlyn Perkins congratulates Olivia Ball with an elbow bump.

with 22 pts!

The girl’s cross country team radiates excitement after their win at conference by a relatively close margin: only 16 points away from the runner-up, The Covenant School. Many athletes gave their best to pull out this win, “I was really happy with my race,” team captain, Ainsley Myles ‘27 said, “it was a really big PR for me on that course.” Captains Kaitlyn Perkins ‘28 and Myles took first and third places individually, followed closely by Lillian Phillips ‘29 in fourth, Olivia Ball ‘29 in 7th, and Madison Ball ‘29 in 9th. “We’ve just been putting in so much work,” Myles said, “and it’s been such a great feeling seeing all of our accomplishments.” Like the boys, the girls hope to stand atop the same podium after the state race on the same course on Oct. 6.

FOOTBALL WINS 16TH CONFERENCE TITLE:

Raiders beat VES 47-0 to defeat 4 BRAC teams by an average score of 45-3.

ONE-TWO PUNCH: No. 1 JaZiel Hart ‘26 and No. 2 Jace Rhodes prepare to defend a pass play one-on-one against VES. According to Hart, the defensive plan was simple: stop the run and force the Bishops to make mistakes passing, “Really stop the run game,” Hart said, “because their main objective was to go away from my side, because they thought it seemed that the weak link was kind of Wynn (Yardley ‘28) . . . . Right before that play, I told him the ball was coming to him. And that’s when he got his pick-six.” Demarcus Brown ‘27 also intercepted a pass and returned it more than 90 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. In the state semifinals this week, the team will face an Atlantic Shores team they beat 53-12 earlier in the season. After beating Atlantic Shores 35-29 on Nov. 7, the Raiders will face St. Anne’s Belfield at home on Nov. 14. Photo by Andrew Weng

BRACE YOURSELF: Celebrating his senior day, Ameer Albishah ‘26 prepares to unleash a shot on the New Covenant goal. He scored two goals in the 3-2 victory. Cole Basile ‘27 scored the first goal for the Raiders. Photo by Robert Robillard

BOYS WIN 2ND STATE TITLE IN 3 YEARS

By Kaitlyn Perkins

Spencer Britton ‘27 and Finn Chaney ‘27 took first and second place leading the boys cross country team to a VISAA DII title.

Britton ran a 16:22.70 in the 5k, becoming the Boys Division II VISAA State Champion. Chaney ran a 16:24.20, dropping 30 seconds off his time on the same course one week earlier. The team captains led their team to the championship just ahead of Bryce Austin ‘28, who finished fourth overall in a blazing 16:45.10 and Justus Horner ‘28 stole sixth in a lightning-fast time of 17:06.00. To round-out the top five boys, Kyle Brochero ‘30 ran an 18:12.00 and placed 17th overall. Together the top five varsity boys all finished with All-State accolades.

Peter Anderson ‘27, Evan Duncan ‘29, Aidan Bai ‘28, Caleb Miao ‘28, and Gabe Dickenson ‘30 all took crucial places away from the

other teams contributing to the team’s win. The boys placed 32 points ahead of the runner-up, Trinity Christian School, and 56 points in front of the third-place team, The Covenant School.

“It’s definitely special to be a part of something like this but just because I won doesn’t mean I won’t

stop training like I’ve never won and racing like I’ve never lost,” Britton said. “I’m still hungry for so much more.”

The boy’s team won a state championship back in 2023 but this was the first time in school history that both the boy’s and girl’s teams took home state titles in the same year.

This is also the first time in school history a boy’s athlete has won an individual state title in cross country and the first person to do so was Britton. For reference this team has improved so much that in 2023 when the boy’s team won their first championship they averaged a 5k split of 18:10.39 and placed just four close points ahead of the runner-up, The Covenant School. This year, the boys averaged a 5k split time of 16:58 and placed 32 points ahead of Trinity Christian School. This doesn’t diminish the amazing championship the boys took home in 2023, it simply shows how far the team has come since then. And to have the boys and girls teams both win in the same year is truly special. “To be a part of one of the greatest achievements in this school’s history is an absolute honor,” Austin said, “It’s going to be amazing to see how we develop as a team over the next couple seasons, I can’t wait!”

Coach Dickenson celebrates two wins and a clean t-shirt

By Kaitlyn Perkins

I’m just going to be honest, it was my idea to dump Gatorade on the coaches if both the girls and boys cross country teams won state championships.

But in my defense - it was supposed to be a joke.

A little while ago, I am pretty sure it was on a bus on the way back from a hard practice, I jokingly asked Coach Dickenson that if we would win both the state championships if we could dump Gatorade on him and the other coaches. I think he said yes but I’m not sure that mattered. I imagine everybody got so excited not because of the idea of dumping Gatorade on the coaches but because doing that means we accomplished something great enough for them to allow us to do that.

Now I was content not dumping Gatorade on Coach Dickenson after both the girls’ and boys’ teams won, however, little did I or the coach know that Peter Anderson ‘27 had not forgotten about the Gatorade. So I was as surprised as Coach D was when my teammates started pouring Gatorade on him. Although, this isn’t at all to say I’m innocent in the matter, because truth be

told, I found the whole incident very funny and I have rewatched the video multiple times. I think my favorite part is how mischievous everyone looks and how surprised the coaches were, but, I have a lot of favorite parts.

Peter did pour the first Gatorade bottle, followed quickly by Kyle Brochero ‘30, Finley Patterson ‘30, Catherine Cline ‘30, Justus Horner ‘28, Aidan Bai ‘28, Maddy Camp ‘30, and Evan

Duncan ‘29. “We had to pay coach back for every hill workout he had put us through,” Bryce Austin ‘28 said. One of the funniest parts of the whole thing for me was that everyone had poured the individual little Gatorade bottles on Coach D because we didn’t have a cooler full of Gatorade to pour on him. As runners, we sure had a lot of bottles of sports drinks. Everyone was also able to sneak the Gatorade bottles up onto the wooden stage where we were all taking photos. As if it was almost a perfect opportunity, the coaches were sitting on the stage in front of all of the athletes smiling for a dozen parents.

Most fortunately, Alex Duncan, Evan Duncan’s dad, caught the whole thing on video so if you’re interested, hit up WillisHallHerald.org to see it. Although my favorite part of the video might be when Coach Britton and Coach Horner practically ran away as soon as they noticed the Gatorade pouring onto Coach Dickenson’s head. They were like “we’re outa here!” I have got to hand it to coach D, he stayed true to his word and felt the wrath of his Gatorade athletes for a bit before jumping up to escape. Very thoughtfully, the Brittons, Spencer Britton’s parents, bought coach D a clean state-championship T-shirt. His hair still looked a bit sticky though.