Snapshots of the modern Athena

Snapshots of the
modern Athena
Featured Stories:
Prom night dinner on the cheap
A look inside SOAR Academy
Going pro: one chance in a million
The changing face of education

Table of Contents March 2009
Cover Story
To celebrate National Women’s Month, the ODYSSEY hosted a photo shoot with four modern
Athenas -- the prominent ladies of Athens. Although these women are involved in different
aspects of Athens’ culture, each of their stories is a snapshot of what a powerful woman can, and
should, do for our community.
Photos by Isabel Atkinson
Viewpoints 10
The work of the bus driver is often underappreciated, but
what is worse is the fact that bus drivers are so often disrespected
by the students they constantly drive around.
News 17
With more vocational options for students through
career academies, a new rezoning plan and a charter
school set to open in 2010, the face of the Clarke County
School District is changing for the good.
Focus 35
With politics in her blood, it was to be expected that
Jane Kidd would eventually follow in her family’s footsteps
and continue a political legacy.
Variety 44
The line between what is the truth and what is a myth is
often unknown, but with prom quickly approaching, Officer
Joseph Geiger was around to find truth in the confusion.
Sports 60
Though one is the ruler of an overseas empire and one
is known as the commander of local tennis, both Stacey
Venker, founder of Tennis for Life, and junior Josh Smith
are tennis legends.
26
38
Left: A DYNAMIC
GROUP: (from left to
right) Stacey Venker,
Eunice Kang, Jane Kidd
and Kendre’ah Perry
are involved in athletics,
music, politics and
theater, respectively. But
while their passions are
different, these women
share many of the same
strengths.
Left: COME TO-
GETHER: Senior
Devon Carter accompanied
his classmates
on an electric
keyboard as the Arts,
Media and Communications
Career
Academy gathered in
the gym to perform
for each other during
scheduled academy
time in January.
Left: LEFT IN THE
DARK: With a new
principal and Superintendent
James
Simms determined
to reform alternative
education in
the Clarke County
School District, SOAR
Academy is changing.
But the lack of
communication about
such changes has
left many students,
such as senior Sierra
Woodley, searching
for answers.
Cover design by Caroline Foster
Photos by Lexi Deagen and Isabel Atkinson
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 3

Staff March 2009
The ODYSSEY is published monthly. Published opinions do not
necessarily reflect the views of anyone other than the staff.
The ODYSSEY is a student produced newsmagazine, published with
the intent to inform, entertain and give voice to the Clarke Central High
School community, as well as to educate student journalists. Each issue
is an open public forum for student expression under the guidance of a
faculty advisor.
Student journalists are provided with opportunities to investigate,
inform, interpret and to evaluate: all traditionally accepted functions of
the press in America.
The ODYSSEY staff is committed to reflect the mission statement set
forth by Clarke Central High School. The goals of the staff are to provide
fair, accurate news and commentaries, as well as to serve the interests of
the school and Athens’ community.
Advertising must conform to the guidelines set forth for editorials.
Publication of advertisements does not indicate an endorsement by CCHS
or by the ODYSSEY staff.
Students pictured in advertisements are not given monetary compensation.
All advertising rates are available upon request from any ODYSSEY
staff member.
The ODYSSEY is a member of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society,
Georgia Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association,
National Scholastic Press Association and Southern Interscholastic
Press Association.
Corrections of errors will appear in the next issue.
Editor-in-Chief:
Bryan Barks
Managing Editor:
Christina Downs
Senior Copy Editor:
Caroline Foster
Business Manager:
Sarah Nehf
Public Relations Manager:
Amber Thomas
Junior Copy Editor:
Kinsey Clark
Viewpoints Editor:
Lauren Corcino
News Editor:
Gayatri Setia
Features Editor:
Rachel Amster
Variety Editor:
Arielle Golan
Sports Editor:
Hal Hager
Photography Editor:
Lexi Deagen
Graphics Editor:
Tyler Elrod
Staff Cartoonist:
Emily Silva
Staff Photographer:
Isabel Atkinson
Staff Writers:
Emily Allen, Victoria Bambo, Killian Begnaud, Courtney Brown, Eva Crowe,
Cassie Evans, Jessie Frary, Fakari Gresham, Chris Harper, Sallay Jabbie, Betty
Migombo, Alex Morris, Lauren Pruitt, Jeffrey Rogers, Tamar Schmidt
Advisor:
David Ragsdale
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE
Clarke Central High School
350 S. Milledge Avenue
Athens, Georgia 30605
Phone: (706) 357-5200, Ext. 17370
Fax: (706) 357-5269
It’s difficult for me to listen to rap music during the month of March -- March is National
Women’s Month, and rappers have not been especially respectful of women over
the years.
I’ve struggled to find the balance between being a rap lover and a feminist. I’ve attempted
to block out the lyrics that rappers use to degrade and objectify women. I’ve
tried to convince myself that rappers are celebrating the beauty of women’s bodies.
But they’re not.
They have the attention of the entire nation and all they choose to talk about is sex,
money and what they can buy with their money.
More recently, though, male rappers have become fixated on a new, equally shallow
concept: what their girlfriends can buy without their help.
And they call this “independence.”
Within the past year, male rap and hip-hop artists have started to use the word “independent”
almost as much as “sexy” their latest albums.
But these songs, such as Webbie’s “Independent” and Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent”
don’t quite paint the image of a truly self-sufficient lady. In fact, they focus more on a
woman’s ability to buy expensive beauty products, cars and
brand-name clothes than the actual concept
of self-sufficiency and fulfillment.
A woman is not an accessory -- she’s
not just another piece of bling for a
man to wrap around his arm. And her
independence isn’t determined by the
number of beauty products she can afford
to accessorize herself.
When I think of an independent
woman, I think of Rosie the
Riveter and the hard-working
women she represented during
World War II. I think of a
single mother working all day
and coming home to take care of
her children. I think of a senior
in high school choosing where to
go to college because of her interests,
not because of the high
male-to-female ratio.
Left: FOXY LADY: Despite rappers’ portrayal of “independent women”
as manicure and pedicure-donning, flawless beauties who cook, clean
When Ne-Yo thinks of
and always smell nice, true independence isn’t determined by the number
of beautification procedures a woman can afford.
an independent woman, he
thinks of “manicured nails
to set the pedicure off.”
Having both a manicure and a pedicure doesn’t seem like the hallmark of someone
who’s self-sufficient – a woman paying with her own money at a nail salon still requires
other people to massage her feet and buff her fingernails. Sorry, Ne-Yo, but there’s nothing
empowering about that.
Webbie also imagines his “independent chick” with immaculate cuticles and specifies
that his ideal girl would cook, clean and “never smell like onion rings.”
But what about the woman who happens to serve onion rings at a fast food restaurant
and doesn’t have the time or money to get a pedicure? Maybe she keeps her own nails
clean with a bar of soap and a pair of nail clippers. That’s a more realistic image of independence.
It’s admirable that the artists who have degraded women for so long have finally
learned the word “independent,” but the glamorous images of the imaginary women who
wear Gucci hats and stunner shades aren’t the women society should be glorifying.
Often, the most powerful and influential women are not the most wealthy or beautiful.
They may not have flawless complexions, designer bags or chiseled abs. Their hair might
be wiry and they might have dirt under their nails.
Because the most powerful and influential women are the ones who know when to put
their manicures aside and sink their fingernails deep into the problems of our time; they
know they have to be willing to get their hands dirty with the world in order to change it.
Cartoon by Emily Silva
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 5

March 2009
Viewpoints
Letters to the Editor
Consolidating Colors
I have attended Clarke Central High School for two years and quite
honestly I didn’t know that it contained so much history. People have a
tendency to ignore the diversity that we offer at CCHS, but if they were to
read this intriguing article, most of them would be very appreciative. As I
began to read the article, I realized that in order to succeed you must first
suffer and persevere through your bad times. This article clearly shows
that CCHS wasn’t as diverse as it is today. In fact, it took the integrity of a
few people to construct CCHS as it is today. It is important that we do not
forget where we’ve come from as a school, and most importantly as people.
According to this article, it wasn’t easy consolidating CCHS, but over time
it did happen. I consider myself highly blessed to attend such a great school.
Who would have ever thought that a school that was filled with prejudice,
hatred and segregation would now be a school of diversity and hope?
-- Regina Lanxter,
sophomore
Rocking stilletos
This article really expresses
the thoughts of many people
like me, who see many
girls, old and young, walking
around Clarke Central High
School with stilettos on.
They can barely make it to
the end of the hallway!
I know beauty equals
pain, but sometimes you
should just say no! There
have been numerous times
that I have seen females
walking with heels in their
hands or the females’ feet are
too tired to stand straight.
Every time I see a female
rocking the stilettos and
trying to be that “diva,” but
they can not quite walk,
I end up laughing and if I
know the female, I might tell
them that they need a little
more practice.
I know that I myself can’t
rock the stilettos like the
pros, and that’s why I
wouldn’t dare add them
to my wardrobe, because I
might actually fall. I know
from experience -- I have
worn some before and they
ended up in my book bag by
the end of second block!
If you know you can’t
walk in the heels properly,
then I, like Ms. Bambo, advise
you to stick to sneakers
and flats and call it a day!
-- Audrianna Sheats,
senior
Stepping for sport
I think that this was a
good article because many
people do not think stepping
is a sport, when it really
Dear readers,
The ODYSSEY welcomes your feedback, input and letters. We ask
that all letters be under 250 words and signed. We reserve the right to
omit or edit any letters received. Insulting, unsigned or libelous statements
will not be considered for publication. Mail letters to the address
below or drop off at the main office care of the ODYSSEY.
Sincerely,
Bryan Barks, Editor-in-Chief
is because they try hard to
succeed.
They also have practice
like any other sport. Those
girls do really well; they
love it and always help each
other when they need it. I
think that stepping really is
a sport.
It shouldn’t matter
whether it is a sport or not
because the most important
part is that they love doing
it. So that’s all that really
counts.
-- Vianney Ramos,
sophomore
Wnt 2 go out?
Above: Our readers critique the February 2009 issue.
I could really relate to
this article. My boyfriend of
over a year will text me that
famous “I’M HERE!” text,
and I’ll be standing at my
glass door looking directly
at him.
Hopefully, that’s just him
trying to be funny. I know
of some people who only
have relationships through
texting and Facebook I.M.
We’ve just gotten too lazy
to realize that love takes effort,
and some people don’t
even care to try.
-- Kristen Hofele,
junior
Corrections/Omissions
February 2009
On pg. 8, in the “Question
of the Month”, Rashard
Brown’s name was misspelled.
On pg. 10, in the “Rocking
Stilettos” article, the photos
were taken by Lexi Deagen
and Emily Allen.
On pg. 13, in the “Obama
has arrived” article, the date
was listed as Feb. 20, 2009.
The date is supposed to be
Jan. 20, 2009.
On pg. 17, in the “Work in
progress” article, the photo
illustration was not listed.
The photo illustration was
done by Alexander Morris.
On pgs. 30-33, in the
“Consolidating Colors” article,
Wilucia Green’s name
was misspelled.
On pg. 41, in the “Full
court press” blurb, the photo
was taken by Hal Hager.
On pg. 45, in the “Driving
the lane with Aja Sorrells”
article, Michael Jordan’s
name was misspelled.
The ODYSSEY staff apologizes
for any errors or omissions in our
content. We appreciate our readers’
support and understanding as
we strive to make corrections.
Sincerely,
The ODYSSEY staff
6 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Photos by Isabel Atkinson
Viewpoints March 2009
Thumbs
The ODYSSEY staff’s opinions on
this month’s issues.
Spring it on us
Spring is here and with it
comes some of our favorite
sports. With great coaching,
quality athletes and
some of the best facilities
in Northeast Ga., the Glads
are on the move this season.
Domo argigato, Mr.
Roboto
In its first term of existence,
the Robotics Club
competed successfully in
the Georgia First Tech
Challenge Championship
Tournament in Marietta,
Ga on Feb. 21. The CCHS
team won First Place.
Courtly love
Local tennis guru Stacey
Venker and Australian
sensation Josh Smith are
but two facets of a growing
racket in our community.
No kidding around
Jane Kidd is a local icon
in community politics and
provides us with a model of
grace, dignity and respect.
Politics may run in her
veins, but she’s got a lot of
love in her heart.
The wheels on the bus
They may go round and
round, but treating our
bus drivers with decency
doesn’t seem to be a priority.
Remember the Golden
Rule, folks.
Where are the crowds?
We have an amazing
orchestra, a teacher who
wants to build the program,
and yet nobody ever
comes to performances.
Where are the crowds?
Send in the crowds!
One in a million
No one will deny that
sports enrich our lives.
But High school athletes’
chances of making it to
college or the big leagues
are 0.02 percent according
to the NCAA. What’s your
fall back plan?
We will miss our
Uncle Jim
Interim Superintendent
James Simms has never
failed to send a friendly hello
or congratulations and
helped move our district
forward. Thanks, Uncle
Jim, for the memories.
-- Compiled by the Viewpoints staff
Our Take
It happened in a matter of weeks.
In early February, Clarke Central High School administrators received a
letter from the Georgia Department of Education informing them that CCHS’
system of awarding credits for Advanced Placement classes was out of line
with state standards and would have to be amended for the 2009-10 school
year.
And so, without time for questions or complaints, CCHS administrators,
teachers and district officials met to create a new course of study to begin
in Fall 2009 -- a curriculum that will cut most AP classes’ instructional time
from a full year to a single semester.
Not every student at CCHS takes AP classes, but it’s the principle of the
state’s decision that’s troublesome.
Education should be flexible. Teachers always talk about different learning
styles, and our school has implemented a variety of different programs and
curriculums, such as freshman and career academies, to meet the needs of
different students, their learning styles and their interests.
Effectively teaching a classroom full of kids is not the same as preparing
food in a safe and sanitary manner. The GDOE should not treat a curriculum
review in the same way a health inspector treats an inspection of a local restaurant.
Students’ minds don’t have a specific boiling point -- there isn’t one
curriculum that will serve all of us equally well.
It’s reasonable to hold public schools accountable and periodically review
each school’s curriculum for continuity. But as long as every high school in
Georgia requires that same number of credits for graduation, schools offer
classes that meet the state’s graduation requirements and a school’s curriculum
is effective, The GDOE should recognize that schools need different
curriculums to meet their students’ unique needs.
Our state already allows some variation between public schools’ curricula.
Some schools, like CCHS, use block scheduling. Some have rotating schedules.
Some don’t offer AP classes. Some offer International Baccalaureate
classes.
With careful review of our school’s AP curriculum and test scores and observational
visits to our AP classrooms throughout the year, the GDOE would
realize that the system we’ve used for years works.
And if a system is educating students well, it is in the state’s and the
school’s best interests to maintain this method.
Regardless of how effective CCHS’ current AP curriculum is, however, we
will have to adjust to a new method beginning next fall.
It will be difficult to implement such a drastic change to the AP curriculum
in such a short amount of time, but our teachers will be able to overcome this
challenge. The curriculum change isn’t a flexibility test for CCHS teachers --
it’s obvious they will make the new curriculum successful for their students.
The real shame is the inflexible, short-sighted and poorly planned nature
of the GDOE’s mandate -- the fact that our teachers are expected to change
a successful system in a matter of months in order to conform to the state’s
cookie cutter standards.
The same people who are supposed to be making Georgia’s education system
run as smoothly and effectively as possible are ensuring its struggle.
Photo by Bryan Barks
Above: MEET
THE NEWEST
TEACHERS:
With the state
mandated
change in the
Advanced
Placement
curriculum, AP
students will
likely turn to
study books and
practice tests
rather than their
teachers in order
to learn the
AP material with
limited time.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 7

about
the cover
PHotos by lexi deagen
Photography Editor
PHoto ESSAY LAYOUT BY BRYAN BARKS
Editor-in-Chief
In ancient Greece, Athena, the goddess of art, justice, skill, wisdom,
and war, served as a symbol of how powerful a woman could be. In
contemporary Athens, Ga., these four women -- an athlete, a politician,
an actress and a musician -- have become legends in their own
right.
To celebrate National Women’s Month, the ODYSSEY invited these
four women to share their stories -- each a snapshot of what it takes
to become a modern Athena.

March 2009
Question of the Month?
What women in history has influenced you
the most and why?
“Katharine Hepburn is an
inspiration to me because she is
beautiful and a great actress.”
-- Madison Silva,
freshman
“Corretta Scott King -- she was
a good wife who supported her
husband through his activities.”
-- Paris Allen,
senior
“Marion Wright Edelman,
because of the different things,
she’s done to advocate children’s
rights.”
-- Tabitha Mckinley,
Science department teacher
“Rosa Parks is a woman I look
up to because she represents
freedom and equality.”
-- Thai Nguyen,
junior
“Mary Shelley because she had
the courage to write an influential
novel despite female writers
being looked down upon.”
-- Hunter Maurer,
freshman
“Maya Angelou -- I like her artistry
as a poet. When I read her
poems I can relate to them.”
-- Kenneth Gibbs,
Career, Technical, and Agriculture
department teacher
-- Compiled by the Viewpoints staff
Viewpoints
If you are the only person who can make you happy, why are so many students
struggling to be happy with themselves within the school building?
When you look at it, some students work hard to get accepted into
cliques. The sad thing to me is when that student finally reaches the point of
being accepted and they realize it’s not so great after all.
Do you think it’s better to be accepted for who you are, such as your personality
traits, interest, religion and style? Or would you rather get accepted
for a show that you might put on for others?
The way cliques are organized is just how people would imagine them.
For example, at lunch, everyone sits with their “group.” You have Jocks,
Preps, Bullies, Tech Geeks, Emos, Unnoticeables, Punks, Nerds, Foreign
Exchange students, Latinos, etc.
Students gather stereotypical information about these cliques and start
setting standards for their own groups. If you don’t wear clothes from a
certain store
or you don’t
look a certain
way, you will
have a harder
time getting
accepted. I
feel as if students
make
being friends
with someone
a competition
or a privilege.
The easiest
thing to do
would be to
stop setting
such high
expectations
for other
students and
loosen up.
There are
many examples
in movies
on how social
status can effect
teens. In
Breaking the stereotypes
Above: TRUE TO YOURSELF: Being in high school can be a difficult
time for many teens because fitting in is a major piece of the high
school experience. Sometimes teens just have to let go of the cliques
and groups and just be themselves.
Mean Girls, you had to be addressed and invited to sit with the main characters
Regina, Gretchen and Karen. Each student of the school was evaluated
and judged by these girls based on how they dressed, how they acted and
who they were.
Some of the things they said about the students were harmful and cruel;
they had the ability to make teen girls and boys, even teachers, lose any
amount of self-confidence they had. The Breakfast Club is also a good example
because each character played his or her own role in the school. There was
the Jock, the Brain, the Criminal, the Princess and the Kook. They knew
things about each other through clique stereotypes, but during a detention
on Saturday, they came to comprehend who they really were. They bonded,
forming a trust with one another, even though they were all different.
It seems that teens don’t realize the negative impact or consequences that
can arise from social status stigmas. Getting through the day might be easier
if students could learn to accept each other for who they are and not what
clique they are in. In reading about the two boys from Columbine High
School who murdered students and then committed suicide in 1999. I noticed
that they didn’t feel like they “fit in.” When you think about this event,
you may wonder if that could happen in our school. So my only wish is for
us students to break free of our clique that supposedly “molds” us together
and explore the diversity of others.
Cartoon by Emily Silva
10 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Viewpoints March 2009
“I need you to come with me.”
Students and teachers clash over an elementary school-inpired disciplinary tactic.
My first block class is interrupted the same
way every day. There’s a hurried knock on
the door followed by an exasperated teacher, an
obnoxiously loud student and a request: “Can I
time a student out in here?”
Especially among Freshman Academy teachers,
timing out, or putting a disruptive student in
another teacher’s classroom, has become the go-to
method of discipline.
If a student talks back to a teacher or won’t be
quiet long enough for the teacher to get through a
by Bryan Barks
Editor-in-Chief
lesson, timing a student out allows the aggravated teacher to teach the rest of
his or her class without disruption and pawn the troublemaker off on another
teacher for the rest of the block.
Time out works fine in kindergarten classrooms, when the punishment
entails sitting in a corner of the room or missing recess. But when it’s applied
to high school classrooms, time out is an irresponsible, ineffective and inconsiderate
method of discipline.
When a teacher sends a misbehaving student to a different room, he or
she is essentially telling the rest of the class, “I don’t know how to deal with
this problem. I think the teacher next door is better equipped to handle this
student than I am.”
Students like to feel as if their teachers have control over any situation
that might occur in the classroom. It’s easier
to respect teachers who have a specific plan
of action when someone is misbehaving
-- a plan that, unlike timing a student out,
actually solves the disciplinary issue.
Because sending a student who is misbehaving
to another teacher doesn’t help
the problem -- it just moves bad behavior
into a different classroom.
No matter how willing a teacher is
to help his or her colleagues with
disciplinary issues, it is distracting
when someone busts open
the door and throws a disruptive
student into a classroom.
Every day, a sassy, loud-talking
freshman who irritated the
teacher next door sits in the back
Above: DISTRACTED AND DISGRUNTLED: When of my first block class, sucks her
a teacher brings a disruptive students into a classroom teeth and mumbles about how
full of students who are trying to learn, organized class stupid her teacher is for sending
discussion turns into a disciplinary spectacle.
her out.
Eventually, she even starts to enjoy
herself. She’ll borrow some colored pencils and draw, wander around the
classroom while the students are working silently and chat to the teacher,
who, unlike her real first block teacher, has no reason to feel angry towards
her. Suddenly, being sent out of her classroom doesn’t really seem like a punishment
anymore -- in fact, it’s more fun than her original class.
So what’s to keep this same student from acting out again if her bad behavior
has been rewarded?
The notion that it takes a village -- or a team of Freshman Academy teachers
-- to discipline a child makes sense, but such a support system should
make each teacher’s job easier, not volley a problematic student between
several classrooms.
It’s understandable that teachers don’t want to spend a large portion of
class dealing with the behavior problems of a single student. But if a student
is being so unruly that his or her behavior is out of a teacher’s control, it’s
time to call a security officer.
And if students who are inclined to misbehave don’t have the opportunity
to escape to another teacher’s room -- if the options are limited to good behavior
or automatic In-School Suspension -- overall classroom behavior just
might improve.
by Lindy Cox
Guest Writer
Working with teenagers requires flexibility,
tough love and creativity. Managing a room
full of people requires a range of options; one of the
most potentially effective is time out.
Time out comes in many forms -- a pass to the
restroom to “walk it out,” time at a desk in an
isolated area of the room to think through an experience
or removal to another classroom. Though to
the untrained eye, time out may seem designed as
a punishment, it is rarely effective if used that way.
Rather, time out is meant to offer students a second
chance for success. Given the time to cool down and reflect on a situation
away from the source of tension, students are sometimes capable of identifying
the problem for themselves.
Though it’s true a student in time out will miss the instruction taking
place with his classmates, it’s equally obvious to anyone who’s ever been
distraught that not a whole lot is learned anyway when emotions run high. A
student reflecting on his actions may make a self-discovery that will improve
future learning, a much more valuable use of this time than stewing in a
classroom trying to focus on poetic terminology
or linear equations.
Whether I label it or not, I use time out in
my personal life all the time. When I come
home to find a messy house and a fiancé surfing
the Internet for information on the latest
Georgia Tech recruit, I take a time out.
When a colleague makes an offensive comment
and I feel heat rising off my ears, I take
a bathroom break to clear my head before
returning to address my concerns.
How much more valuable, then, is teaching
a fourteen-year-old how to deal with the
emotion-filled experience of working with
others who fail to meet our expectations in
some way?
Students need to learn the importance of
calming down before looking at a situation
away from the tension of the moment.
At the very least a time out allows a safe
learning environment for the remaining
students, who deserve a classroom free
from distractions. This is especially true
if the teacher can identify one student as
the source of disruption. Teenagers
Above: A TEACHING TOOL: Some teachers see
are hyper-observant, and they learn time out as an opportunity for a student to cool
quickly from watching the interactions
between their peers and teach-
down rather than a disciplinary strategy.
ers. Allowing a student to remain
in a class as a disruptive influence sends a message to other students that
outrageous behavior is acceptable.
Time out offers particular benefits on the Freshman Academy. For example,
several relationships I have with my current students began during
time out from a colleague’s class last semester. In some instances, when a
student was timed out to my classroom, I was able to offer an uninvolved
ear to the student, model a reflective process, offer insight into the teacher’s
perspective from a voice the student is better able to listen to and strengthen
my relationship with that student so that we work better together when he
or she later enters my class.
Regardless of a teacher’s best intentions or practices, the student-teacher
relationship holds a power imbalance that often adds to the emotion of a
situation. To offer an adult perspective while not being in a position of direct
power over a student helps foster the reflection and growth we hope to
encourage in all students.
Time out is just one tool in a teacher’s repertoire. Used thoughtfully, it is
invaluable.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 11
Cartoons by Emily Silva

Photo By Isabel Atkinson
Photo illustration by Bryan Barks
Ever wonder who
is driving your bus?
Or is she invisible
to you? Ever stop
to consider she’s a
human being just
like you?
Take a ride on Bus
141 and meet Ms.
Cynthia Bowman,
a woman who has
been a bus driver
for eight years.
w
Cheaper by the dozen
Price and convenience allow teens to eat inexpensively, if not healthfully.
BY Amber Thomas
PR Manager
One pack costs $0.17, and the six-pack
costs a dollar. They come in all kinds of
flavors: shrimp, beef and even chicken. They take
only three minutes to cook in the microwave, and
10 minutes to cook on the stove.
So give me one good reason why I shouldn’t
buy them.
Growing up I frequently asked this question
as I heard the constant criticisms about ramen
noodles, and same goes for chips, Hot Cheetos
and sugar-packed juice drinks. Too much salt or
sugar makes you gain weight, yada yada yada.
I’ve tried to quit eating ramen noodles time and time again, but what else is
there to buy with a few dollars and a hectic schedule like mine? They’re not
healthy, but what’s the alternative if you’re looking for something quick and
savory.
Magazines always advertise alternatives for eating junk food. Like, “it’s so
easy to swap Hawaiian Punch for actual fruit and ice cream for yogurt,” but
it’s not as simple as it sounds.
I have tried to go on diets plenty of times, and they’ve generally lasted
about a week or two. I just can’t commit to something that my body does
not agree with. When I diet, I feel like I’m punishing my body for all the hard
work it has done.
So I eat what I want, and make up for it by power walking in school or carrying
my books in my hands for a brief workout.
In today’s society, stores that sell junk food make it practically impossible
to resist the 24-pack of Lay’s Potato Chips, consisting of assorted Doritos,
Ruffles, Barbeque and Classic chips.
Not to mention the boxes of Caprisun’s
and Kool-Aid Jammers that can supply you
with fruity flavor throughout the week.
What else am I supposed to drink? Grapefruit
juice?
The fact of the matter is that healthy foods
just don’t have addictive qualities that junk
foods do. Don’t get me wrong, I do still try to
eat right every now and then. But it doesn’t
quite count when I’m packing my salads
with ranch or coating my Special K with
sugar.
It sounds awful, but flavor is a dominating
factor to me when it comes to picking
my favorite foods, and salmon just won’t
make the cut.
Above: OODLES OF NOODLES:
Senior Amber Thomas is on a budget
and believes the flavor and cost of ramen
noodles make them a “must have”
component of her diet.
It’s obvious that the most flavorful snacks are generally the most unhealthy,
but I don’t have a huge problem with a few extra carbs being the
bargain for a snack that’s cheap, efficient and satisfying.
I realize that these unhealthy snacks are setting America’s youth on the
fast track to obesity, but the alternatives are empty stomachs and pockets.
I practically grew up on junk food, and I figured out that it could just be
burned off by working out or playing softball, which is what I did. Of course,
I don’t have the body of a personal trainer, but junk food has given me the
energy that I need to function on a daily basis.
One day I will learn my lesson, and hopefully it won’t be to the point
where a crane has to lift me off of my couch; but until I do come to my senses,
I will continue to buy my noodles and chips by the dozen.
Photo by Isabel Atkinson
12 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE12

Viewpoints March 2009
BY TORI BAMBO
Viewpoints Writer
Photo by Isabel Atkinson
She’s not Angelina, she’s my Aunt Sallay
Role models don’t have to come from Hollywood to make a difference in our lives.
If I were asked to
name someone who
inspired me, my mind
would race in a million
directions trying
to think someone
who has saved lives
or a person who has
raised millions of dollars
for charity.
I would search for a
person who was your
typical Angelina Jolie.
But if I really thought about it, my inspirational
figure wouldn’t have to be a celebrity or someone
who has discovered the cure for a disease. It
would be the person who I call to talk to about
anything ranging from African recipes to Disney
Channel movies.
It would be the person who doesn’t know
anything about text messaging, so every time I get
a message with weird symbols and letters, I know
it is her special way of trying to say hey.
That person is my Aunt Sallay Jabbie.
Since I’ve know her can say I‘ve become a different
person. I remember the first time meeting her
two years ago her when she first came to the U.S
from Sierra Leone, she came up and hugged me
and we started chatting as if we had known each
other for years.
In the middle of our conversation she told me,
“Ah me sista, we go gef fo blown dis talk” in Krio,
Sierra Leone’s native language which meant, “Girl,
I’m tired of talking!” and for the rest of the day she
dubbed me “Queen Motor Mouth.”
One thing my Aunt Sallay and I both love and
hate is that we’re namesakes. Wherever we go, we
always have to tell people that I am “Little” Sallay
and she is “Big” Sallay, but even though we tell
people, they still mix us up.
Even though I enjoy being her mini-me, there
have been some crazy times. I remember once
when she was working in a hair salon and I was
visiting her, a new costumer came in requesting
that Sallay did her hair. So to play a joke, my aunt
told me to go and tell her that I was ready for her
to sit down at my booth.
The lady, looking very confused, agreed and
sat down, and I began to do her hair. After a few
minutes, my aunt came out and the lady was very
relieved. To this day, whenever the lady comes in
to get her hair done, they always laugh about our
prank.
Coming from a war torn country, Aunt Sallay
had to relocate to
many different cities
around western
Africa, leaving
most of her family
behind, except for
her son, my cousin
Amad The civil
war in Sierra Leone
displaced members
of her family.
I recall her
telling me many
of her memories
about how her Above: WAR TORN LEONE: Born
family would stay in in Western Africa, Aunt Sallay Jabbie
has proven to be an inspiration
their house for weeks to her American born namesake.
because they were so
afraid of what would happen to them if they left
home. A lot of people would call my aunt’s story a
tragic case, but for me it just shows what kind of
person she is.
She may not be an actress giving away money
to charity, but my Aunt Sallay is that person who
teaches and reminds me not to worry about the
small stuff “becous eet no go mata en de end.”
Photo courtesy of www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/sierra_leone.htmls
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 13

March 2009
Viewpoints
Photo by Isabel Atkinson
Thanks for the memories
The Clarke County School District’s decision not to retain James Simms
as superintendent has left more than a few in the community puzzled.
Above: WORKING HARD FOR CHANGE: In his time spent working in the Clarke County
School District, James W. Simms has made major positive changes in the district that have
helped the move the CCSD forward. Simms will leave the CCSD with memories that will be
remembered by all teachers, parents and students. With a new superintendent coming in,
Simms will leave behind his legacy.
BY HARRY COOPER
Social Studies department chair
am sure many of you were just as sad and
I disappointed as I was when you heard that our
interim Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Jim Simms,
was not going to be hired as our permanent Superintendent.
Mr. Simms has been a great friend and
supporter to us and our school and we are going to
miss his influence. He has been a great leader and
administrator for our school district. He has lived
his commitment to excellence in education.
Mr. Simms has shown in so many ways that he
loves us, both students and teachers. I am sure
that many of you have seen him or talked to him in
class. Mr. Simms took the time to come to Clarke Central High School to
join us in our classes or be interviewed by the Odyssey staff or to congratulate
a club or ball team.
He has been friendly and genuinely interested in our accomplishments and
our challenges. I always felt that he respected and valued me when I spoke
to him; I’ll bet he made you feel the same way. He was committed to the
whole school system, not just to us; he could be found regularly in elementary
schools reading to younger children.
They know him as ‘Uncle Jim’. As busy as a Superintendent is, it is rare to
find someone who would take the time to do all the things Mr. Simms has
done to make us feel like he cared.
Now we are going to begin a new chapter with a new Superintendent. It
is certainly in our best interest to support the man the Board of Education
has determined to be the best for the job. We can only hope that he will
measure up to the example that Mr. Simms has left for him. His decisions
will affect all of us and so we wish him well. At the same time, we should be
thankful for and proud of Mr. Simms’ service.
If you see him the hallways I encourage you to thank him for all that he
has done and all that he has meant to our schools and community. After all,
it’s not every day you get to have a leader like ‘Uncle Jim.’
BY CONNIE WEGMANN
Principal’s Secretary
It is with great honor that I write about a special
man who has been the interim superintendent
for the Clarke County School District for the past
year and a half. I have worked at Clarke Central
for 21 ½ years, and in that time, I have never had
the pleasure to work for such a fine leader as Mr.
James Simms.
He is a superb business leader; however, what
touches me more is his desire to know us on a
personal level and the fact that he never misses a
chance to have personal conversations with all of
the employees in the district. He knows my husband
by name and knows about all of my children and grandchildren.
He is a person that I consider not only my boss but my friend. I have considered
him a friend since first meeting him, but we had a special relationship
because of our dogs. We both lost our pets around the same time and we
have talked at length about our new puppies. When he calls to talk to Dr.
Hooker he always takes a minute or two to discuss how I am and what has
been going on which shows evidence that he cares.
When he comes to school for meetings, he never leaves the building
without stopping by my office just to say hello. I consider myself fortunate
because I have had Jim Simms in my life and know that that friendship will
last forever. The entire CCHS family will truly miss this fine man and great
leader.
By CJ Amason
Cedar Shoals High School parent
am incredibly disappointed in the Board of Education’s
recent decision not to hire James Simms
I
as the permanent superintendent of the CCSD. I
am in my fourteenth year as a public school parent
here in our community, with six more years to go,
so the outcome of this search is critically important
to me.
Mr. Simms is the fourth individual to serve in
this position since our oldest child entered kindergarten,
and he is by far the best. He knows our district
well because of the years spent as the senior
level district financial administrator; he is familiar
with the issues and challenges of the CCSD and knowledgeable about the
complicated and difficult budgeting process. That is a particularly important
fact since the state is calling for budget cuts in the wake of this difficult
economy. It is certainly not the time to have a new and different hand at the
helm, especially since this hand is a strong and steady one.
Mr. Simms has brought much needed encouragement to the faculty and
staff of our district. At a convocation ceremony in August I witnessed over
1,000 of Athens-Clarke County’s finest give this man a standing ovation at
the conclusion of his remarks. Let me assure you that this has never happened
before. For the first time in many years teachers talk of being heard
and cared for by the person at the top. He appreciates what they do day in
and day out and takes every opportunity to tell them so. He instills confidence
and bolsters pride wherever he goes, even among the students.
Our mission is the education and nurture of our community’s children,
and the challenges and obstacles are well documented. However, the school
district and community at large have rallied around Mr. Simms in an unprecedented
way. He has built relationships with local government, University of
Georgia administrators, and business and industry leaders to name just a few.
Jim Simms’ leadership is a breath of fresh air, and we can’t afford to lose him
at this critical juncture.
In only a year and a half Mr. Simms has made an incredible impact on our
district and community. While I will support whoever is chosen as the new
superintendent, I firmly believe that changing horses midstream at this point
will set our district back, not catapult us forward.
14 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Photo courtesy of Alexander Boza
What’s happening this March?
A look at today’s Boy Scouts.
By daniel desimone
Guest Writer
The Boy Scouts
of America is an
organization that
has been subject to
relentless stereotyping
throughout its existence.
High school
aged scouts more than
anyone else.
I never jump at the
chance to tell someone
that I am involved in scouting the first time I meet
them because of the mental image people conjure
up at the slightest hint of the idea.
Suddenly I am a short-shorts wearing, leaf collecting,
dweeb who has nothing better to do than
learn knots and help old ladies across the street.
People come to these conclusions because they
don’t know what Boy Scouting today really is.
Who can say that they have gone camping, or
really spent any time in nature in the past month,
3 months, or even year? One of the problems of
living in the city is that people forget what wide
open skies are, what mountains are, what a river
looks like that isn’t polluted, or what the words
“self sufficient” really mean. It isn’t just backyard
camping either.
You hike two miles to the top of the highest
peak in Georgia carrying your supplies for the
weekend, chop wood, build fires, cook meals, and
live like a real human being, not a couch potato.
You come home from the weekend with a new
appreciation for your soft bed, warm shower, and
mom willing to pick up after you.
It’s not just work, though. Scouts play ultimate
Frisbee, canoe, snow tube, shoot arrows, learn
their way around a firearm, and play music during
the downtime. Honestly, once you’ve cleared up
the red tape of the lower ranks, scouting is what
you want it to be.
Scouting is truly a growing experience not to be
passed up. How many people do you know who
exhibit the traits a scout is taught to exemplify
every hour of every day, “trustworthy, loyal, helpful,
friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful,
thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent”?
Boy scouting gives you experiences with the
outdoors, leadership, and brotherhood that you
just don’t get anywhere else, and has been one of
the greatest parts of my life.
Above: BREAKFAST IS READY: Working together as a
group, junior Daniel DeSimone takes charge of making
pancakes for his troop during a campout.
Growing up without parents helped strengthen other bonds.
Parents are a
wonderful thing
to have in your life.
Unfortunately, not
everyone has parents,
but often they have
someone else to care
for them.
My mother and
by Lamiesha Goolsby father haven’t always
Guest writer
been there for me.
My mother hasn’t been the best mother, but
she was in my life for a while, until she asked my
grandparents, Helen and Kermit Teasley, to take
care of me because of the bad things she had done
in the past. I haven’t seen her since.
My father died when I was three. I hardly got to
spend time with or get to know him.
After his death, I moved in with my grandparents.
They have taken care of me for 13 years, now.
It’s difficult to have just grandparents. There are
a lot of differences between parents and grandparents.
You can’t have father/daughter dances or
celebrate father’s or mother’s day.
When I see my friends arguing with their parents
over little things when I go over their house,
it makes me think that they don’t appreciate their
Living on the wrong side of the tracks.
Driving by the
enormous Tracy
Street warehouse, you
might think it looks
like one of the many
industries that went
under in the early 50s,
but on the inside it is
a thriving community
By carlo nasisse of artists, musicians,
Guest writer
and Athens businesses.
Contained in the corrugated tin walls are two
art galleries, a trapeze studio, dance and yoga
space, bike shop, recording studio, printing shop,
metal smith, taxi service, karate dogo, web design,
two hair salons, artist studios, and loft apartments.
Built around the turn of the century, it was
originally a cotton warehouse. The harvested cot-
Photo courtesy of Carlo Nasisse
Above: AN UNUSUAL PLACE TO CALL HOME: Living
in the historical Tracy Street warehouse has its quirks, but
sophomore Carlo Nasisse feels it is everything he wants it
to be.
parents. They don’t know what they’re taking for
granted.
My grandparents are the greatest thing that has
ever happened to me. If it weren’t for them I’d be
in a foster home or somewhere on the streets, not
in school.
Basically, I love and appreciate my grandparents,
and even though I miss my parents, I
wouldn’t trade my grandmother and grandfather
in for anything.
Above: A DIFFERENT KIND OF FAMILY: Every
child has a different concept of family. For Lamiesha
Goolsby, her grandparents have always served as
parental figures.
ton was brought by horse and buggy and then sent
to Savannah on the railroad. As the cotton market
declined, the warehouse was abandoned for over
50 years. When my family first bought property,
the football field sized building was completely
empty with trees growing up through the caved-in
roof.
As a nine-year-old kid, this vast open interior
space, filled with eerie light filtering in through
skylights, was a mysterious and magical place.
We were the first to buy, converting four
thousand square feet of raw space into four artist
studios that later were converted into our loft
apartment. Soon after us, Canopy trapeze studio
and ATHICA (Athens Institute of Contemporary
Art) converted more raw space. When we moved
in two years later, the building had become a hub
for Athens’ artistic community.
Normal patterns of life are challenged by living
here. Occasionally, a complete stranger walking
into the kitchen looking for Canopy interrupts a
family dinner, or a conversation is punctuated by
the blast of a train whistle two hundred feet away.
I enjoy watching models doing photo shoots in
the kudzu across the street through my telescope
in my room, the arrival of numerous ink-soaked
members of local bands coming to record at Pig
Pen sound studio, trapeze artists, performance
artists, dancers, film makers, drum circles, and
bikers of all sorts.
My idea of a good night is looking out the window
before I go to bed and seeing the bass player
for Of Montreal chasing three other guys around
in circles on mopeds.
It’s unconventional, and I like it.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 15
Cartoon by Nate Jones

March 2009
Viewpoints
Rethinking the rezoning fury
Growing up, I was always taught to respect my parents and do as they
said. If they told me to hop up and down on one foot while trying to
complete my homework, I was expected to do it without questions
or complaints.
We need to remember the kids are the ones
affected by this decision. They are the ones
losing their friends, their favorite teachers
and their beloved schools.
At the dinner
table with my family,
the conversation
flows from my day
at school to the occasional
joke about
the kid who had
spinach stuck in his
teeth to the lengthy
discussions about
something that made someone angry that day.
As kids, all of us listen intently to these conversations, trying to figure
out what is going on in the world and trying to form our opinions about the
matters at hand. Kids' opinions are heavily influenced by their parents. Kids
think that everything adults think about matters and how they react to these
issues is always right.
In the Clarke County School District, the topics at the dinner
table for elementary school parents have probably included
the new neighborhood attendance zone plan.
The new neighborhood attendance zones, which will be
implemented for the 2009-10 school year, determine which
elementary school a student attends based on where he or she
lives, rather than allowing parents to choose which of the thirteen
elementary schools of their children will attend.
This means that many parents and their children will be
moved from their current elementary school to another elementary
school in the area closer to their neighborhood.
Ever since the school board even hinted at the prospect of
the neighborhood attendance plan, parents have been furious
at the change. Many parents have poured their hearts and souls
into their children's school to help it thrive and succeed, but
with the new neighborhood attendance zone policy, they will
have to move to another school and leave what they have accomplished
behind.
As community members watched the influx of angry letters
to the local newspapers, rows of filled seats at PTSO meeting
held at the elementary schools and board meetings concerning
the new neighborhood attendance plan along with only voicing
their opinions on the matter, it was obvious how parents felt
about the new rezoning plan.
These parents have helped their schools accomplish so
much, but when parents start pouting their lips and refusing
to spread the knowledge and wealth to their new schools, it
becomes ridiculous.
The elementary schools in the CCSD are suffering. The new
neighborhood attendance zones are intended to help revitalize
schools and help them improve. By not supporting the board on
this decision, it seems as though parents would rather see the
district suffer for their personal benefit than go along with a
plan that is going to help.
Kids learn from their parents and mimic what they learn
at home. All of the drama that this decision has brought with
it has trickled down to the kids at these schools. Instead of teaching their
children that they will meet new people and experience a new environment,
parents are teaching their kids to hate this decision and therefore to hate
their new or old schools.
Parents are focusing too much on being angry at the new plan. Instead,
they should be focusing all of their energy on
supporting their kids and making sure that the
transition between schools is a smooth one.
We need to remember the kids are the ones
affected by this decision. They are the ones
losing their friends, their favorite teachers and
their beloved schools. They are the ones who
are marching into uncharted territory, scared
and completely unaware of their new surroundings.
And they are the ones who will eventually
benefit from this plan.
Let's face it. Complaining about the decision is not going to change anything.
Whether the school board handled this decision correctly or not, the
new rezoning plan is still happening. Instead of causing uproar and worrying
the children in the district, let’s focus on how this new plan will help
improve our district and give it the luster that is has been lacking.
Above: PARENTS KNOW BEST: As kids we always pay attention to what our parents say
and do, especially when forming opinions about issues. Parents need to remain postive
about the rezoning decision in order for their kids to be positive about the decision as well.
Cartoon by Emily Silva
16 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

News March 2009
News
briefs
Essays for $500
On Feb. 23, Athens College Track invited a
few of Clarke Central High School students into
Mell auditorium. These students were to be an
“audience” to watch three students play a game
with a winning prize of a $500 scholarship. The
contestants had to write an essay about why
college students go into
debt. Out of those essays
written, three were chosen.
The three contestants in the
game were seniors Louis
Arnold, Natalie Lett and
junior Natalya Haas. Arnold
was unable to attend, thus
junior Kalyn Breeding took
his place. Breeding came in
third, Lett second and Haas
won the game and received
the scholarship.
Babies on board
On Dec. 11, 2008, Social
Studies department teacher
Thomas Potter and his wife
Ashley Potter delivered a
baby girl, Sara Jane Potter.
She weighed 7 lbs. and 13 oz.
and was 21 inches long.
“My first thought
when I was holding her
was that she looked like her mother. Which is
great because our first daughter looked like me.”
Thomas said.
Billie Martin Paine was born to Curriculum
Assistance Program for Students department
teacher Emily Dungan and her husband, Jim
Snow safety
BY Jessie Frary
News Writer
Quiet gray clouds set in above
Athens, Ga. A light drizzle
Paine on Nov. 19, 2008. She weighed 9 pounds and
6 ounces and measured at 20.25 inches long
Amelie Joy Walker was born on Feb. 20, to
CAPS department teacher Robert Walker and
Science department teacher Kelly Walker. She is
their first child, weighed 8 lbs. and 2 oz. and was
20 inches long.
“It was a very surreal moment,” Kelly said. “I
was kind of in awe that this baby was actually
mine.”
Bearing the standard
The CCHS JROTC Color Guard and Drill
Team traveled to North Georgia College and
State University on March 7, for the Southeastern
Invitational Exhibition Drill Meet. The teams
competed against other JROTC Color Guards
and Drill Teams from all over
the Southeast United States.
Color Guard members include
sophomores Rendee Bumpus
and Grace Clift, junior
Cortney Thomas and seniors
Jennifer Yebra and Troy
Choudhury.
Sound the singers
After his students passed
two rounds of auditions
for the first time in two
years, Fine Arts Department
Chair Dr. Anthony Rucker
accompanied junior Gayatri
Setia and senior Devon
Carter to Savannah, Ga. on
Feb. 25 to participate in the
Georgia Music Educators
Association All-State Choir.
Each choir practiced an
average of six hours a day for
three days, and on Feb. 28,
Carter performed with the Senior Men’s Choir.
Setia performed with the Senior Women’s Choir.
“It was awesome,” Carter said. “We were
around so many other people that could actually
sing, that wanted to sing, that loved to sing.”
-- Compiled by the News Staff
begins as the temperature drops. People start
leaving the streets and take shelter in warmth of
their homes as delicate white snowflakes begin
blanketing the Classic City.
On Sunday, March 1, 2009, Athens-Clarke
County was struck by a sudden snow storm that
dumped 6.5 inches of snow onto Clarke and surrounding
counties, causing school districts across
Northeast Georgia to close for two days.
“We close schools any time there is a condition
that creates an unsafe condition for students, faculty,
staff and any of our other customers served
on a daily basis. Safety is paramount for the school
district, and we hold it in high regards,” Clarke
County School District Public Relations Director
Eric Keese said.
The school district has a weather team that
consists of the Chief of Police, Directors of Transportation,
Plant Services, Safety, Public Relations
and Operations.
The Chief of Police then works with the ACC
Police Department to determine the conditions
of the roads. The Chief of Police contacts CCSD
Superintendent James Simms, who then contacts
the Director of Public Relations to alert the media.
Simms determines whether to cancel school for
the day or not due to inclement weather. Weather
that forces schools to close includes floods, extended
heat waves, tornadoes, hurricanes, winter
storms and extreme cold.
“We had already accumulated a considerable
amount of snowfall by Sunday night. We knew
power was out and was projected to be out in
some areas for some time. We knew roads would
be too hazardous for driving,” Simms said. “Therefore,
at about 6 p.m. Sunday evening, I made the
decision to close on Monday.”
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
as of Monday morning more than 50,000 homes,
schools and businesses were out of power, many
of which were in the Athens area, including
History starts now
The 2008-09 ODYSSEY Newsmagazine
staff and the Iliad Literary Magazine
staff traveled to Columbia, S.C. for the 2009
Southern Interscholastic Press Association
Conference from March 5 until March 8.
Sophomore Kinsey Clark and juniors Isabel
Atkinson, Alex Morris and Gayatri Setia
competed in the Writing, Editing and Design
Competition. Sophomores Emily Allen,
Cherranda Smith and seniors Bryan Barks,
Christina Downs and Caroline Foster
presented sessions for other students attending
the conference. Senior Amber Thomas
participated as a SIPA student officer memberat-large
and assisted in coordinating the
conference’s theme “History Starts Now.”
The 2008-09 ODYSSEY staff was recognized
as All-Southern for newspaper by SIPA.
The ODYSSEY was also named “The Best
Newspaper in Georgia for 2009.” Individual
awards went to juniors Atkinson, Alexis
Deagen, Tyler Elrod and seniors Barks, Cassie
Evans, Arielle Golan and Emily Silva.
Above: ON THAT ONE “O” PROGRAMME: The ODYSSEY
Newsmagazine and the iliad Literary Magazine staffs gather
for a group picture in Columbia S.C. at the Southern Interscholastic
Press Association conference. Left: GRAND OLD
FLAGS: (from left to right) senior Jennifer Yebra, sophomores
Grace Clift, Joana Estrada and Taylor Maddox bear
the colors at the North Georgia College and State University
on March 7.
Clarke Central
High School.
By Monday
evening, the snow
melted and refroze,
causing adverse
road conditions.
As a result,
Simms canceled
school again
Tuesday morning
at roughly 5:30
a.m. However,
teachers reported
to work at 10 a.m.
on Tuesday for a
workday.
“If we had not
closed schools
on those days, I
think we would
Above: WINTER WONDERLAND: On
March 1, neighborhoods in eastern Athens-
Clarke County, such as Bentwood Trail,
received up to 6.5 inches of snow.
have imposed and unacceptable risk to students,
parents, and staff,” Simms said. “I will always err
on the side of safety.”
Students and staff returned to school on March
4, 2009 at the regularly scheduled time.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 17

News March 2009
Solving the dropout puzzle
Clarke County School District may have found the missing piece to its
graduation rate -- the hiring of local community activist Rick Dunn.
by Kinsey clark
Junior Copy Editor
With a 50 percent graduation
rate in 2007,
compared to Georgia’s 72 percent,
the Clarke County School District hired long-time
community activist Rick Dunn to be the district’s
first Graduation Coach Coordinator.
“I am extremely excited,” Dunn said. “I feel like
working with youth is a mission for me, so I can’t
wait to resume that mission.”
The new position of Graduation Coach Coordinator
C
D
G R A D U A T I O N
U
A
The committee’s criteria required
N
an awareness of the issues affecting
youth at risk of dropping out along
with an ability to bring resources
for health care, social services and
C
H
O O R D I N A T
I
pregnancy prevention to students
within the CCSD.
C
K
“If the school system alone
could solve the issue of
dropout there would be no
need for my job. This is an
issue that impacts the entire
community.”
-- Rick dunn,
Graduation Coach Coordinator
is being
funded
by AT&T
with a
grant for
$100,000
a year
for the
next four
years. The
CCSD and
Family
Connection/Communities
in Schools of Athens applied for the
grant in summer of 2008. Along with funds for the
position, money will also go towards equipment,
supplies, travel and support for students of CCSD.
“It is (AT&T’s) hope that (the CCSD) will
create a model program that can be replicated
throughout the state of Georgia,” Dunn said.
“For a corporation like AT&T to put its money
behind dropouts shows how important it is to this
country.”
Before he was hired as Graduation Coach Coordinator,
Dunn was the Regional Resource Coordinator.
He worked throughout the Athens-Clarke
County area to provide families with resources
that helped support them, while overseeing 12
people from other districts with the same duties.
Now, as the Graduation Coach Coordinator,
Dunn will work with the graduation coaches
throughout the CCSD, a system similar to his job
as the Regional Resource Coordinator.
“The mission of the High School Graduation
Coach is to facilitate the successful transition of
at–risk students from middle to high school and
from high school into some form of post-secondary
education work,” Clarke Central High School
Graduation Coach Antwawn Sheats said. “The
initiative is designed to provide a comprehensive
prevention/intervention program for students atrisk
of grade retention and /or dropping out.”
Executive Director of Family Connection/Communities
in Schools of Athens Tim Johnson was
part of a team of interviewers that was initiated in
fall 2008 when the grant request was accepted.
The committee questioned Dunn
about his qualifications for the job.
Although 47 people applied
for the position, the committee
felt that Dunn’s experience in
the community made him most
qualified.
“He was chosen for many
reasons,” Johnson said. “He has
committed his adult life to helping
children and youth be successful
in our community. He has a passionate
commitment to students
succeeding in school and graduating
prepared for life. He has a
knowledge of our community and
all its constituencies, and is comfortable
and effective in talking
with people from all parts of Athens.”
Former Mayor of Athens Gwen O’Looney feels
also that Dunn is well-suited for the job of Graduation
Coach Coordinator. She met Dunn in 1984
through community activities.
“(Dunn has) energy, alertness, intelligence.
He (is) just a power house of really very positive
motivation for people and groups,” O’Looney said.
“I think he’ll bring a sincere and determined commitment
to doing whatever kids need to get them
through graduation.”
While working as the Graduation Coach
Coordinator,
Dunn hopes
to stop the
increasing
dropout rate
throughout
the district
by working
with the
CCSD graduation
coaches
to make sure
that students
in schools
will graduate
on time.
“What
I want to
bring to the
position is my
C O M M U N I T Y
knowledge of the community and
my ability to work in the community
and tie the community to the
school,” Dunn said. “If the school
system alone could solve the issue
of dropouts there would be no need
for my job. This is an issue that
impacts the entire community.”
For the remainder of the 2008-09 school year,
Dunn will work on becoming acquainted with
the district and his new position.
“I plan to go to every high school and every
middle school and go to class. I want to see why
students say school is boring,” Dunn said.
With funds from AT&T, a background in
the community and a determination to help
students, Dunn plans to incorporate his past
experiences and his recent involvement with
ACC schools into his job and feels prepared to
be the first Graduation Coach Coordinator for
the CCSD.
“I (feel) like I (have been) preparing for this
job my whole life,” Dunn said. “I was not the best
student in the world. Not that I wasn’t capable
of being a good student, I just wasn’t, and there
was this teacher that said some things that encouraged
me that made me realize how capable I
was, or am. And that’s what I bring to this job. I
want to help students understand how capable
they are.”
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 19
O R
D
R
O
P
O
U
T
R E S O U R C
R
A
T
E S
Above: COMING TOGETHER: Newly hired Graduation Coach Coordinator Rick Dunn meets
with Clarke Central High School Graduation Coach Antwawn Sheats to collaborate on plans
for the remaining months on the 2008-09 school year and the 2009-10 school year.

Photo courtesy of www.affton.k12.mo.us
March 2009
Building a champ
In its rookie effort, the Robotics Team forms
an alliance to win a championship.
BY ALEX MORRIS
News Writer
With 12 hours left before the Clarke Central High School Robotics Team
was scheduled to compete in the Georgia FIRST Tech Challenge
Championship Tournament, their robot was in pieces.
“Our bus left at 4:30 on Saturday and we’d just finished the robot at 9:45
p.m. on Friday night,” sophomore Maurice Chester said. “We didn’t even try
and move [the robot] until our first qualifying match Saturday morning.”
The first-year team traveled to the Southern Polytechnic State University
in
“We went on this huge winning
streak all the way to the semi-finals
... In the semi-finals we won the first
match, but we lost the second watch.
It was really suspenseful.”
-- Cassandra Liles,
Robotics Team Founder, senior
Marietta,
Ga. on
Feb. 21, to
compete
in the
Georgia
FIRST
Tech
Challenge
Championship
Tournament
against 300 high school students from Georgia and Florida.
“We actually almost got disqualified, because I drove myself there and got
lost,” senior Robotics Team founder Cassandra Liles said. “I was the only one
with the engineering notebook and you have to turn that in when
you check in.”
The team began the qualifying rounds that morning and
lost their first two matches.
“Our first match we lost to what would be the number
two alliance and we lost the second match to the top ranked
team,” Liles said.
Despite their early setbacks, the Robotics Team tallied up
enough points to advance to elimination rounds and
were ranked 15th among the 16 teams that qualified.
Before the elimination rounds begin, all of the teams
go through an alliance selection.
An alliance in the elimination rounds is formed
by three teams, with only two teams competing at a
time. In the elimination rounds, two alliances play in
a match, and an alliance must win twice to move on.
The CCHS Robotics Team was eventually selected
by the second ranked team to be a member
of their alliance.
“We went on this huge winning streak all
the way to the semi-finals,” Liles said. “In the
semi-finals we won the first match, but we lost
the second match. It was really suspenseful.”
The Robotics Team won the third match to move on to
the State Finals. In the finals, they faced the number one
ranked alliance and the same team that had beaten them in
their second match.
“The number one ranked team was the same one we’d
met at a workshop, and they were the ones that gave us
a lot of information and strategies,” Liles said.
The CCHS alliance won the first match, lost the second
match by a slim margin and won the third match to
be named State Champions.
By being on the alliance that won the state championship, the
CCHS team was entered in a lottery to compete at the FIRST Tech
Challenge World Championship. They were invited and will compete at
the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga. on April 15 through April 17.
“I was so happy,” Liles said. “A lot of it’s still a blur, and I forgot a lot of
what happened afterwards, but I was so happy.”
News
Start of Lanoue era
Despite some debate among community
members, the BOE names new superintendent.
BY Bryan Barks
Editor-in-Chief
fter months of
Adeliberation, community
input and interviews with several
candidates, the Clarke County Board
of Education officially voted to hire area
superintendent for Cobb County Philip
Lanoue as the new Clarke County
School District superintendent.
“Lanoue is a mover and a shaker,”
BOE President Charles Worthy said. “I
think he’ll be a great fit for our school
district.”
In his current position in Cobb
County, Lanoue oversees 19 schools, including
two high schools, three middle
schools, a sixth grade academy and 13
elementary schools.
Lanoue has been credited with helping
all 19 of these schools make Adequate parents voiced their opinions in commu-
Above: COMMUNITY VOICE: CCSD
Yearly Progress, the benchmark set forth nity forums held in September by search
firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates.
Ultimately, the BOE decided to hire
by the federal No Child Left Behind Act,
in 2008.
Philip Lanoue as the superintendent.
“He has a track record of raising student
achievement,” Worthy said.
When Lanoue takes office in August 2009, he will face a new set of challenges,
including a new elementary school rezoning plan to be implemented
during the 2009-10 school year and a charter school set to open in 2010.
But even with these changes, Worthy expects Lanoue will be able to overcome
recurring problems in the CCSD, as well. “Cedar Shoals (High School)
and Clarke Central (High School) have had around a 50 percent graduation
rate for the longest time. We’re looking at (Lanoue) to help us get that rate
up,” Worthy said.
Before officially hiring Lanoue as superintendent on Feb. 19, the district
hired Chicago-based search firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, Ltd. to
search for candidates from across the country.
The firm, which began work in September 2008, then helped the board
narrow down a pool of about 40 applicants to six semifinalists and then two
finalists by January 2009.
The two finalists included Lanoue and Mulugheta Teferi, an assistant
superintendent with the Wellston School District in St. Louis, Mo.
Lanoue’s edge over Teferi, however, was his experience working in a school
district similar to Clarke County, according to BOE member Chester Sosebee.
“His district, in essence, mirrors our district with regards to the number of
students, the demographics and the number and types of elementary, middle
and high schools,” Sosebee said.
Still, not everyone was pleased with the BOE’s decision to hire a new superintendent.
When the board voted to conduct a superintendent search rather
than hire current superintendent James Simms again, some educators, such
as CCHS Curriculum Assistance Program for Students department teacher
Ashlee Wegmann, were frustrated.
“I was really disappointed in the board’s decision,” Wegmann said. “Simms
has done a good job. He’s supported teachers and programs that the schools
really need. He’s been so visible in the schools and accessible to teachers and
students. I’m disappointed he won’t be back – it’s a bad decision.”
With a limited budget and $50,000 allotted for the nationwide search,
Sosebee opposed the superintendent search from the beginning. “I thought
it was a waste of money to hire a firm to search for someone new when we
already had someone competent in the position,” Sosebee said. “People are not
ready to see (Simms) go.”
Worthy refused comment on the board’s decision not to hire Simms, choosing
instead to focus on the positive changes he hopes Lanoue will make in the
district.
“We’re going to be moving in the right direction. Hopefully over the next
two to three years, we’re going to be seeing great improvement in the Clarke
County School District.”
20 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

News March 2009
Please don’t supersize
e
Obesity rates of Georgia’s students have reached “king-sized” numbers.
By Alex morris
News Writer
Every day at Clarke Central High School students roam
the hall sipping Dr. Pepper and eating Big Texas cinnamon
rolls. They do not realize that just one of these
snacks is almost one fifth of their daily calorie allotment.
“You see these huge kids just walking around stuffing Hot
Cheetos in their mouths and it’s just like, ‘Do you know how
bad that is for you?’” junior Will Lance said. “It’s pretty ridiculous
what a lot of the kids here (at CCHS) eat without even
realizing how bad it’s going to be for them down the road.”
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, seven
out of 10 Americans do not regularly exercise, and the Centers
for Disease Control reports that the teenage obesity has quadrupled
from 4.3 percent to 16 percent since 1970.
Obesity is registered by Body Mass Index, otherwise known
as BMI. If a person’s BMI is over 30 percent, they are considered
legally obese, while if it is over 25 percent but under 30 percent
they are legally overweight.
According to the CDC, nearly two out of every 10 teenagers is
obese and another three teenagers out of ten are overweight.
“I definitely think that if the fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria
tasted better and were more fresh, kids would eat them,”
junior Natalya Haas said.
The Clarke County School District is a member of the United
States Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program.
In 2006, a federal mandate was issued to all public schools
that are a part of the USDA National School Lunch Program to
develop a wellness policy to combat childhood obesity by the
beginning of the 2006-07 academic school year.
“I believe that students now eat healthier than they used to
because we don’t offer all the sugary and deep fried foods that we
used to serve,” CCHS cafeteria manager Anne Sweetser said. “Students are
eating more fresh fruit than they used to, on average we go through 500 to
600 pieces of fruit a day.”
The minimum calorie requirement under the CCSD wellness policy is 825
calories per meal for grades seven through 12 and only two percent of this
caloric requirement may come from fat.
According to www.teennutrition.org, a site dedicated to teen dietary
How to find your Body Mass Index
Weight (lbs) x 704.5 / height (in) = BMI
If you fall between 25 to 29.9 you
are considered to be overweight.
If your BMI is 30 or more,
you are considered obese.
Information courtesy of the American Obesity Association
Photo illustration by Alex Morris
Photos courtesy of www.coffeeforless.com, www.fastfoodent.com, www.fritolay.com
Males: 35
percent
awareness, an active teenage boy requires 2800 calories per
day, and an active teenage girl requires around 2200 per
day. To put this in perspective, a Double Whopper with
cheese from Burger King contains 1061 calories and 68
grams of fat.
The wellness policy states that the school district
must give students access to a healthy and nutritional
meal; it is the student’s choice whether
or not to eat it.
“I don’t think the school lunch is that
bad, it’s just that it really isn’t that great,”
senior Phillip Walker said. “If these kids
want to keep eating and stay or become
obese, that’s their choice.”
According to the CDC, the key to
a healthy diet is not just about eating
well-balanced meals, but also exercising.
However, with schools pressed for time,
academics often take precedence.
“I feel students would be healthier and
would love to see them get more physical
activity during while at school, but there’s
simply not enough time in the school day,”
registered dietician and CCSD School
Nutrition Director Paula Farmer said.
Regular physical exercise and eating
healthily reduces risk of developing a cardiovascular
disease, Type 2 Diabetes and
cancer, according to the CDC.
The CDC states that heart disease is
one of the leading causes of deaths in the United States, but by getting two
and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week a person can
significantly reduce their chances of developing heart complications and
Type 2 Diabetes.
In a 2008 survey performed by the International Union Against Cancer,
close to 40 percent of those polled in Northern America did not know about
the link between weight and cancer.
Regular physical exercise also strengthens bones and muscles as well as
increasing a person’s chances of living longer. Another advantage of regular
exercise is that it raises one’s metabolism.
Math department teacher Damarrio Holloway is a competitive weightlifter
and sees the benefits of starting an exercise program early.
“I’m not too far removed from high school, but I mean even in middle
school and high school we had the chance to run around, play and all that.
But now you only see it in the middle schools and elementary schools, and for
me, that’s where it starts,” Holloway said.
The Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR, is the rate at which the body burns
calories. The lower the BMR is, the slower one’s body burns calories. The
healthiest and most efficient way to raise the BMR is regular physical exercise
according to the CDC.
The more a person exercises the more calories they burn as well
as building up muscle. Muscle cells burn about eight times as many
calories as fat cells.
Despite all the statistics supporting regular exercise and eating healthily,
teenage obesity is still on the rise. Holloway feels that if schools encourage
physical activity at a young age it will help curb obesity.
“If you start off as an active eight, nine, 10 or 11 year old throughout the day
while you’re at school then that carries over into high school whether you
play sports or you actually want to take a P.E. class every year, just something
that will get you outside a regular classroom,” Holloway said.
Females: 29 percent
Total 10 to 17: 32
percent
Above: A WIDENING PROBLEM: Based on
numbers from the National Survey of Children’s
Health, which uses height and weight as
reported by a parent or knowledgeable adult
to determine Body Mass Index, nearly 1/3 of
Georgia’s children from the ages of 10-17 have
issues with weight.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 21
Information courtesy of the National Survey of Children’s Health Photo illustration by Alex Morris

Teac
ti
March 2009
News
With a new state-mandated schedule for Ad
effect during the 2009-10 school year, Clark
ers are preparing themselves to teach the m
course of a year in a single semester.
F
By Gayatri Setia
News Editor
or eight years, the Clarke County
School District has offered Advanced
Placement courses for two semesters.
However, all AP classes will become
one semester starting in the 2009-10
school year, a decision which has incited
heated debate among teachers and
students.
“I don’t think it’s the best thing to do for kids. That’s my main objection.
I just don’t think it’s the best way to teach the courses. That should be the
most important consideration,” Clarke Central High School Science department
chair Buddy Sims said. “I think, in the end, the ones who suffer the most,
unfortunately, are students.”
Due to the Georgia Department of Education’s mandates, CCSD personnel
were charged in early February to change the current format for AP courses in
order to avoid granting two credits for one AP course.
“The major thing that is changing about AP classes next year is how the
credit is awarded,” Cedar Shoals High School Science department chair Bill
Pappas said. “Instead of awarding two credits for two semesters that carry the
AP name, only (the second semester) will carry the AP name and be applied
to the transcript. The first semester will be a ‘companion’ pre-requisite course,
and most AP teachers will be free to modify the sequence and curricula to suit
their needs.”
Companion courses would serve as lead-in courses for the AP class that follows.
For instance, if a student wanted to take AP Physics, he or she would
have to take Advanced Physics II in the fall and AP Physics in the spring.
The main reason for the change in formatting stemmed from a misunderstanding
between the CCSD and the GDOE about credit allotment for AP
courses.
“The state is reminding us that we’re not allowed to award credit for the
same course twice, which we’ve been doing since we moved to block scheduling
in 2001,” Pappas said. “We thought we were in compliance since the nine
digit course numbers were different, but apparently not.”
According to Rebecca Chambers, Program Manager of the Office of Standards,
Instruction and Assessment at the GDOE, the state mandate that all
classes, AP or otherwise, be rewarded only one credit each has been in effect
for at least 40 years.
“The nine digit course numbers are different for each semester allowing the
award of (half of a) credit for each semester on a traditional schedule. On a
four-by-four block schedule, a course taught for 90 minutes each day earns a
complete one Carnegie unit at the end of the semester,” Chambers said. “I am
uncertain as to why Clarke County interpreted the rule differently from any
other district.”
After the CCSD was alerted to their misinterpretation, a group of teachers
and administrators making up the High School Instructional Council met and
discussed plans of going back to the state guidelines in order to avoid further
trouble with the state.
“We don’t ever want to be in trouble with the state because that can ul-
22 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Advanced Placement classes taking
arke Central High School AP teachmaterial
they used to teach over the
Photo and photo illustration by Gayatri Setia
Left: GROPIwwwNG FOR ANSWERS: Science department chair Buddy Sims shows the
structure of different protists in his Advanced Placement Biology class. Currently the class,
as well as most other AP classes, is taught for two semesters, one 90-minute block each
semester. However, with the changes in the Clarke County School District for the 2009-10
school year, all AP classes will be condensed into one semester, with a pre-requisite lead-in
course. “We don’t know how it’s going to affect our AP scores and the direct impact it’s going
to have on instruction,” Sims said. “It’s going to take adjustment on all our parts.”
ching
against
me
timately impact other things like accreditation and scholarships,” CCHS associate
principal Tammy Pope said. “The (HSIC) for the district met -- and
this happened (within a week) -- met and made the decision that we would of
course comply with the state and that we would no longer offer any AP course
for more than one credit,” Pope said.
The HSIC consists of the principals from CCHS, CSHS, Soar Academy and
Classic City High School; the counselor representative from all four schools;
the associate principals
from CCHS
and CSHS; the
instructional specialists
from CCHS
and CSHS; and
teacher representatives
from each
school.
“My role as a
member of the
High School Instructional
Council
“For the first group, unfortunately they may
be caught up in that learning curve in the first
year. But I suspect that anything that you do
new, the first time around, there’s going to be
some glitches that come in.”
-- Buddy Sims,
CCHS Science department chair
was to find a way for us to be in compliance with state rules without affecting
the educational experience of students enrolled in AP classes,” Pappas said.
On Feb. 3, the CCHS faculty was informed of the change from full-year AP
classes to half-year AP classes, and they, too, discussed how this could affect
teachers slotted to instruct AP classes next year.
“It seemed unanimous among the teachers that the courses we were teaching
as two semesters now, it would be extremely difficult to prepare for the AP
exam in just a one-semester course, especially since the AP exam comes before
the end of the semester,” CCHS Science department teacher Dale Autry said.
“You lose a couple of weeks, depending on where you fall.”
The teachers at the CCHS faculty meeting also discussed possible effects on
students, especially the first group of students to undergo this change.
“For the first group, unfortunately they may be caught up in that learning
curve in that first year,” Sims said. “But I suspect that anything that you do
new, the first time around, there’s going to be some glitches that come in.”
Other teachers, including CCHS Social Studies department chair Harry
Cooper, feel they will have difficult times adjusting to the time restraints, not
just because of when AP exams fall, but also because of the events that tend to
come with the spring semester.
“One of the big problems is simply the time restraints of getting all of that
done in 18 weeks,” Cooper said. “In the spring term, there are considerably
more distractions, registration, graduation, prom, you name it. Plus in the
spring term, coming to the culmination of the year, you’ve got (End of Course
Tests) and you’ve got the AP exams right there at the end of the year.”
While the CCSD has acted in accordance with the GDOE, students in the
CCSD have mixed feelings about the change. Many students are concerned
that they will no longer have the 10 point weighting the CCSD rewards for AP
classes in the fall semester.
“It’s an unfair point advantage,” CCHS junior Daniel DeSimone said. “I plan
on taking AP Chemistry next year, and someone taking it this year might get
an 89 the first semester and it becomes a 99, almost perfect. If I do the same
work and get a 92, better, it appears that they understand the material better
than me.”
Although CCHS senior Molly Weinberg, who is enrolled in AP Biology, AP
Chemistry and AP Calculus this year, will not be affected by the change in AP
classes, she finds the switch to be unfair to the students who will take those
classes.
“I don’t think it’s very fair to change the classes like this. The teachers have
been doing it this way for so long and it will be very difficult to change their
ways,” Weinberg said. “It will be harder to learn everything in depth and will
cause the students to not know the material as well in the end.”
Students at CSHS also are upset about losing the 10 point weighting, but
Pappas feels the extra points should not be what motivate students to take
AP courses.
“Reaction from students at Cedar Shoals is not negative, but they’re not
overjoyed either. For most AP courses not much will change, but students are
not happy about not getting the extra 10 points first semester,” Pappas said.
“But quite frankly, if that’s the reason they’re signing up for the AP course,
they’re starting off on the wrong foot.”
Despite the concerns students and teachers have voiced, this change will
help the CCSD avoid future conflict
with the GDOE, and, to Pappas, that is
the main benefit the district will take
from the change.
“It will help us fall in line with state
rules -- other than that, there’s not
much change and no real benefit to students
or teachers,” Pappas said.
Autry agrees with Pappas in that
there will be minimal effect on students
and teachers.
“I can’t think of a way this is helping.
It’s just the interpretation of a rule
that’s causing us to change the names of some courses,” Autry said. “The best
effect is that it has no effect.”
The transition from two-semester AP courses to one-semester AP courses,
although sudden, offers many advantages and disadvantages to both students
and teachers, but Pappas is optimistic about the change.
“Different states and counties in Georgia do different things. What we are
changing to is essentially what most other counties on block schedule are doing,”
Pappas said. “It’s working for them, so there’s no reason why it can’t work
for us.”
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 23

The
cha

anging
of the
Clarke County School District

areer academies take studentsPhotos courtesy
of ODYSSEY archives
Above Left: STICKING ADJECTIVES: English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher Jodi Bolgla remains in a traditional classroom setting to review basic adjectives with her
students by listing them on the board as students routinely take notes. Her class, like other core classes at CCHS, is not tailored to specific career academies. Above Right: PUT YOUR
HANDS UP: English department teacher Erin Cawthon leads her ACP Literature and Composition class in a group discussion allowing students to voice their opinions. Although Cawthon
is a member of the Business, Marketing and Finance Career Academy, she teaches students from all academies on a regular basis. Opposite Page Left: ACADEMY DAY JAM OUT: Senior
Devon Carter plays piano as the senior Arts, Media and Communications Academy advisement group performs a country tune for other AMC advisement groups. This activity is one
of several planned by various academy leaders for routine Academy time, which takes place during advisement several times a year. Opposite Page Right: BELTIN’ THE BLUES: Senior
Crystal Mitchell sings along with fellow seniors performing the blues as Josh Murillo strums along on guitar.
Career academies were introduced to Clarke Central High School in the
fall of 2005. Four years later, the academies’ success is debatable.
by Jessie frary
News Writer
Career academies were implemented
at Clarke Central
High School four years ago
to help students think about life after
high school, as well as to prepare students
for college. However, there is
disagreement in CCHS over whether
career academies have achieved their
goal.
In a survey consisting of 155 CCHS
students, 108 students said that career
academies are not helping them.
In fact, out of 175 students, 103 said
that they did not understand the purpose
of career academies.
The five career academies that
make up CCHS are Arts, Media and
Communications; Human and Public
Services; Business and Marketing;
Engineering, Industry and Technology;
and Health and Sciences.
Career academies were piloted by
the CCHS administration in 2005-06
in an attempt to put students with
similar interests in the same academy
so that students can be further introduced
to their interests and career
choices.
“I think Clarke Central’s career
academies are to reach those vocational
students that aren’t necessarily
going to a four year institution, but
maybe to Athens Technical College,
or maybe joint-enrolled at Gainesville
State University so that they can
go ahead and be exposed to the work
field,” Science department teacher
Stacey Scott said.
Social Studies teacher David
Cleveland agrees with Scott’s logic
about undecided students and feels
there is a lot of potential behind the
career academies.
“Career academies are a great idea
because the idea is to prepare students
to be ready for jobs right after
high school because many students
don’t go straight into college ready
to know what they want to do. They
just kind of flounder around trying to
find themselves,” Cleveland said.
Career academies were officially
implemented in the 2006-07 school
year, after 12 teachers visited South
Grand Prairie High School in Dallas,
Texas in 2006 to observe career academies
in action and how they were
coordinated. Cleveland was one of
the 12 teachers that went on the trip
to visit SGPHS.
“When we went to Dallas, we saw
lots of programs they had set up.
Their academy program had been set
up for ten years and you could actually
finish high school with a degree or
some sort of certification, even before
you got to college,” Cleveland said.
After arranging several such visits
to other schools with career academies
already implemented and conducting
research, former CCHS principal
Dr. Maxine Easom introduced
career academies to CCHS in the
2005-06 school year.
“It’s a matter of getting kids involved
and engaged in real learning,
not artificial learning,” Easom said.
According to Easom, the idea for
career academies is for students to
understand why certain lessons are
being taught and how to apply that
knowledge to the real world versus
basic textbook learning in school.
CCHS Assistant Principal Selena
Blankenship also feels that education
should be tailored to specific students
and schools.
“I think ultimately we have to look
at all these different examples and
pull from them what works for us,
what won’t work for us and how we
can adapt certain ideas to work for
us and our students,” Blankenship
said. “Ultimately, that’s what (career
academies are) about. It’s not trying
to be like other schools, but it is
about doing what we think is best for
our students.”
Blankenship says the goal for career
academies is to introduce students
to a real working environment
by providing Work-Based Learning,
career academy pathways, and the
Youth Apprenticeship Program.
Senior Mercedes Dickert is one of
the students currently in YAP under
the advisement of WBL facilitator
Ronnie Swoopes.
“I went to Mr. Swoopes and I decided
to be one of the first people in
the Young Dawgs Program, which is
where they set you up with a professor
at the University of Georgia to
intern underneath them so you get
and idea of what they do in the field
Photos by Isabel Atkinson
f
26 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Photos by Isabel Atkinson
“It’s like we are segregating our
school based on interests, and
to me, that’s not right.”
-- Felecia Buckles,
CCHS senior
why those are
b e n e f i c i a l , ”
Scott said.
A l t h o u g h
the academies
not getting to know all the people in
the school and aren’t getting the true
school experience,” Buckles said.
Buckles also feels that the career
academies are too eager to get students
cism.
“Whether it’s career academies or
any other idea you try and put in play,
you are never going to have a 100 percents
buy-in with anything, so you’re
were implemented
interested in their future ca-
always also having to try to negotiate
two reers, without leaving room for indecision.
with those who are resistant with the
years ago, the
idea and find ways to work together,”
of what you want,” Dickert said.
majority of “You can’t expect people, as soon Blankenship said. “So there are a lot
Dickert feels such opportunities
students feel that the career academies
are not working how the faculty like, ‘This is the job I’m going into; progress, like trying to provide rel-
as they get out of eighth grade, to be of challenges, but yes, we have made
give students the ability to explore
their interests in a risk-free environment.
Students are able to discover
planned and have different ideas of these are the classes I’m going to take evance in the classes has been a challenge,
but I think our teachers are do-
what the academies mean.
to do it and be set for the rest of my
what classes and techniques a specific
career requires before risking
“I want to do what I want and not life’,” Buckles said.
ing a pretty good job in doing that.”
be sorted into categories,” senior Dillon
Collier said. “I think it’s mostly are having difficulty understanding meeting on Jan. 26, 2009 to decide
The faculty knows that students Career academy leaders had a
losing money on changing majors in
college.
trying to help people find what they the focus of career academies and what to focus on after taking an assessment
that determined where
“(My experience) was good because
I met new people and got some
are good at and try to help give them they are working to make the academies
more relevant to students. they were in the process of achieving
an idea of what they would like to do,
job experience in the field I want to
but I think it’s just wasting everybody’s
time.”
signed up for the Health and Sciences results of the teacher’s assessment
“I do like science, so that’s why I their goal. The goals set forth by the
go in, which is sports medicine and
athletic training,” Dickert said.
Senior Felecia Buckles agrees. She Academy. I only signed up because are to make learning relevant in advisement,
to further develop career
Despite some students’ positive
feels that career academies are putting
people in similar interest areas cause I want to pursue being a doctor academy pathways and YAP and to
I’m good at math and science, not be-
experiences with such programs,
there is disagreement in CCHS over
for all the wrong reasons.
already. I don’t know what I want to develop relationships between the
whether career academies have
“It’s like we are segregating our do yet,” Collier said.
school, parents, students and the
helped the majority of students.
school based on interests, and to me, Scott also realizes that there are community.
“It’s just banners in a hallway and
that’s not right,” Buckles said. “That undecided students within CCHS, Still, Blankenship and the leadership
team are optimistic. They strive
brochures sticking out, and guest
way, you don’t get to explore; you but she has an idea to help solve this
speakers and a couple of field trips,
don’t get to be as open-minded as if problem, such as creating an “undecided
academy” for students who are CCHS’ career academies to be fully
for better communication and for
and I don’t think anybody is diving
you were to have classed with everybody
else in the school.”
not sure what career they want to effective.
into the meat of it,” Fine Arts department
teacher Jennifer Chastain said.
Because many of the same students pursue.
“These kinds of things just take
Scott agrees with Chastain about
will end up taking multiple classes “(Such an academy could) let them time. We are in our fourth year and it
the priorities of the career academies.
together as a result of the career academies,
Buckles feels the high school aren’t specifically on one path,” Scott to five or three to seven years for a
be exposed to everything so they usually takes, some people say, three
“I guess we mostly spend more
social experience will be altered for said.
change to be fully implemented and
time trying to figure out quest speakers
for advisement than we do actual-
incoming classes.
Blankenship knows the potential to see results from it,” Blankenship
“The younger students, who are actually
being divided up by their career is aware of the realistic setbacks, in-
career academies could have, but also said. “Time is a factor.”
ly communicating with the students
about what academy they are in and
academies based on their classes, are cluding student and teacher skepti-
from classrooms to careers
Photos courtesy of ODYSSEY archives

Photo by Lexi Deagen
March 2009
News
“Most of what I have heard has been anxiousness
from children. Children that are staying are concerned
about their friends going to other schools,
and children that are not staying are saying, ‘But
wait, I’ve been going to Barrow and I want to
continue to go to Barrow.’”
-- Tad MacMillan,
David C. Barrow Elementary School principal
By Tyler Elrod
Graphics Editor
edrawing lines, creating neighb
Facing the anger of parents, teachers and students alike, the Clarke County
School Board has made a decision whose effects will be felt for years to come.
Tad MacMillan stood in front of more than
a dozen Parent Teacher Association members
in the David C. Barrow Elementary
media center. He looked over the room and began
to discuss the issue currently consuming the public
schools of Athens-Clarke County.
“I just want to address the elephant in the
room first,” MacMillan, the principal of Barrow
Elementary, said.
The elephant MacMillan referred to, the decision
to rezone Clarke County School District
elementary and middle schools, was recently
passed at the CCSD Board of Education meeting
on Dec. 11, 2008.
This plan will overturn the previous school
choice policy, which allowed parents of elementary
school students to choose which of the
district’s 13 elementary schools was most suitable
for their children. Under the new plan, elementary
school children will be
required to attend their
neighborhood elementary
school--choice will
be eliminated.
For instance, if a student
lives in the Gaines
Elementary school zone,
but attends the crosstown
Cleveland Road
Elementary, then he or
she would be required to attend Gaines next year.
Although the plan will also affect middle
schools, the change for elementary schools in ACC
will have a greater impact.
ACC, which has identified transportation costs
as problem, sought to cut down on the price of
students travelling to and from school.
“One (reason for redistricting) was budgetary;
we spend a lot more money than any other school
district in the state on transportation, and we
have the smallest geographic county in the state.
So, theoretically, we should have a smaller transportation
budget,” CCSD BOE member Dr. Denise
Mewborn said.
According to the CCSD website, the shorter
bus rides are also intended to reduce behavior
problems by reducing the amount of time students
have to become disruptive on the bus, as well as
“increased on-time arrivals for school.”
“I see a little kindergartener standing out there
waiting for the bus in the dark. Those kids have a
really long day if the bus picks them up at 6:45 in
the morning and maybe they don’t get home until
3:30 or 4:00,” Mewborn said. “So, if kids’ mornings
don’t start so early, they’ll have better focus for
academics in school.”
Some residents of ACC also wish to form neighborhood
schools with the new zones. This way,
parents are sure what school they will be attending
when they choose a place to live.
“At Whit Davis, we’ve done what’s called
‘overwhelming the core.’ The cafeteria
was not built for 700 kids.”
-- Dr. Denise Mewborn,
Clarke County Board of Education member
“(There) was a real desire to return to neighborhood
schools,” Mewborn said. “What families
who are moving into the community tell us is that
they don’t like the uncertainty that if, ‘I live in this
neighborhood that I might get to go to that school
if there’s an opening. If not I might get to go to
that school, that school or that school.’”
According to the CCSD website, the west side
redistricting will not be fully enacted until one of
the new elementary schools, which will be constructed
on the northwest side of Athens, dubbed
“Elementary C,” has been built. This will allow the
students who currently attend Whitehead Road
Elementary, Chase Street Elementary, Oglethorpe
Avenue Elementary, Timothy Road Elementary
and Cleveland Road Elementary to retain their option
to choose which school they attend until the
new school has been completed.
This is assuming students do not have transportation.
The redistricting plan states that,
“Elementary school choice remains available to all
parents or guardians subject to space availability.”
The priority placement in schools goes to students
who live in the school’s zone or students who
attended the school in previous years. However,
having the choice does not mean parents will take
it.
“My guess is that we won’t see a lot of (parent
transportation to school of choice). My guess is
that it will be certain schools that people have
particular attachments to,” Mewborn said.
The new redistricting plan means that
schools, such as Barrow and Whit Davis Elementary
school, will lose large numbers of
current students. According to MacMillan,
Barrow will lose around 260 students who
currently attend the school after the redistricting
but will remain around the same
enrollment number with the new student
additions.
The plan will also lessen the burden on
overpopulated schools. Two schools in particular,
Gaines Elementary and Whit Davis Elementary,
are currently approaching 700 students. With
the plan enacted, their school populations will
lower to an ideal student population, according to
MacMillan, of around 450 students.
“At Whit Davis, we’ve done what’s called ‘overwhelming
the core.’ The cafeteria was not built
for 700 kids,” Mewborn said. “So lunch out there
starts at like 10:25 a.m. and ends at 1:25 p.m. So if
you have to eat lunch at 10:30, you’re not hungry

News March 2009
“One (reason for redistricting) was budgetary;
we spend a lot more money than
any other school district in the state on
transportation, and we have the smallest
geographic county in the state.”
-- Dr. Denise Mewborn,
CCSD Board of Education member
Photo courtesy of ODYSSEY archives
borhood schools
Aerial photos courtesy of Adam Ghafourian
Above: TIDES OF CHANGE: Alps Road Elementary (left) and David C. Barrow Elementary of two of the 13 elementary schools in the Clarke County School district slated to rezone. This
aerial view depicts the new boundaries for each school. Left: LOOKING FORWARD: David C. Barrow Elementary principal Tad MacMillan anticipates incorporating the new students
into Barrow’s plans. He envisions the school going above and beyond with the new student additions. Right: PREPARING FOR CHANGE: CCSD Board of Education member Dr. Denise
Mewborn retains her optimism towards the redistricting, despite the backlash from parents. “If kids’ mornings don’t start so early, they’ll have better focus for academic in school,” Mewborn
said.
at 10:30, but by 2:00 you’re starving. We’ve really
overwhelmed those schools.”
Through a grandfather clause, or a provision
that will allow certain students to be exempted
from the effects of the redistricting, fourth graders
who are moving on to the fifth grade and seventh
graders becoming eighth graders will be permitted
to stay at the school they are currently attending.
Younger siblings of these rising fifth and eighth
graders will also be guaranteed one more year of
their current school assignment.
There were several community forums held for
parents to speak their minds on the subject of redistricting.
Some parents expressed their distaste
for the plan during the several public hearings and
community forums held from October to November.
“The Board’s decision left me feeling shocked
and disappointed. My husband and I have put
time and energy into helping to build a community
at Barrow where we thought that we would
remain throughout our children’s elementary
school years,” PTA President Amy Heesacker said.
Some parents like Heesacker remain upset and
feel as if they were ignored despite the fact that
there were several community forums held, according
to MacMillan.
“I’m still getting used to the idea of a move
while trying to make the best of it by getting to
know some of the families at our new school,”
Heesacker said. “I was one of those parents that
would have liked to see the Board be more open
to the ideas expressed by the parents who were
concerned about this change that is going to affect
so many families in Clarke County.”
Secretary of the Chase Street Elementary PTO
and Parent Advisory Board member Rachel Julian
believes otherwise.
“The public perception is that the Board and
(CCSD Superintendent) James Simms didn’t take
into consideration what the public said, but I tend
to believe they did. But (the Board) made a hard,
hard decision dictated by the financial situation of
the district,” Julian said.
Julian also feels as if the rezoning will have a
positive impact on her neighborhood.
“I live three blocks from Chase, surrounded by
my neighbors who didn’t choose Chase for very
personal reasons,” Julian said. “But there has been
a huge influx of young families into Boulevard
(Avenue) and we had no choice, but to embrace
Chase even before rezoning. It is our neighborhood
school after all and is a big part of our life in
Boulevard. Now our neighbors will go to Chase
instead of a school a few miles away, and it is awesome
and is about building community.”
A concern for some parents at the Barrow PTA
meeting was that students’ biggest challenge was
going to be the loss of friends that did not fall
under the school zone and would be required to
attend another school.
Despite the concern of parents around ACC,
the redistricting plan has been passed; the change
is coming quickly. Starting in fall 2009, both students
and parents who have grown accustomed to
one way of life must adjust to another.
“Most of what I have heard has been anxiousness
from children. Children that are staying
are concerned about their friends going to other
schools, and children that are not staying are
saying, ‘But wait, I’ve been going to Barrow and
I want to continue to go to Barrow,’” MacMillan
said.
Gaines Elementary fourth grader Moet Johnson
is one of the many children around the district
who is concerned about the change.
“I’ll be crushed because I’ll have to leave my
friends,” Johnson said. “It will be very complicated
for my family. I have to attend Timothy now, and
my family lives closer to the east side. So it will be
complicated because of the (cost of) gas and the
economy.”
The debate about the plan, however, did not
deter the Barrow parents from discussing ways
to have open arms for the new students so that
they would feel accepted as soon as they set foot
in Barrow.
Barrow has even scheduled two open houses in
order to help new students feel welcomed, and departing
students to feel confident about their new
school. One was held on Feb. 17, which according
to MacMillan, was focused on the parents. The
one planned on May 7 will be more focused on the
children.
The point of the open houses is to help children
feel accustomed to the school and to reduce the
stress that a new student to the school may feel.
“We’ve spent a whole lot of time talking about
that really fine line of being excited and presenting
the really great plans for next year, but not
making it so everything is already planned, so all
these new families who are coming in can give us
their ideas. It’s trying to do both of those things, of
saying, ‘Yeah, we do have a vision, but part of our
vision is listening to you,’” MacMillan said.
While parents may feel torn now, the cut in
transportation costs and the beginning of neighborhood
schools are intended to help the county
diversify schools, as well as lower the budget.
According to Mewborn, a cut in transportation
costs will allow more money to be spent in the
classroom, which will relieve CCSD of some of the
economic pressures it has been going experiencing.
The transition will be difficult, but Mewborn
feels it is advantageous for all parties to make
the best of the situation. Despite objections from
CCSD teachers, parents, and students the new
rezoning plan will be put into place in the fall, and
almost all of CCSD students will be affected.
“Everyone is in the same boat,” Mewborn said.
“So my guess is that everyone will just jump on
board with it.”

March 2009
hartering a new
kind of education
News
The Clarke County School District
is drawing up a blueprint for a new
charter school, which will expand
opportunities for students to
explore potential careers.
Story and layout by Emily Allen
News Writer
On Dec. 4, 2008 the Clarke County School District received a grant
from the state of Georgia in the amount of $3.1 million to start
Athens Community Career Academy. ACCA will be a charter career
academy through which high school students can begin building a career.
“Not all students go to college, many go directly into the work force.
The objectives of this charter school, which links (University of Georgia),
Athens Tech and (the CCSD) is to provide better opportunities for kids,
who not just enter the workforce but for college preparation as well,” CCSD
Superintendent James Simms said. “We have a great need in this community
to better prepare students to enter the workforce.”
As a charter school, ACCA will not be required to follow all guidelines
of other traditional schools in the district. The charter will allow ACCA to
create some of their own rules. For example, ACCA may offer specialized
classes and operate on its own hours.
“One of the advantages of being a charter school is to step outside the box
and to step outside some of the restrains that are in a normal school. Which
means you have greater opportunities without being tied to some of the
restrictions that would normally apply,” Simms said.
The program will be housed on the campus of the H.T. Edwards Building
on Dearing Extension, where the district’s SOAR Academy and early
childhood education program are already located. The building is scheduled
for renovation in Fall 2009 and ACCA will open in August 2010. Upon
opening, ACCA will enroll approximately 50 to 100 students.
The state of Georgia has provided a $15 million grant to found five career
academies throughout
the state. Athens-Clarke
County applied for the
grant and soon after,
received approval and
acquired $3.1 million for
the ACCA.
“We were awarded
the grant, $2.9 million
for bricks and water,
$250,000 for start up,”
OneAthens chairman Red
Petrovs said.
Along with UGA,
Athens Tech and the CCSD, OneAthens, a community-based initiative to
fight poverty, plays a major role in the four-way partnership. According to
Petrovs, one of the community’s greatest needs is preparing students for
future careers.
Although the project is still developing, the idea to create the academy
came from members of OneAthens who saw a need for a different type of
educational facility. ACCA will be very similar to the successful Career
Educational Center in Newnan, Ga.
Like students at the charter school in Newnan, ACCA students will have a
home high school, such as Clarke Central High School and Cedar Shoals High
School. There, students will be enrolled in day-to-day academic courses, but
they will be allowed to leave campus for classes which apply to the careers
they hope to pursue.
Students at CCHS and CSHS will leave campus during the day to take
courses at the H.T. Edwards building, Athens Tech or UGA.
“The intent of building a building is not to move existing things into it, it
is to use that space to provide expansion or creation of things we don’t do. It
won’t be a duplication of what we already have,” Petrovs said.
Students will then be allowed to participate in dual enrollment programs
and internships to obtain college credit while earning the credits they need in
order to graduate high school.
“Internships are valuable; they are a way that’s a lot less expensive to
figure out what you don’t like before actually trying to build a career,” senior
director of UGA Human Resources Becky Lane said. “Internships are as much
about learning what you don’t want to do as they are learning about what
you do want to do.”
Each organization has a different reason for joining the partnership and
will receive different benefits from the career academy.
“I define benefit to the school
“A charter in my mind is a different kind of
opportunity, an opportunity for innovation,
for experimentation, more creativity perhaps
than what you might be able to do in a regular
school.”
-- James Simms,
CCSD Superintendent
district in terms of benefits to kids
because what we are all after here
is providing more opportunities
for (students) and fulfilling an
obligation that we have to make
sure that students leave high
school with the skills that they
need,” Simms said.
While ACCA will be multifunctional,
its primary focus
will be to prepare students for
the work force, rather than the
predominantly college preparatory
education they receive at traditional high schools.
“We are not in it to improve the reputation of Clarke County or anything
like that. My job is to make sure that students are prepared for whatever they
think is next in life,” Simms said.

“The intent of building a building is not to move
existing things into it, it is to use that space to provide
expansion or creation of things we don’t do.
It won’t be a duplication of what we already have.”
-- RED PETROVS,
OneAthens Chairman
Supporters of ACCA hope that the academy will increase graduation rates
in the district, which hovered around 58.6 percent in Spring 2008. CCHS
parent Beth Bailey is anticipating that an increase in graduation rates will be
the biggest benefit from ACCA.
“I hope this program will capture the attention of those thinking of
dropping out of school or of students who want to get a jump start on
developing skills for a career,” Bailey said.
Students, including CCHS freshman Jonathan Streipen hope for an
increase in graduation rates, as well.
“(Students) who are already going to drop out might see more of an
advantage if they finished high school and had more options (including)
higher education,” Streipen said.
UGA joined the partnership for many reasons. Like the CCSD, a main
focus of UGA is student completion of high school.
“We want to see what we can do to improve graduation rates,” Lane said.
“We want to give students a work-based learning experience so they will be
better prepared, whether they go to college or not.”
Representatives from UGA are interested in improving graduation rates
and making certain that there is a work-ready generation coming in to take
the place of those who are going to soon retire from their work at UGA.
As the largest employer in the Athens area, UGA has over 17,000 employees
and will soon need more workers with experience, skills and a high school
diploma.
“We were recently studying the age of our workforce and we noticed a
great number of them were going to retire in the next 10 years,” Lane said.
“We realized that we were going to need a strong, new workforce soon.”
According to UGA standards, many staff positions do not
require workers to have a high school diploma nor a General
Equivalency Diploma. Although no requirements have been
set yet, Lane says a GED or diploma may be necessary in
order to work for UGA in the future.
“We are an employer who feels like education is
important,” Lane said. “We don’t want students to
think they can just drop out and go work at UGA.
Not everyone can go to college, but we definitely
believe that students should graduate high school.”
In order to prepare for these jobs, students will
be trained to perform tasks required for their
everyday careers. The career academy will also
provide classes and internships for students to
have hands-on experience that will prepare them
for a career.
For students seeking the college route, some
courses and internships provided by UGA and
Athens Tech will allow students to receive
college credits.
Parents like Bailey feel ACCA is a progressive
step towards reaching out to all students, but
there is still more to be done.
“This program is only one step in the right
direction. I think we all need to recognize
that our problems are great and that there
is a segment of the population that has been
beaten down by circumstances,” Bailey said.
The academy was formulated with the
idea of improving drop out rates and giving
students a relevant reason, as well as a fun
way to obtain credits. In order to create helpful
career-developing classes, applying for a charter
was necessary.
“A charter school in my mind is a different kind
of opportunity,” Simms said. “An opportunity for
innovation, for experimentation, more creativity
perhaps than what you might be able to do in a regular
school.”
As someone who attended a charter school
previously, sophomore Alyssa Zanone feels that charter
schools are fun and successful.
“They are really fun. They are different. You’re
responsible for finding out what you are interested in
and getting stuff done rather than having someone push
you all of the time,” Zanone said.
English department student teacher and former charter school student
Whitney Collins agrees that charter schools are beneficial, but she also sees
some drawbacks.
“I liked being in a charter school, but I think one of the cons to it is that
when you are coming into high school as a freshman you don’t really know
what you want to do in life,” Collins said.
Though many people can agree with Collins, the career academy
will allow students to take courses and participate in internships to help
them decide what the best career choice may be. ACCA will help students
eliminate choices by giving them real training to help them prepare for that
career or decide it is not for them.
Although the members of the partnership plan for less than 100 students
to be enrolled during the first year, ACCA hopes to continue its growth in the
future.
“We are looking at high school but ultimately I think we want to get
middle school (students) involved because we lose a lot of kids in middle
school,” Simms said. “We need to capture them, capture their imaginations,
find out what interests them and then help them chart a path that will enable
them to fulfill their interests and their goals.”
Below: MAPPING CAREERS: The H.T.
Edwards Building concept plan was
drawn out on Jan. 28 2009. Renovations
to the building will begin in the Fall of
2009. The upgrade will include an update
to the Athens Area Boys and Girls
club, a new SOAR Academy Building,
a new early childhood education building
and a new building that will be the
home of the Athens Community Career
Academy, which is scheduled to open in
August 2010.
Photo courtesy of James Simms

News March 2009
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 33

March 2009
Focus
Photo by Isabel Atkinson
Redefining a political legacy
Jane Kidd, the Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, grew up as the
daughter of the Governor of Georgia. As a politician, she has worked to
set her own standards.
34 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Focus March 2009
BY eva crowe
Features Writer
As Georgia superdelegate and Chair of the
Democratic Party of Georgia, Jane Kidd voted to
support Barack Obama in the 2008 primaries.
However, she has been surrounded by politics
for her whole life, even before she was aware of
her own political future.
Her father, Earnest Vandiver, was governor of Georgia from 1959 to 1963;
starting when Kidd was six years old. Her great uncle, Senator Richard B.
Russel, was also a politician. Politics served as a backdrop to Kidd’s childhood,
even when she was not completely aware of it.
“I remember that during legislative session one of Daddy’s assistants
would bring bills to the house in a big old box. And they would sit there
and go over them and decide whether or not to sign them,” Kidd said. “And
I would just be around, running around and talking and they would tell me
jokes and play with me while they were reading the bills.”
By choosing to become involved in politics herself later in her life, Kidd
continued a family legacy. However, it was a path that had not always been
clear to her.
“(Getting involved in politics) was not part of some huge plan that I had
since childhood to adulthood,” Kidd said. “I never really did anything in
politics except just have an interest in it.”
Kidd, one of three children, grew up in the town of Lavonia, Georgia.
While growing up, family was an important aspect of her life. The children
of the household, including Kidd, were often included in Vandiver’s political
life. Family outings for Kidd often consisted of taking part in political
events.
“I remember going to political rallies and sitting on the stage behind
Daddy speaking,” Kidd said. “(Our family) was always pretty closely involved
with what he was doing. I really felt very lucky that I was able to be
surrounded by some smart people who were involved in government.”
Even when Kidd was not at a political event, her father was involved
in her life, and often worked at home to be with his kids. While working,
Vandiver would often bring other politicians to the house, providing Kidd
with the opportunity to meet some of the political figures that worked with
her father. The politicians that she was introduced to served as role models
for her attitude towards getting involved in politics.
“I think that (meeting them) fostered a kind of a can-do attitude, that
if they can do it I can do it,” Kidd said. “It wasn’t impossible that normal
people like me could get involved.”
Kidd’s parents also had a close and supportive relationship while Vandiver
was in office. Although she did not work outside of the home, Kidd’s
mother, Sybil Vandiver, worked with Vandiver in his daily career as his
general helper, fostering a strong and healthy relationship.
“They were best friends as well as partners in whatever they did together,”
Kidd said. “I always said Mama was the PR person for him, she was
the one who remembered all the names and made sure he understood the
context of the situation he was in. They were a real partnership, a real team.”
While Vandiver was in office, Kidd, along with her brother and sister,
lived in the governor’s mansion in Atlanta, and many of her early childhood
memories are set in the there. When she wasn’t at home, Kidd would go to
sleep-overs at her friends’ houses and attended public school. Despite her
prominence, she considered her father’s career and her home to be normal.
“It was really just a big old house on a hill,” Kidd said. “We lived all
over that house, the living room was really our living room, it wasn’t like a
museum where people came and saw it. We didn’t have servants or anything
like that.”
Kidd’s parents tried to raise their children with a discipline that was
unaffected by their upper-class living situation.
“We hadn’t earned anything more than anybody else just because our
father was governor,” Kidd said. “We were never coddled or babied or given
a lot of material things.”
However, Kidd faced some resentment from her peers due to her father’s
high-profile civic career.
“I think they thought we were better or somehow more privileged,” Kidd
said. “(In school) I was concerned with trying to let people know that I was
Opposite: FOND MEMORIES: Although her childhood was highly influenced by her
political surroundings, Kidd is thankful for the experiences she had as a young girl. “I
always say the advantage (of being immersed in politics) was that I got to meet a lot of
people that most young people wouldn’t get to meet,” Kidd said. Above: DINNER AT
THE MANSION: Kidd sits with her great uncle, Senator Richard B. Russel, as the family
sits down for dinner in the Governor’s mansion in 1960.
just a person just like them.”
Kidd was also concerned with trying to find her own identity as a person,
separate from some aspects of her father’s career. Although she was always
close with her father, she did not agree with all of his political views. During
his campaign for governor of Georgia, Vandiver ran on a segregation ballot,
which was an ongoing source of discomfort for Kidd.
“As a young person I was always embarrassed that my father was a segregationist
and ran on a segregationist ticket. It was just hard to be myself and
still kind of get along in the social situation,” Kidd said.
While Kidd was confused about some of her father’s political viewpoints,
she learned that it was possible for politicians to change, even when it is
unexpected.
Vandiver, despite pressure from his opponents to act as a segregationist,
voted to de-segregate the University of Georgia in 1963 in a move to change
his platform, catching the attention of people all across the state of Georgia.
“He had come to change his mind and to adopt a completely different
viewpoint,” Athens mayor Heidi Davidson said. “I think that speaks volumes
to someone’s willingness to change their own beliefs and assumptions, and
to do that as a public figure takes a lot of courage.”
As she branched out from her father’s political beliefs, Kidd also began to
define her own interests through school activities. She started playing flute
in the sixth grade, sang in her church choir, and led the band during football
season. Kidd was also involved in theater from the time that she started
school. By performing, Kidd was unknowingly building the confidence and
skill that would later be vital to her political career.
“Those were all things that put you in front of people. They gave you communication
skills, a sense of presence, and a crowd,” Kidd said.
At the age of 15, Kidd made her first conscious decision to become involved
in the world of politics. By helping her father with the campaign to
re-elect Herman Talmadge to the U.S. Senate, she realized that politics was
something to which she could apply her skills.
“We talked a vacant building owner in Lavonia into letting us have a
headquarters. So I had the Talmadge for Senate campaign for young people
Photo courtesy of Jane Kidd
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 35

“I think the best thing
(about politics) is being
involved and knowing that
you can make a difference.
As long as I’m learning
something new everyday,
I’m happy.”
Photos courtesy of Jane Kidd
-- Jane kidd,
Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia
“I remember going to political rallies and
sitting on the stage behind Daddy speaking.
(Our family) was always pretty closely
involved with what he was doing.”
-- Jane kidd,
Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia

Focus March 2009
Photo by Isabel Atkinson
Above: SHE’S NO PLAIN JANE: Aside from politics, Kidd stays involved with many things around Athens while still finding time to see her family and friends to unwind. “I yearn to
be at home with my family. It returns life to normal, it seems like normal and that’s what’s comforting and relaxing,” Kidd said. Opposite page (Top): FAMILY MOMENTS: Kidd, at
home in the governor’s mansion in 1959, sits in her older sister’s lap while her mother makes a phone call. Opposite page (Middle): TAKING THE LEAD: The family smiles for a picture
taken in 1972, when Vandiver announced that he would run for the U.S. Senate. Opposite page (bottom): GEORGIA ON MY MIND: Kidd enjoys a peach while the family poses
for a picture taken at one of Vandiver’s political rallies.
when I was 15,” Kidd said. “I remember my friends coming to help me, and
we just set it up and decorated.”
Working on the Talmadge campaign sparked an interest in Kidd that had
been unconscious throughout her life. However, it was only the first step
into Kidd’s political career. After high school, she began to focus on expanding
her range of political experiences.
During college, Kidd worked on her father’s campaign when he ran for
the U.S. Senate in 1972, and then ran for city council herself in Lavonia in the
late 70s. For Kidd, her first election was just the beginning of more to come.
Since then, Kidd has had a wide range of political experiences.
In 1992, she became Don Johnson’s campaign manager, which opened the
door for her to later become the director for his congressional offices in the
state. In 1996 Kidd was elected to the Georgia State House, and continued
by running for the Georgia Senate in 2006. Although she lost the election,
she did not lose her momentum.
“One of my House member friends encouraged me to run for the Chair of
the State Party, and I won and was elected in January of 2007,” Kidd said.
Since then, Kidd has stayed busy with her career. Kidd feels that one of
her biggest accomplishments was to be appointed a superdelegate to the
Democratic National Convention, where she represented Georgia and cast
her vote to select the Democratic candidate in the 2008 presidential election.
“Probably one of the best things about being Chair (was) getting to go
(to the Democratic National Convention),” Kidd said. “It was like a rock
concert on steroids.”
At the convention, Kidd showed her support for Obama early in the
primaries, contrary to many of her opponents, who took more time to align
with a candidate. For her, the decision came naturally.
“I came out for Obama fairly early. A lot of people were unhappy for that.
I thought it was just in time,” Kidd said. “I waited until the Georgia primary
and he (Obama) won 66 percent in the primary, so I felt like I was representing
Georgians.”
Kidd is able to see Obama’s strengths as a politician, and feels that she
made the right choice.
“I think that President Obama really has an opportunity to appeal to
younger Americans and bring them into government. I’m excited about the
enthusiasm and vigor that he brings into office,” Kidd said.
Kidd’s own enthusiasm is a constant force in her career. Over the years,
she has learned to take her criticism with an optimistic outlook.
“Sometimes it is difficult. You have to know that with everything you do
you’re going to please some people and displease others,” Kidd said. “But
that’s just a part of politics. I guess I must like it or I wouldn’t do it.”
To counter the stress in her life, Kidd turns to her own family as a source
of comfort and relief.
“Sometimes you get all wound and wrapped up in politics. (Family)
makes me feel I’m grounded and that there is something else out there,” Kidd
said. “It returns life to normal.”
One of the closest people to Kidd is her husband, David. The couple
remain supportive of one another, which brings their lives together despite
their contrasting schedules. Although Kidd and her husband lead more separate
lives than Kidd’s parents, their relationship is similar.
“I’ve always worked. I’ve always had a work life in the community, and
(my husband) has always worked and he has his. But when we’re at home,
and we’re together, that’s when it’s most like my parent’s relationship,” Kidd
said.
Along with the support that she draws from her family, Kidd also finds
strength in the belief that she is making an impact on the world around her
with politics. While Kidd is dedicated to her career, her political persistence
is rooted in the dedication to improving the world around her, which is
something that she believes every person can do.
“There is a role for everybody, and it doesn’t have to be as an elected
official. There are lots of different ways that people can contribute to their
society and make a difference with their families and other people,” Kidd
said. “I think that the best thing is that feeling that I’m involved and doing
my part to be a member of society and make things better for everybody.”
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 37

Lost in the system
“I’m not going to say that we didn’t do right by
these kids years ago, I’m saying we’re doing
better now.”
-- James Simms,
Clarke County School District Superintendent
For many, the Athens-Clarke
County disciplinary system
presents more questions than
answers. However, the recently
appointed SOAR Academy
principal has entered the system
with an optimistic vision
for change.
Story and layout by lauren pruitt
Features Writer
Photos by Isabel atkinson
Photographer

Features March 2009
y
The door to the SOAR
Academy has no
handle. A buzzer on
the wall near eye-level is the
only way into the alternative
school. A muffled voice
crackles from the speaker,
asking for a statement of
business. A moment later a
secretary slowly makes her
way down the stairwell to allow
entrance into the school.
The SOAR Academy is
cold and dimly lit, and the
school’s one long hallway is
filled with stagnant air. The
old H.T. Edwards Center for
Alternative Education was
renamed the SOAR Academy
in an attempt to rid the
school of its negative label
-- a school for disruptive students,
a warehouse for juvenile
offenders.
As the school day begins, classroom doors
open, revealing wall-to-wall cubicles where
students sit before a computer screen from 8:30
a.m. to 3 p.m. Teachers sit, shielded behind their
desks, keeping their eyes on the students.
Doors along the hallway are decorated with
the SOAR Academy emblem, and near the exit
there is a poster with the SOAR acronym, which
represents the goals of the school: to be successful,
obey the rules, achieve your best and respect.
Next to this poster is the office of the newly
appointed principal, Frankie Hill. Inside Hill’s
office, a new plan for the SOAR Academy is being
put into action.
“Alternative school can have more than one
meaning,” Hill said. “Yes, it can be an alternative
site for continuing the education of students
who have somehow self-destructed in their home
schools, but it can also be a vision of changing the
face of this school, where it’s in a smaller setting,
where we have the capability of offering courses
for kids to graduate.”
Though Hill only began as the SOAR Academy
principal in January 2009, she hopes to create
a new alternative school that is not only for
students being punished by the school district,
but for students interested in alternative forms of
learning.
Clarke County School District Superintendent
James Simms appointed Hill to the position as
SOAR Academy principal and is helping Hill create
her vision for the school.
Hill was appointed mid-year after the previous
principal, Joseph Williams, was dismissed for
undisclosed reasons.
“I can tell you this, and this is public record:
I have relieved Joseph Williams of his duties
and he has been placed on administrative leave,”
Simms said. “The board approved my recommendation
to assign Dr. Frankie Hill, formally the associate
principal at Cedar Shoals (High School),
as the principal at the SOAR Academy.”
Hill became the active principal of the alternative
school on Jan. 9, 2009. Williams has permanently
disappeared from the SOAR Academy
after a disciplinary hearing on Jan. 20. After his
dismissal, Hill created an image for the school she
plans to make a reality in her time as principal.
“My vision is to have a school that really
practices alternative education. It will be an
environment that is conducive to learning for
any kid who needs a smaller setting. I’m looking
at things that will allow (students) to have normalcy,
they’re still kids and they need to be able
to participate,” Hill said. “And I have no idea why
the other principal is not here, and I find it most
times to be in my best interest to not ask questions
about things that do not concern me.”
The matter does concern Hill, however, and
everyone attending the SOAR Academy. Hill and
Simms seem set to keeping the matter of William’s
dismissal quiet and focusing on Hill’s new
ideas for the school.
Hill’s vision includes discouraging students
from repeatedly returning to the alternative
school. The administration hopes Hill’s plans for
the school will lead students to be successful in
their home schools and life after high school.
“There’s a life outside of the walls of every
school and when these kids leave (high school),
don’t we want them to able to read and write and
compete at the same levels as other kids?” Hill
said. “Well, that wasn’t happening.”
Hill may attribute the shortcomings of the
school to Williams, but even with his dismissal,
many feel the SOAR Academy has a long way
to go. The stigma of the alternative school
has led the school to be primarily a
place for punishment. Simms, as well
as Hill, is working to turn the SOAR
Academy into a school for alternative
learning.
Clarke Central High School
senior Sierra Woodley will
never see these changes to the
SOAR Academy. Woodley
spent the first 45 days of her
senior year at the alternative
school that Simms and Hill are
working to reform.
“(I was) changed by the
(SOAR Academy) in that I
would never break a rule to go
back there because it’s pure hell,”
Woodley said.
Woodley never expected to be sent to the
SOAR Academy and found the school’s environment
to be dysfunctional.
“No matter who you are you need structure, I
needed structure and there was none whatsoever.
Literally, you had kids running the class, telling
the teacher what they were going to do and the
teachers were pretty much scared,” Woodley
said. “Like, my literature teacher could not control
the class. He was scared, he was just stuck in
his seat.”
For Woodley, the transformation for the
SOAR Academy was overdue, but for others, the
changes were simply an improvement to the best
alternative the CCSD could offer.
“I’m not going to say that we didn’t do right by
these kids years ago, I’m saying we’re doing better
now,” Simms said.
Jonah Berkowitz, Woodley’s literature and
composition teacher at the SOAR Academy, feels
differently about the classroom structure at the
school. According to Berkowitz, there are only
few issues where students exhibit dangerous
behavior and the staff is well trained to deal with
those instances.
Berkowitz chose to work at an alternative
school because he feels all students deserve the
opportunity to learn. He finds the environment
like any other school, only with a smaller student
population.
“I have the feeling that all students really do
have the ability to learn,” Berkowitz said. “A lot
of the kids here really haven’t had that shown to
them, haven’t been able to feel that from some of
their teachers when they were in a larger setting.”
The SOAR Academy allows students to earn
credit for classes on a computer system called
NovaNET, which is a comprehensive online
system used to move though courses in grades
six through 12. Most teachers are equipped with
nine to 14 computers in their classroom, and even
though each teacher is qualified in their field,
they rely on NovaNET to teach their students.
However, there are still shortcomings in the
school even with the large number of computers.
Berkowitz hopes to see more resources for teach
Opposite page: EYES TOWARDS CHANGE: Clarke Central High School senior Sierra Woodley compares
the changes at the SOAR Academy with her own experience there. Right: EMBLEM OF EXPECTATIONS:
The SOAR Academy emblem sends a message of expected performance to the alternative school students.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 39

March 2009
ing in the future.
“One of the difficulties we have here is that in
most subject areas, we have one teacher. Which
means that that one teacher is teaching all grade
levels,” Berkowitz said.
With the changes that Hill is already working
towards, Berkowitz remains hopeful. According
to him, even though many think the school has a
long way to go, the SOAR Academy can achieve
all of Hill’s plans.
Woodley experienced the alternative school
before Hill’s arrival, with former principal Williams.
She was shocked when she learned of
William’s dismissal.
“You do have certain people (at the SOAR
Academy) that try, like the principal there that
just left, Mr. Williams. He was really supportive,”
Woodley said. “He tried to at least keep some of
us enthused about getting our work done. And
then you have those teachers that treat you like a
criminal.”
Berkowitz refused comment on the former
principal, not wanting to involve himself in the
situation of William’s removal.
As a senior enrolled in advanced college placement
classes with no history of misbehavior,
Woodley never expected to be placed at the
SOAR Academy, but her lapse in judgment sent
her there for half the semester.
Outside of school walls, Woodley designs
jeans, using an assortment of tools, including
razor blades. But Woodley made a misstep when
Features
she took her razor out
in class and was seen
by her classmates. This
led to her arrest by a
CCHS police officer.
Woodley was 17
years old at the time,
and for punitive
purposes, an adult.
She spent four days in
the Clarke County Jail
awaiting a trial in front
of the school district’s
hearing officer, Ernest
Hardaway.
“For all practical
purposes, I am the
school district’s judge,”
Hardaway said. “My
role as a hearing officer
is to hear the evidence
from the school, to
also give the student
an opportunity to tell
their side of the story,
because all students are
forwarded due process,
and then I decide
whether the student is
guilty or not.”
Woodley felt that her teachers would have
taken her side in the disciplinary hearing. She
protested, saying she
was a well-behaved
student despite her
fault in judgment.
For Woodley,
the experience was
nerve-racking. She
knew she had committed
an offense by
having a concealed
weapon on school
property, and that
the punishment for
such actions could
lead to a visit to the
SOAR Academy.
Though students
may feel that the
SOAR Academy is
only for punishment,
if it weren’t for the
alternative school,
students would not
have many other
options when found
guilty at their disciplinary
hearing.
Hardaway feels
the alternative
school is a necessary
place, otherwise
students would be
facing semesters out
of school instead
of being sent to the
SOAR Academy.
The school still has
the challenge of
engaging students in
Above: A LINE TO LEARNING?: Students at the SOAR Academy receive instruction
through an online program called NovaNET. Below: A MISSTEP: Clarke Central High
School senior, Seirra Woodley, was arrested by a CCHS police officer after having a concealed
weapon on school property. “Officer Reed came and was like, you’re under arrest for
having a weapon on school property. They put me in handcuffs and took me to the Clarke
County Jail for about four days,” Woodley said.
their work, however.
“(The alternative school) was a place to
warehouse kids, but kids were not really engaged
as much as they should have been, even though
they’re there because they’re being punished,
they still have an opportunity to recover credit,”
Hardaway said. “It gives kids an option other
than the streets as a punishment. If we didn’t
have the SOAR Academy, every kid who came to
me and was found guilty would have to be put
out of school.“
A student who is sent to a school disciplinary
hearing has committed one or more of five major
category offenses, which include: bringing weapons,
non-felony or felony drugs to school, making
threats, and chronically misbehaving. However,
if the board decides to do so, they can charge a
student with breaking juvenile code and send
them to a hearing at the Juvenile Court.
For any hearing, there is a juvenile code which
is broken down into status offenses, misdemeanors
and felony charges.
Status offenses consist of any act that an adult
could not be tried for. A misdemeanor is an
offense an adult can be charged with, resulting
in a sentence less than one year in jail. A felony
is a more serious charge than a misdemeanor,
where a juvenile can be tried as an adult, and has
a sentence that is equal to or more than one year
in prison.
Woodley’s offense, if committed by a student
previously exhibiting dangerous behavior, could
have lead to a hearing in the Juvenile Court. This
would mean that her record would hold two
punishments -- the school disciplinary hearing
and the Juvenile Court sentence.
“Frequently when students commit offenses
that have them sent to the SOAR Academy, they
have committed an offense that’s against the law,
so we will also see them (at the Juvenile Court),”
Juvenile Court Judge Robin Shearer said. “So in a
way, they can be punished two times for that.”
The processes of the Juvenile Court are dif-

Features March 2009
ferent from those of the school board. Students
are forwarded complete due process, as opposed
the limited due process allowed by a school
disciplinary hearing. Therefore, students are appointed
a lawyer if they cannot supply one, and
they must have a parent or legal guardian present
or the court will appoint an attorney to be their
guardian ad
litem.
A student
being
represented
by a lawyer
is important
in a Juvenile
Court trial,
because a
student’s record
and academic credibility could be impaired
if they are sent to the SOAR Academy or a Youth
Detention Center.
“If a student is not represented by counsel,
they may not know what to do, and they may
not have their rights protected,” Shearer said.
“Especially when it’s a really good student in
advanced classes and something happened
and they were going to go to SOAR Academy,
they would only have one shot to try to
protect their academic placement, and I’m
sure you can’t get the same academic placement
at SOAR.”
Woodley never made it as far as the
Juvenile Court, since her case was defended
by administrators in the school disciplinary
hearing. However, there are many students
who do find themselves in front of Judge
Shearer, facing sentences ranging from probation
to five years in a YDC.
Ann Gowdy, an employee of the Department
of Juvenile Justice, supervises interns
that often take part in hearings and used to
take part in hearings at the Juvenile Court
herself. Gowdy took a special interest in
teenagers she worked with at the DJJ, since
she feels that so many juveniles are misunderstood
when it comes to discipline.
“Too many teenagers are misunderstood,
and misrepresented. Suddenly there’s this
magic age where teenagers are supposed to
be responsible and it’s just fuzzy,” Gowdy
said.
As a previous probation officer, contract
worker, juvenile sex offender case manager,
and service provider, Gowdy has a wide
knowledge of the DJJ system. However, she
has found that many of the juveniles and
their parents do not understand language
and procedures of the court system.
“It took me a few months to get down
in my head the process, and I can usually
figure things out. If it took me that long
to figure out the process, then what is it
like for the families and the kids?” Gowdy
said. “One thing I try to do throughout that
process is I try to let people know what’s
going on and what to expect. Who wants
to say, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand what’s
going on’?”
Gowdy cares for the population that she
works closely with, but has never worked
at an alternative school -- she has only dealt
with students facing placement there.
When asked about alternative schools in general,
she asked to speak off the record. However,
Gowdy was willing to speak about students she
had worked with before placement at an alternative
school.
“I would directly ask them ‘Are you setting
“Too many teenagers are misunderstood and misrepresented.
Suddenly there’s this magic age where
teenagers are supposed to be responsible.”
-- Ann Gowdy,
Department of Juvenile Justice
Photo illustration by Alexander Boza
yourself up because you don’t like being in a
regular school?’ Absolutely -- they want to go
somewhere where they have some more flexibility
or they’re not in the classroom all day, and
they would intentionally get in trouble to go
to an alternative school,” Gowdy
A report is filed and
a disciplinary hearing is
arranged with the CCSD
hearing officer
Partial due process
is given, parent’s and
student’s attendance is
optional
The hearing officer
decides punishment,
varying from 45 days at
the SOAR Academy or
referral to the
Juvenile Court
said. “Once they go there, it was a different story.
It wasn’t what they expected. But why should
any kid have to feel like they have to violate
school rules to be in an educational setting to fit
their needs?”
The trend Gowdy has encountered is not
uncommon to administration in Athens-Clarke
County. CCHS Principal Robbie
Hooker often offers parents the
option of sending their child to
the Performance Learning Center
(PLC) rather than go to a disciplinary
hearing and be sent to the
SOAR Academy if they misbehave
again.
“Everyone does not fit the traditional
high school model. Going to
the PLC or SOAR Academy -- I’ve
even recommended to some parents the program
that’s in Albany, Kentucky, Job Corps -- may be a
good fit for some students,” Hooker said.
PLC is an alternative high school in a much
smaller setting than a traditional high school.
Student commits an offense in the school
(felony and non-felony drugs, threats, weapons, chronic misbehavior)
If a student has an IEP
A report is filed with CCSD
hearing officer, and a copy of IEP
and psychological assessment are
sent
A hearing takes place, case
manager and department chair of
special education attend
The hearing officer decides
whether the student is guilty of
innocent
A manifestation meeting with
case manager and both special and
regular education teachers takes
place
The committee decides if the
behaviors of the student were a
manifestation of their behavioral
disorder
If behaviors
were caused
by behavioral
disorder, then
no punishment
is given
CCHS
If behaviors
were not caused
by behavioral
disorder, then the
hearing officer
decides punishment
The student is arrested
and a juvenile court hearing
is arranged
Complete due process
is given, parents and
student must attend, and
an attorney is provided
The Juvenile Court
Judge decides punishment,
varying from
probation to a five
year sentence in Youth
Detention Center

March 2009
Features
We have too many kids that are classified as EBD...So
my question is, why is this the case? Are these kids really
EBD? Or are they just acting out?”
-- James Simms,
Clarke County School District Superintendent
“You need a balance, and that takes time and
patience and being able to admit that you need
to work with (the system) and tweak it,” Gowdy
said.
Gowdy and Hooker share their belief that talking
to students is key in helping them with their
behavior and academics. Hooker involves himself
personally in cases where a student may be sent
to SOAR Academy.
“For me, it’s not easy, dealing with taking a
kid to a hearing, sometimes I’ve known these
students for a while and I know the families, so
when you sit across that table, and you’re saying
to their mother, ‘This kid has been disruptive,’ or
‘This kid has brought drugs to school,’ and to say
‘He or she has to go to SOAR Academy,’” Hooker
said. “That’s a tough peel because you have to
think sometimes, ‘What if that was my child?
What would I want to have done?’”
Many administrators of traditional high
schools, like Hooker and Thomas feel that the
safety of the school is their priority, but also that
listening will help a student who is acting out.
Secondary principals, or assistant principals
for grades six through 12, work closely with the
security guards assigned to the school. CCHS security
guards include Officer Rodney Robinson,
who is often called into classrooms to deal with
disruptive behavior of students.
“I try to work with the student, and usually
if they can see what they did wrong, that’s
the first half of solving the problem,” Robinson
said. “Then hopefully, if it’s a first timer, I try to
smooth it out between the administrator and the
teacher so (the student) won’t get it too bad.”
Robinson tries to work with students who
do not often misbehave, but some punishments
are not arguable with the administration. Even
though Robinson was not involved in the Woodley
incident, he feels the outcome would have
been the same for any student.
“The policy is the policy and what happened
is I think (Woodley) took (the razor blade) out
by mistake and other students saw it, and at that
point, there was no way you could cut a deal
with her because everybody saw it and it would
be favoritism,” Robinson said. “Once you allow
that it would create a very unsafe environment
for everyone else, because if one student can have
a weapon, then all the rest of them can have one
too.”
Robinson feels if a younger student had committed
the same offense Woodley committed
the result would have been similar: a visit to the
SOAR Academy.
“I feel it’s a necessary place. We have to have
an outlet. In other words, if we have kids that
are smoking marijuana or doing those kinds of
infractions, we have to have somewhere to put
them, because we can’t keep them here or they
would take the rest of the school down,” Robinson
said. “We have to have somewhere to put
them or they’ll be put out of school for good, so it
gives them a second chance.”
Woodley may have gotten a second chance
at the alternative, but she is troubled by the
stigma associated with the SOAR Academy in
the CCSD.
“With somebody looking on the outside,
I probably would be classified with having
behavioral problems, and that’s the thing that I
hate,” Woodley said. “But if you could ask any of
my teachers, they’d be like, ‘No (she’s not).’ And
that’s how you knew (I was) a good kid making a
bad mistake.”
In Woodley’s case, she felt her fault in judgment
led to her offense, but for some students
in the CCSD, their misbehavior is the result of a
behavioral disorder.
A student who is considered to have a behavior
disorder has been aggressive, hostile and disruptive
for more than six months, according to the
National Institutions of Health. Once a student is
identified with a behavioral disorder, possibly an
emotional behavioral disorder (EBD), the student
has an Individualized Education Program set
to serve their needs. An IEP is a federal document
stating that a student is enrolled in special
education and must be served by their IEP and
the county as far as education and other needs in
a school setting.
Nicki Stephens, the department chair of special
education at CCHS, works closely with EBD
students.
“EBD kids are qualified by the fact that they
have to have an emotional component to their behavior,
and that qualifies them for EBD services,”
Stephens said. “EBD is defined as behaviors that
keep them from being able to participate in the
academics in the classroom or they disrupt academic
services of other students because of their
behaviors.”
Stephens works with the curriculum assisstance
Program for Students department, which
includes 20 teachers and 15 paraprofessionals. If
there is a discipline problem with a student who
has an IEP, the student is sent to her. She also
attends school disciplinary hearings for special
education students who are being sent to the
SOAR Academy.
There are separate special education programs
for students at the SOAR Academy, but there
are not any set counseling programs for EBD
students. This is also the case at CCHS.
“There are no specific counseling services for kids
with EBD, they’re served through our program,”
Stephens said. “Occasionally there are anger management
classes but those are not necessarily all
EBD kids, those can be any (student at CCHS).”
Jasmine Sigman, a sophomore at CCHS, was sent
to the SOAR Academy for stealing. Sigman has
an IEP.
“I am in general education, but at the same
time under special education for bad behavior,
but my temper since elementary school, as I see,
it’s not as bad as it was,” Sigman said.
When Sigman was taken to the administration
for her offenses, a hearing with Hardaway was
arranged.
“The schools have to provide my office with
paperwork that supports the charge. They would
send me the student’s discipline record, the
student’s attendance record, and the student’s
academic record as well. If it is a special education
student, I would also get a copy of their IEP
and their psychological (assessment),” Hardaway
said.
However, the process for a school disciplinary
hearing is different for a CAPS student -- Hardaway
cannot determine their punishment. He is
limited to deciding if a student is guilty or innocent.
After his decision, a manifestation meeting
takes place.
During this meeting, it is determined whether
or not the student’s behaviors were a manifestation
of their behavioral disorder. If it is decided
that their actions were caused by their disorder,
the decision of their punishment is up to Hardaway.
The discussion can also find that a student’s
behaviors were not due to their behavioral
disorder. In that case, the hearing is stricken from
their record and no punishment is put in place.
Sigman did not attend her hearing in front of
Hardaway, so she was not able to be any part of
the process, but the recommendation was two
and a half months at the SOAR Academy.
Sigman, along with Woodley, attended the
SOAR Academy when Williams was principal.
Her stay there did not seem to faze her. However,
she felt Williams was a key part of the SOAR
Academy.
“(The SOAR Academy) was okay when (Williams)
was there. He was pretty strict. He did
not play whatsoever, when he told you to do
something, if you don’t do it, out the door,” Sigman
said. “That school can get out of control. So,
I don’t know why they fired him, because he was
a good principal. I call him my daddy.”
Despite her relationship with Williams, Sigman
found the SOAR Academy to be like any
other school except for the use of NovaNET,
which she didn’t find as productive as a normal
classroom setting.
“All they really do, the teachers tell you what
you need to do, they help you a little bit on your
work, but they don’t help you as much as you
need,” Sigman said. “Other than that, they don’t
42 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Features March 2009
give any support, they just tell you what you need to
do, tell you how to do it, they treat you like you’re a
little five-year-old.”
When Sigman returned to CCHS, she remained
under her IEP and special education programs,
though her opinion was that she had improved.
A step the district is taking under Simms is to
reevaluate students who are currently in special education
programs every year to see if the student has
improved and can be taken out of that program.
“We have too many kids that are classified as
EBD, most of them, or at least a disproportionate
number of them are African-Americans. So my
question is, why is this the case? Are these kids
really EBD? Or are they just acting out?” Simms said.
“We’ve got a disproportionate number of minority
kids that are classified as EBD, and I don’t think they
are, so they need to be taken out of that program and
that label removed.”
For all the students of the SOAR Academy, one
of the new methods the alternative school is using
would offer more support to the student body by
recognizing their growth and progress. The Boys
Town Model, a system of aggressive praise for
students, is now being implemented at the SOAR
Academy.
“The (Boys Town Model) is a very popular model,
where you point out what kids are doing well rather
than their deficiencies,” Hardaway said. “Let’s say
for example, you’re greeting the kids as they come off
the bus in the morning, instead of saying, ‘Get those
earrings off, pull your pants up, you don’t have on a
belt,’ say ‘I appreciate you getting up and coming to
school today, we’re going to have a great day, I hope
you have a good day,’ and deal with those other issues
later. It’s a whole change in mind-set. The kids
are positively reinforced.”
With the large number of changes facing SOAR,
Hill has to be ready for the transition. Although
people who are familiar with the SOAR Academy are
skeptical of the changes being set for the school, Hill
remains optimistic.
“I think that with the resources that the superintendent
has promised to give me and is delivering on,
we can change the face of this school. My vision is
to have it as a school that really practices alternative
education,” Hill said.
The staff at the SOAR Academy does not seem to
mind the appointment of a new principal, but for
students like Woodley, the lack of answers continues
to be perplexing.
The SOAR Academy may be shrouded in mystery
for the students of the school. However, for people
like Hill, the focus of the alternative school should
be on change, not the absence of information surrounding
the negative stigma of the school.
“(The SOAR Academy was) for just punishment
alone, but it’s not the end to anything, it’s to regroup,”
Hill said. “Kids sometimes make bad choices,
but it doesn’t mean somebody doesn’t love them. I
think most of our kids, they chronically misbehave
or they do something that they ordinarily wouldn’t
do, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good kids. And
that’s the way we’ve got to look at them if we’re going
to help them.”
“With the resources that
the superintendent has
promised to give me and
is delivering on, we can
change the face of this
school.”
-- Frankie Hill,
SOAR Academy principal
Right: LOOKING BACK ON HER PAST: Clarke Central High
School senior Sierra Woodley looks back on her time at the
SOAR Academy. “You’re just sitting there, doing nothing, for 8
hours. ,” Woodley said.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 43

March 2009
Variety
cultural buzz
Photo courtesy of kingroom.com
Madea Goes to Jail, Tyler Perry
Arriving fashionably late for the 7:30 showing of Madea Goes
to Jail was actually not too fashionable at all, considering I
was met at the ticket booth with a very tacky and unattractive
Sold Out sign. I had to wait an additional two hours for
the next showing, but that was my own fault, how dare I
under estimate the power of Tyler Perry and his humoursly
overwhelming character Mabel “Madea” Simmons?
I really did not know what to expect of Perry’s movie version
of his knee slapping play because his movies never seem to be as funny as the
plays are, but with this film, Perry has finally out done himself.
Madea Goes to Jail the movie really has nothing to do with the original plot of the play other than
the fact that Madea goes to jail, but the not-so-funny part about this is that it takes over half of the
movie to actually get her into prison, though her time out of prison was actually funnier.
But while you are sitting there watching the movie and are near tears from laughter, Perry
changes tones completely and you may find yourself near tears of sorrow as the movie switches
gears into a drama. Unexpectedly the drama is what the film is mainly about, Madea being only a
strong additive that should have been developed more, seeing that the title does include her name.
Overall, Perry shows the perfect example of how to intertwine two drastically different tales
into one great movie and even though a viewer may find themselves emotionally drained after the
103 minutes of laughter and hushed cries are over, they will still be able to say that this movie was
worth their while and is Perry’s best to date.
-- Cassie Evans, Sports Writer
Photos courtesy of (from left): axelmusic.com, Killian Begnaud, wallpapergate.com, artwork.datpiff.com
Movies
The Blue Lagoon, Randal Kleiser
The Breakfast Club, Dirty Dancing,
Sixteen Candles. These are all movies
that come to mind when the 80s are
mentioned.
The
Blue Lagoon
is not a
typical 80s
movie, but
it is one
that leaves
a lasting
impression.
The Blue
Lagoon is
an original story about two cousins
stranded on an island as children.
They matured and eventually fell in
love on the secluded island.
Without any adult guidance,
the teenagers have to learn how to
survive on their own.
The Blue Lagoon is entertaining and
very different from any other movie
of its decade. I give the director,
Randal Kleiser, kudos for adapting
a screenplay to be so applicable to
teenagers. Who ever knew that a
teenager living in today’s society
could relate to a kid living alone on
an island in the 80s?
-- Lexi Deagen, Photography Editor
Gone With The Wind, David O.
Selznick
At the mention of an epic love
story, some teenagers think of The
Notebook. Others think of A Walk
to Remember. I, on the other hand,
think of Gone with the Wind.
Nothing can compare to the love
story about Scarlett O’Hara, played
by Viven Leigh, and Rhett Butler,
played by Clark Gable.
Although the national turmoil
acts as a backdrop to this story,
Scarlett O’Hara does not let these
issues affect her.
With
extreme
success in
the 1930s,
Gone with
the Wind
told a
story that
is inspirational
yet
realistic.
We all
love a
happy
ending, but the raw truth in the
film makes Gone with the Wind unforgettable.
-- Killian Begnaud, Business Staff
Music
London Calling, The Clash
The Clash, an English punk rock
band formed in 1976, revolutionized
the punk rock genre. Their unique
sound paved the way for future
punk rock bands.
Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul
Simm on and Nicky “Topper” Headon
made up the original band.They
released London Calling in the UK on
Dec 14, 1979. In 2003, Rolling Stone
placed The Clash on its list of the
top 500 best bands of all time.
Their sound creatively infuses
different sounds and genres. Reggae,
ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly
can be found in their music.
For example, “Rudie Can’t Fail,” the
fifth song on London Calling, features
a horn section.
If you have that itch for crunchy
guitar and heavy bass, then this
album is a must.
-- Jessie Frary, News Writer
Weezy Effect 2, Lil Wayne
The Weezy Effect 2 is Lil Wayne’s
newest mixtape, which was
released on Feb 8. I love most of
Wayne’s stuff; However, I wasn’t
thoroughly enthused by the Dedication
3, his
latest
mixtape.
So,
I went
into the
Weezy
Effect 2
expecting
a
few
good songs, but nothing amazing.
To my surprise, it was very good.
Wayne’s newest mixtape features
“I’m at War” with Sean Kingston
which is a guaranteed hit and a
song featuring T-Pain called “Snap
Yo Fingaz.” There weren’t any
tracks of Wayne just talking, like
on the Dedication 3. It’s all music.
Some of the mixtape, however, is a
preview to his rock album coming
out April 7. While I don’t really
like his rock thing, the rest of the
mixtape makes up for it.
-- Madison Begnaud, Guest Writer
44 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Variety March 2009
Restaurants
A-OK’s Café, 154 College Ave
I walked down College Ave, hoping
to find A-OK’s Café. As I made
my way
closer and
closer to
the end of
the street
I began
to think
that this
sandwich
café didn’t
really exist.
I turned
around,
looking
carefully
this time,
and there
it was, a single red door with a sign
stating “A-OK’s Café underground!”
I walked down the narrow staircase
and made my way into the tiny
restaurant. It was quiet and cozy.
I walked up to the counter and
was greeted by a polite cashier as I
placed my order.
A few mere minutes after I sat
down, the order was ready.
My Ultimate Club sandwhich
was complete with turkey, ham,
bacon, cheese, mayonnaise, lettuce
and tomato. The sandwich was
delicious; every bite filling me up
until my hunger was satisfied.
Besides the fact that I almost
missed the place completely, A-OK
Café is a perfect place to get a quick
lunch in a quiet place.
-- Kinsey Clark, Junior Copy Editor
Video Games
Call of Duty: World at War, Treyarch
My thumb pressed the small
stick on the right side of my Xbox
360 controller. My character held
his breath on screen, and then…
BOOM. I sniped a camping noob
quicker than you could say MP40.
Call of Duty World at War takes
over where the last game left off… at
least as far as the Xbox live multiplayer
goes.
Treyarch, the company that
developed the game, essentially
implemented the multiplayer system
that Infinity Ward created, and
with great success.
But, Treyarch lacks the ability to
weave together a story such as the
one Infinity
Ward created.
Regardless
of the
horrible story,
World at
War is still
a winner.
It’s multiplayer,
albeit
‘stolen,’ is
stellar. The
game itself provides hilarious quotables
that my friends and I use on
a daily basis, and the graphics are
what you would expect from a first
tier Xbox 360 game.
It doesn’t bring anything new to
the table as far as COD games go,
but luckily for gamers the same old
COD is still one of the better games
on the market. This one will keep
people busy for the next year or so.
-- Tyler Elrod, Graphics Editor
Miscellaneous
Flamin’ Hot Funyuns, Frito-Lay
With only 10 minutes left until I
had to be at work, I walked into the
gas station planning only to put $20
on pump 12.
Then I saw the yellow bag associated
with Funyuns. But wait; there
was something different about this
bag to the left.
They weren’t just Funyuns, but
Flamin’ Hot Funyuns! Not too many
were left on the shelf, so I decided
to try this treat. I put my $1.39 on
the counter and purchased these
strange Funyons.
I opened the bag to be greeted
harshly by an indescribable scent.
How could I stick my hand into this
bag of fire? Easy. I wanted in on the
secret as to why there were only a
couple of bags left.
My taste buds started to do a
dance,
a dance
with no
instructions.
I
instantly
fell
in love
with
them.
The
flamin’ hot powder that once only
lived on top of cheetos has found a
new home, and I hope it is here to
stay.
Flamin’ Hot Funyuns are completely
worth your money if you
love fiery onion powdery chips. The
only disappointment you may face
will be the long lasting smell on
your breath.
-- Victoria Bambo, Viewpoints Writer
Worldwide Fashions, 1375 Prince Ave.
Just out of the residential Boulevard
area sits an array of different
shops,
boutiques,
and restaurants.
Worldwide
Fashions
is most
certainly not an eye catcher from the
road.
I was pleasantly surprised to
walk into a place with such bright
colored fabrics and sparkly jewelry.
It amazed me the amount of beautiful
clothing, bangles, pashminas and
earrings one place could hold alone.
For a store with very small square
footage and an overwhelming
amount of merchandise,
the organization
was impressive;
it was very easy for
me to identify with
colors and styles
that I liked.
Yet what surprised
me most were
the affordable prices.
On my first trip, I
waited until the end
to look at the tags, fearing the steep
cost. But, I noted with amazement
that I probably would have spent
twice as much had I visited a department
store.
If you are looking for a unique,
colorful, well priced alternative
to your everyday shop, I would
certainly recommend Worldwide
Fashions.
-- Tamar Schimdt, Viewpoints Writer
Photos courtesy of (from left): Isabel Atkinson, teambadattitude.co.uk, Isabel Atkinson, Lexi Deagen
Fallout 3, Bethesda Studios
After winning over 20 awards in 2008, the third installment in the Fallout series has come
a long way from its 1997 debut.
Fallout 3 takes place in the year 2277; 200 years after a nuclear war devastated the world.
The main character starts out life as a child living in a ‘vault’, a small underground bunker
designed to protect residents from nuclear fallout, outside of what used to be the District of
Columbia.
The character progresses through childhood while being watched by his father, voiced by
actor Liam Neilson, who offers moral choices that can affect elements later in the game.
At the age of 18 the main character’s dad unexpectedly flees from the vault and he is forced
to go in search of him. The main character’s first look at the world after emerging from the
vault is that of a barren and desolate landscape that gives Fallout 3 its unique post-apocalyptic
feel.
He is thrown into a vicious world where Super Mutants run rampant through the ruins
of Washington, slavers who capture anyone they can find, and several small settlements.
Fallout’s depth and realism will immediately hook the player into the games world.
Character development and customization is essential to any role playing game, or RPG.
Fallout’s system is one of the most in-depth and customizable ever developed. The game
plays flawlessly and the graphics are beautiful; it’s no wonder it’s so critically acclaimed.
-- Alex Morris, News Writer
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 45

March 2009
Photo by Arielle Golan
What
Variety
you gonna
Above: KNOWING THE RULES OF THE ROAD: Officer Joseph Geiger asks senior Sarah Nehf to pull
over for having her headlights off. While he lets her off with a warning, he takes the time to explain her
rights to her as a teenage driver.
Teen drivers are sometimes unaware of their rights on the roads. Athens-Clarke
County Police Department Officer Joseph Geiger clears up
many of the driving misconceptions students believe to be true.
What is
MYTH and what is FACT
Refusing a Breathalyzer test
“I would have to pull over and take a breathalyzer test because they
are the police. If I didn’t do it, I’d be breaking the law and they’d call for
backup.”
-- Tynesia Walton, freshman
“Yeah the police can pull you over at any given time because they’re the
police. The police definitely pull people over for no reason; I’ve been pulled
over and arrested unlawfully before!”
-- Phil Carpenter, junior
“It’s your right to get a license when you turn 16, unless you have a bad
record, that’s the only way you shouldn’t be able to. It’s your right as a
citizen.”
-- Brandon Flint, sophomore
“If a cop asks you to search your vehicle, you must allow him to do so
because I’m afraid he will handcuff me. He’s the police, so I’d have to let
him search my vehicle.”
-- Jessica Schiano, sophomore
“I would say they would get in trouble if they’re the one doing it because
they were drinking and smoking. The driver wasn’t doing anything
wrong.”
-- Krishna Desai, freshman
Getting pulled over
The right to have a license
Searching a vehicle
do when
when it comes to...
“No, you do not have to take a breathalyzer test. If you refuse to take the
test, then by Georgia law, your license will be suspended for a period up
to one year. So if you refuse, you lose your license.”
“We don’t just pull over vehicles for no reason, there must be an explanation.
They could be minor infractions like alluding violations, suspicious
activity and vehicle matching the description of a vehicle that has been
involved in a previous incident.”
“As far as the rights, you got to understand that to drive is a privilege, it’s
not a guaranteed right to have a drivers license. The state gives it to you
saying that if you’re responsible and abide by the laws, we’ll give you a
license.”
“If there’s no probable cause the officer can’t ask you to search the vehicle.
So you do have the right to not have your vehicle searched. This falls under
the IV Amendment, search of seizure. Now if (an) arrest is made, the
officer is able to search the vehicle.
The driver’s responsibility for his/her passengers
they come
for you?
AS TOLD TO fakari gresham
Variety Writer
“The driver is held responsible for the illegal actions of their passengers if
the passengers are minors, because they’re the driver and its state law, if
the passengers are of legal age then the case may be different.”
--As told by Officer Joseph Geiger
46 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Variety March 2009
Cinderella comes to Central
Complete with glass slippers, wicked step-sisters, and a cast of more
than 30 performers, the spring drama production will debut this month.
bY Betty Migombo
Variety Writer
The news that the Rogers and Hammerstein’s
“Cinderella” was going to be the
spring musical streamed from the classroom
intercoms. People whispered excitedly, commenting on the news.
From that day in January, it was apparent to senior Jennifer Iglesias that
word about the play would not stop spreading.
“There is definitely a lot more publicity for this play, so many people are
excited about it because Cinderella is a story that so many people are familiar
with. It’s not like some ancient play that young people can’t identify with,”
Iglesias said.
This Clarke Central High School production will be from the 1997 Roger
and Hammerstein’s Disney movie version, featuring the multi-platinum R&B
singer Brandy, who played Cinderella. Anderson feels this version of the
production, will allow both the audience and in the cast to get swept up in
the magic.
“In talking to the students, I asked them what they enjoyed doing and most
said they enjoyed doing children’s theater. It gives people the opportunity to
really step out of themselves and play very broad, outrageous, fun characters,”
drama teacher Harriet Anderson said.
According to Anderson, this play allows the students to do just that. In
response, this play production has brought a new range of talent to the auditions,
which were held in Mell Auditorium. Anderson estimated that the
number of people trying out for major roles was much higher than in previous
years, making casting competitive.
Many drama veterans, such as Iglesias, who is playing the role of the
evil stepmother, had an advantage during these stressful auditions. But for
newcomers to the department such as senior Krislyn Johnson, who will be
member of the ensemble, and senior Kendre’ah Perry, who was cast in the
Photo by Arielle Golan
Above: PREPARING ALL TO ATTEND THE BALL: The cast of “Cinderella” works closely
with Dr. Anthony Rucker on the music for the performance in Mell auditorium. The
ensemble as well as the lead characters must practice songs that they perform together in
the big group scenes. Left: SINGING LOUD: Senior Kendre’ah Perry, playing the role of
Cinderella, belts out the tune “A lovely night” from the ball scene. This is one of the many
songs that Perry must rehearse before the performance.
title role of Cinderella, the pressure of the audition did not hinder their ability
to perform.
Anderson feels this new wave of students has brought a lot of excitement.
“New people sometimes come and infuse new energy because if you keep
having the same people over and over again, the shows start becoming kind of
stale, ” Anderson said.
Although this will be the first time she has performed with the CCHS Fine
Arts Department, Perry has been singing and dancing for as long as she can
remember.
“I initially wanted to try out to be Cinderella, but I didn’t realize how many
people were going to try out for that same part until I got to the auditions.
That only made me want to work harder for the part,” Perry said. “I love this
version of Cinderella, so I just knew I had to give it a shot.”
But even with strong performers in the leading roles, the large musical
numbers in this production require a strong ensemble, giving more people the
opportunity to participate in the production.
“We supplement to the principle characters roles; we enhance what they
already have to do,” junior Greg Voyles, a member of the ensemble, said.
Iglesias feels the play is already creating a excitement among the student
body at CCHS. She, along with some other students can not wait until opening
night.
“I’ve never
really seen
this many
people talking
about
the play, it’s
all just very
exciting.”
Iglesias said.
“I love this version of Cinderella,
so I just knew I had to give it a
shot.”
-- KENDRE’AH PERRY,
senior
“People are like, ‘Oh my best friend is in the show so I want to see the play
now.’”
From the cast to the ensemble, Anderson promises the production, which
runs from March 26 to March 29, will not disappoint.
“It’s going to be an upbeat, fun show, with lots of new faces (and) high energy
-- visually and audibly. It’s going sound and look good,” Anderson said.
“It’s just going to be a wonderful show.”
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 47
Photo by Isabel Atkinson

Anything but a
Last Resort
Story and layout By Caroline Foster
Senior Copy Editor

Variety March 2009
Acolorful mural of fresh vegetables grows
out of soil and reaches the sky on one side
of a building, and around the corner iron
gates and a door provide an entrance to
the Last Resort, a local restaurant located
in the heart of the downtown Athens community.
Since opening in 1992, the Last Resort
has served eclectic Southern cuisine at
moderate prices. However, beyond good
food and pleasant dining, it is a place
where relationships develop between the
restaurant staff, Athens residents, and the
town itself.
“I think to understand the Last Resort
is to understand the Athens community.
It’s extremely patriotic toward its local
economy. It has a great palate; people love
the food and wine in Athens. The Resort
is way more than a restaurant; it is part
of the community,” Co-Owner Jamshad
Zarnegar said.
Zarnegar, known simply as Jaamy
among his friends and colleagues, began
working as the general manager in the late
August of 1993. Experienced in all aspects
of the restaurant business, he became coowner
with Melissa Clegg in 1999. Having
been a part of the Last Resort for 16 years,
he has seen his clientele grow.
“About three or four months ago, a family
came in that was here on my first New
Year’s Eve in ’93 and they had the infant
baby with them. (Three or four months
ago) they came in with two young girls,
one of them was taller than me. I looked at
them and asked if she was the young lady
that was the infant baby, and the mother
said yes. We just see kids grow up,” Jaamy
said, reflecting that she was the only
person he had seen grow from an infant to
a teenager.
This personal interaction is reflective
of both Jaamy’s devotion and the restaurant’s
character. Along with recognizing
returning patrons, Jaamy might welcome
new students and their parents to town
by giving them a free appetizer or covering
the cost of a meal, thus creating a bond
between the Resort and an entirely new
clientele.
The influence of Jaamy and the restaurant
does not stop at the walls of the business,
but continues to extend throughout
Athens. Donations are made to local, nonprofit
organizations dedicated to helping
the community.
“I help out people that help out Clarke
County. We see where the dollars are
going. It’s just one of those things that I
Photos by Caroline Foster
think has become really important in what
we do,” Jaamy said.
The Last Resort has worked with
Northeast Georgia AIDS Coalition, homeless
shelters, Oconee County Art Foundation,
and has always participated in
Taste of Athens, which is a fundraiser for
Community Connections.
“Melissa and I are very much on the
same page; when you make it in life, you
have to give back. If you have not given
back, then you have not really made
it,” Jaamy explained. “There is so much
poverty in Clarke County and surrounding
areas, so we like to follow that motto to
remember there are people less fortunate
than we are, especially in these times.”
Involvement with local charitable organizations
is one of the things that Jaamy
believes makes the Last Resort unique.
The other thing, he says, is the consistent
staff of the restaurant.
It is standard in the restaurant industry
for kitchen and serving staff to fluctuate
often due to the nature of the business.
However, despite the population changes
influenced by the University of Georgia,
there are several waiters who have been
working since the restaurant opened, as
well as others who have been on staff for
nearly 10 years.
“From my perspective, one of the reasons
the Resort is so successful is because
the employees stay for a long time, which
contributes to the consistency. We have
a staff that is extremely well-seasoned,”
Jaamy said.
Two of Jaamy’s go-to members of the
staff are assistant general manager Matt
Myers, who has been working for six
years, and the current kitchen manager,
Tommy Wedge, has been working for nine
years. This consistency not only makes
it less likely for an “off-night” of food or
service, but also leads to relationships and
a sense of community among the staff.
“It’s really like coming in and hanging
out with a lot of your friends and doing
some work, and making a little money. It
seems like that’s what it comes down to,
eat some good food, drink a glass of wine,
or not, things like that,” Myers, who has a
slight Southern drawl, said. “It’s always an
influx of young people, energy, it’s a town
of fun, really. If it’s not fun, then why are
you doing it?”
Along with the standard employee
holiday party, every year for Super Bowl
Sunday, the front of the house, or the man
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 49

March 2009
Variety
Left: AFTER HOURS: Beehive lamps and candles light the Last Resort at night, providing an intimate
atmosphere in the narrow room. “We’re pretty much always busy and packed; people want to be where
other people are. The size of the restaurant helps create the energy,” assistant general manager Matt Myers
said. Above: TAKING A BREATHER: (from left) Myers and kitchen manager Tommy Wedge take a
break from mid-afternoon work in the front of the restaurant which can be opened to the outside during
warm weather. “You have a variety of (employees.) Someone might come in in a horrible mood, and that
might throw a wrench in your good day,” Wedge said, addressing the work dynamic.
-agers and waiters, cook a 10-course meal
for the kitchen staff. The restaurant is
closed to the public, and although Myers
claims he is not a cook, Wedge says that
everything prepared is something good.
It takes the coordinated work of all
employees for a successful night, but Myers
contributes much of the restaurant’s
current, busy state to Jaamy and his hard
work.
“He’s here every single day. He is a huge
reason the business is as busy as it is because
of his ideas of how service should be,
streamlining menus, how things should be
prepared, so he’s just worked his tail off,”
Myers said. “He’s 50 years old, and can
work. We’re half his age and he can work
circles around us still.”
Wedge agrees, recognizing Jaamy’s
leadership style and work ethic.
“Jaamy is a good guy. He expects you to
work hard. This is his home basically, so
he wants it to look nice, and he wants it to
run right. He can be a tough guy, but it’s
just ‘cause he has to be sometimes. This is
his bread and butter,” Wedge said.
When Jaamy begins speaking to the
wait staff, usually gathered around the bar
before the dinner rush, they immediately
silence their conversations and listen.
Absent-mindedly fiddling with his glasses
and his voice seemingly elevated, but
confident, he commands the room. Myers
says that even when he is reprimanding
one person, he is also reminding everyone
else within earshot of whatever message
he is delivering.
Jaamy recognizes the influence of his
upbringing on his leadership style. Born in
Iran, he grew up on the Persian Gulf until
he was 12 and attended private school in
England.
“I emulated my father who was a chief
medical officer for a number of hospitals in
Iran and his ability to…people and yet be
very fair to everybody,” Jaamy said. “So the
energy of a workaholic working 18-hour
days normally was instilled in me at a
very young age. So on Fridays on football
weekends, I come in at 9 a.m. and leave at
2 a.m.”
Still, Jaamy, along with Myers and
Wedge, recognize the cohesiveness of the
staff.
“We have people that work here from
the age of 19 to 50. All of our employees are
artists and musicians. Some are students.
Some are professional chefs, professional
waiters. Everybody brings their own style
and pizzazz to the restaurant,” Jaamy said.
In a musically-inclined community such
as Athens, it follows that many employees
are part of the music scene. Although not
one to immediately reveal he is a musician,
Wedge has created music that is available
on iTunes and has been an “Artist to
Watch” on Rolling Stone’s website.
He has a solo project, simply titled
Wedge, and plays guitar, piano, synthesizers
and programs his own beats. Wedge
has friends who assist him live, some of
whom he met from the Last Resort. As a
kitchen manager, Wedge recognizes a connection
between music and restaurants.
“Musicians are just drawn to working in
restaurants. It seems like the ones here are
mostly in the kitchen. They’re introverted
maybe a little bit,” Wedge said.
“Troubled musicians,” Myers chimed in.
“That’s very true,” Wedge said, giving
a slight smile. “As a musician, I’ve tried
to be very sympathetic when it comes to
playing in bands. It can be frustrating, like
‘Hey, I’ve got to leave for three weeks (for
a tour.)’ It’s like, ‘Congratulations, but…
hopefully we will not have hired someone
else, although usually we don’t. If someone
wants to leave for a little while, we do
whatever we can to help them out.”
Many restaurants in Athens, like the
Last Resort, have musicians as employees.
What most of them don’t have, and what
the Last Resort claims, is a legacy as a former
music venue -- the space that the Last
Resort occupies was once a music club
that opened in 1966. National acts like
Jimmy Buffet and Steve Martin performed
in the club.
Davis Causey, a local musician, began
playing at the Last Resort around 1970. He
describes it as a place where original music,
as well as covers, of any musical genre
could be played. While there, Causey
played rock, blues, jazz and various types
of music with others such as Elizabeth
Corrigan, Gamble Rogers and Randall
Bramblett.
“(Everyone) who went there will have
a special place for it, you really felt like
you kind of in on something, like this is
where some cool stuff happens; you can’t
hear this anywhere else. That was the best
thing about it,” Causey said. “It was kind
of a community of musicians and it wasn’t
50 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Above: ORDER UP: A Last Resort Grill floor manager talks with the kitchen staff on a Thursday night
while waiting for the food to cook. “(There are) just a lot of great flavors, a pretty ecclectic menu really.
There’s something for everybody,” kitchen manager Tommy Wedge said. Right: ANOTHER DAY AN-
OTHER DOLLAR: Last Resort Co-Owner Jamshad Zarnegar sits at a table before the dinner rush, fidgeting
with his glasses which he sometimes wears above his eyes while speaking. “I just consider myself very
lucky. There are not that many of us that can work for yourself and look forward to going to work every
day,” Jaamy said.
that big of a number. There was just a
special feeling that time and I was just real
glad to be around when it was going on.”
While the Last Resort music venue
closed in the mid-80s, the history is printed
on the restaurant’s menu and displayed
on the website, which has received many
hits. The restaurant also supports AthFest
and occasionally serves the members of
R.E.M. when they are in Athens, as well as
other local and touring musicians.
The restaurant and its food are what
the Last Resort is now known for to most
Athenians under the age of 50, but Jaamy
is quick to describe the musical heritage.
“I think (the music) has influenced the
legacy of the restaurant without a doubt.
The legacy of the restaurant belongs to all
the musicians that came before and the
original owners that had the foresight to
open this way out of the way in downtown
Athens. No one had come this far
down; it was pretty desolate at that time,”
Jaamy said.
Like the music that brought a community
of creative Athenians together in
the late 1960s and 1970s, food is another
comfort to unite the community.
“I think people will always go out to eat.
Eating is a great way to uplift your day.
You know, like having a glass of wine at
the end of a long day. In general, I think
Americans love to go out to eat,” Jaamy
said.
At the Last Resort, salmon and grits is
one of the most popular entrées, and Myers
says that anyone should be able to find
something they like. The tagline, according
to him, is “something like ‘nouvelle
Southern cuisine with Southwestern accents.’”
However, Wedge assures that the
accents are not strong enough to “blow the
heads off of anyone.”
After 16 years of work at the Last Resort,
Jaamy often reflects on the restaurant’s
influence and contributions.
“I just think it’s a great place to work.
It’s kind of like my child; it’s become that.
It’s as much a legacy of the original owners
as it is my legacy at the same time. I’d like
to be remembered so people would say
there was a guy that ran this restaurant
for twenty years and he did a great job,”
Jaamy said. “All you can ask for in life is
for people to remember you for something
you did really well. There’s lot of special
things about
the Resort.”
The customers
seem
to realize
this as well,
crowding the
restaurants on
the weekends
and standing
outside on
the sidewalk,
waiting to be
seated.
Jaamy said, “One of the things I hear
over and over again is ‘Please, don’t call it
the Last Resort. We hope you are going
to be here forever and ever.’ My response
to this is that we will be here forever and
ever.”
“I think people will always go out to eat. Eating
is a great way to uplift your day. You know, like
having a glass of wine at the end of a long day. In
general, I think Americans love to go out to eat,”
-- Jamshad Zarnegar,
Last Resort Grill Co-Owner
Opposite page: GARDEN PARTY: The mural of vegetables,
soil and sky mark the building of the Last Resort
Grill on 174-184 W. Clayton St. “It was just the thought
of vegetables, freshness, the garden. (Before) it was just
a cement wall. It would add to the beauty of downtown,”
Co-Owner Jamshad Zarnegar said.

Variety March 2009
Exploring
the
arts
in Athens
The Celebrate the Arts
Studio and Gallery
Tour unleashed imagination
and eccentricity
throughout Athens.
Photo Essay Layout and Story by tamar schmidt
Viewpoints Writer
Photos by lexi deagen
Photography Editor
Amazement fills my eyes as I walk into the
first workshop nestled within the Tracy
Street warehouses. The studio explode
with color and creativity. Floor length dresses line
the walls, gem stones fill buckets on the ground.
Though contained in small spaces rarely exposed
to the public eye, I realize how extremely talented
artists around Athens are.
The Athens Area Arts Council, a nonprofit art
organization, held its annual fundraiser to promote
the arts movement in Athens on the weekend of
Feb. 27 through March 1. This year, the purpose of
teh arts festivalwas to raise money for more chic
bus shelters like the ones on Baxter Street, designed
by local artists going up around Athens, and
to raise awareness about a world of expression.
Above: LOCAL JEWELER: Charles Pinkney works out of the Old Jail, an art spectacle in itself, to fashion jewelry and
other metal figurines for the Athens community. “Every piece of jewelry has a story,” Charles said. It is clear that he puts
an overwhelming amount of personality into his work.
The studio and gallery tour, which took place in different venues around downtown Athens, was a marvelous display of everyday art in our city. Metal
jewelry, floor length dresses and colorful figurines came from all corners of the city.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, I enjoyed the bus tour, which took me to a vast array of workshops which had opened their doors for the arts festival.
The participating artists entertained people by displaying unique artwork and offering refreshments to visitors. The tour introduced me to many forms of art,
traditional and innovative; there was jewelry, sculpture, fabrics, drawings, quilts, and architecture.
While browsing the creative spaces, I talked with many of the artists and received their insight on interpretation of art and the arts scene in Athens. Many
found the open community welcoming for inspiration and creative collaboration where they can meet each other and channel their voice and passions.
The festival was a great outlet for many artists to come out into the public and connect with their visitors. It was relaxed but well organized; I got a better
inside look into the Athens art scene, which was uplifting and exactly what I was looking for.
Exploring the Athens area, I discovered many intriguing places I was before unaware of. The overarching theme of many of these artists was to express
something that had never before been seen with either modern art or a unique spin off traditional. I was impressed to find so much color and energy flowing
through Athens. The tour helped me realize that I live in a cultured city with so much talent and ingenuity to offer.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 53

Tracy
Street
Above: BEADS BEADS BEADS: Jewelry
artist Courtney DiCarlo brings stunning gems
and beads into classic as well as unconventional
designs.
Right: CAPTIVATING PORTRAITS: Artist
Sarah McCallum takes intriguing portraits
and her puts her own artsy spin to them. She
works out of a small but apparently adequately
sized workshop off Tracy street.
Bottom left: UNIQUE GARMENTS: One of
the many beautiful dresses put together by
Andrea Trombeta, an artist who works with
fabrics and gem stones for performance and
photography.

Inside the
warehouse
Entering Stan Mullins’ workshop was similar to entering a museum. It had high celings
and vast floor space. Art, drawings, moldings, sculptures, and an extravagant chandelier
lined the walls and hung from the ceiling. The whole layout struck me as modern art, every
aspect of it.
“I am trying to creatively expand new mediums through sculpture, marble and bronze, painting,
maybe I will even present in a graphic novel,” Mullins said.
With Mullins’ amount of space, he can make a statement with any cutting edge idea he happens
to have. From varying arts to the conservation of energy he has the potential to amaze the entire
arts community.
Above: MINITURE VINCE: The popular Vince Dooley statue, created
by Stan Mullins, has a small replica that sits in Mullins studio.
Bottom left: AN ABANDONED MURAL: A view from out of the
tour bus’ window,s between Tracy Street and Mullins studio, reveals
charming graffiti artwork.
Bottom right: JUST A WAREHOUSE: This gives a look into Mullins
expanse of space and the artwork amidst it.

Photo by Arielle Golan
Plucking at the heart strings
The award-winning Clarke Central High School orchestra hopes to accomplish
its goal of increasing student appreciation for their program.
by JEFFREY ROGERS
Variety Writer
With a pair of computers shoved off
into the corner and ceiling tiles
torn and out of place, the Clarke
Central High School orchestra room is probably
not the setting that Beethoven had in mind when
he imagined his Symphony No. 4 being performed.
But under the industrial sky of grainy fluorescent
lighting lives a close-knit community that
does not seem to mind its dismal setting. Part of
this bond stems from the knowledge that everyone
in the class has a genuine appreciation for music,
not to mention a group-first mentality.
“My favorite part of the class is when everyone’s
parts come together in the song,” freshman viola
player Blaine Wooten said.
Before the bell rings, Wooten saunters over to
the class piano to play a little of the Scrantones’
theme song for The Office. It’s this devotion to
music outside of what is assigned during class
that embodies the orchestra student’s willingness
to learn.
“Everyone takes it pretty seriously. All the
students seem to have a real interest in improving
themselves as musicians,” Wooten said.
It seems like the team attitude has worked so
far in 2008-09, as the orchestra program is on
track to have its most successful year to date. At
the solo and ensemble performance at Peachtree
High School in Gwinnett, every member of orchestra
who performed received a superior rating,
the equivalent of 10 out of 10, for the first time.
Although instructor Dr. Eunice Kang is very
impressed with the progress the orchestra has
made in her four years at CCHS, she still has a few
goals in the works.
“I would like to increase the enrollment by double
at least, starting with middle school recruitment
leading up to the high school recruitment,”
Kang said. “We do plan to visit middle schools
and perform for them.”
With a larger group of students, Kang feels that
she can begin to address a major problem found
not only in Athens, but across United States: a
lack of appreciation for the fine arts.
“(I want to) increase the involvement of students
in music, in musical activities in the community,
so that they will be lifelong appreciators of
music. Not just orchestra, but any kind of music,
anything they like,” Kang said. “South America has
phenomenal arts programs, and some of them are
third world countries, but they emphasize music
and the arts more than we do.”
Orchestra did get a bump in the right direction
from one of the most unassuming of places: their
schedules. In years past, orchestra was limited to
one forty-five minute class period everyday. This
year’s change to A/B scheduling gives orchestra a
full ninety minute period every other day.
“I like the longer class periods. We get more accomplished
because of course at the beginning of
class, it’s time consuming to pack and unpack and
56 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

tune everyone, get settled and really get
warmed up. The longer class period makes
that doable,” Kang said.
In recent weeks, students have spent
class time preparing for a music festival
performance at Peachtree High School on
Feb. 26. In crunch periods like this, tensions
tend to run a little higher than usual,
but the students in orchestra maintain
their sense of humor.
In an uncharacteristic outburst of rebellion,
one student complained that a tempo
was so slow that it would put the crowd
to sleep, to which a classmate quickly
quipped, “only five people go to our concerts
anyway.”
The remark is not entirely untrue.
Despite their success on stage, the CCHS
orchestra program is woefully underappreciated,
even among its peers.
Junior Ben Green is in his third year of
school at CCHS, but was only scarcely
aware of the program. “The only thing I
know is that they (students in orchestra)
play instruments with strings,” Green said.
Wooten has a few ideas on how to
improve their current situation.
“We could announce concerts (on the
school intercom), play at more school
events like open house, and maybe we
could play more modern and popular songs
instead of Bach or Beethoven to show
that you can do ‘cool’ stuff in orchestra,”
Wooten said.
According to Kang, a huge part of the
problem is the lack of a reliable outlet for
public exposure.
“If we were able to perform at halftime
(like the CCHS band), we would get a lot
more attention,” Kang said.
Unfortunately, Kang says, one of orchestra’s
leaders, junior Jacob Parr, has been unavailable
to assist in the process. This past summer, Parr
majored in viola at the prestigious Governor’s
Honor’s Program, a six-week instructional program
through which students study a major in
their area of strength and a minor of their choice.
But Parr opted out of taking the class this year.
“I had to focus on getting as many
academics as possible so I could focus
on my major in viola in college. I do plan
on taking orchestra next year,” Parr said.
With class rankings and college
aspirations on their minds, Kang says
upperclassmen often leave their musical
days behind them in favor of a more
academic-oriented schedule.
“We usually see our students drop
orchestra their junior and senior years,”
Kang said. “Also, orchestra is scheduled
at the same time as many academic
classes that students are interested in
taking.”
With Parr gone, the upperclassmen of
orchestra have redoubled their efforts to
teach the impressionable underclassmen
how to be productive members of the
class. Senior violinist Jamal Rittenbery
has been honing his leadership skills in
orchestra since the sixth grade.
“When I was in seventh grade, I was
first violin which was mostly for eighth
graders. Ninth grade year I played first
violin again which was mainly upperclassman,
so I felt pretty accomplished
about that,” Rittenbury said.
With all his experience, Rittenbury
knows how to help Kang run the class.
“We do kind of have to tell the underclassmen
to be quiet and to get your music ready and
things like that, and I think it’s natural that we
take charge and take that responsibility. We are
seniors and we do have seniority that we need
to enforce,” Rittenbury said.
Kang has already begun to implement elements
to improve orchestra, specifically in the
recruitment department.
“The future is looking very positive for
CCHS orchestra. We performed at both Clarke
Middle School and Burney-Harris-Lyons last
Tuesday,” Kang said. “I want orchestra to be a
fun, positive, enriching experience that gives
students an opportunity to mature and develop
not only as musicians, but also as active citizens
within our community.”
Photo by Jeffrey Rogers
Photo by Isabel Atkinson
Photo by: Arielle Golan
Opposite page: PLAYING ENDLESSLY: Seniors Jamal
Rittenbury, Josh Murillo and freshman Elizabeth Garibay
practice the song “Concert March” in preparation for their
Ensemble at Peachtree High School on February 26. Top:
KEEP IT STEADY: Freshman Amandine Lenergay awaits instruction
from instructor Dr. Kang. As the only cello player in
the Orchestra B class, Lenergay has to lead the entire rthym
section on her own Above: GET THE BOW GOING: Orchestra
instructor Dr. Eunice Kang occasionally plays along
with the class for particularly hard sections. The students
appreciate an instructor who practices what she preaches.
Left: FOR THE JOY OF MUSIC: Freshman violinist Zayra
Delgado studies the piece “Three Chinese Scenes.” Each scene
describes different characters from the opera, with different
tones to descripe each personality.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 57

March 2009
Variety
Prom on the cheap, cheap
Your guide to making this year’s prom dinner affordable and fun.
BY JEFFREY ROGERS
Variety Writer
East-West Bistro
The atmosphere of East-West is probably the most interesting of all
the restaurants I attended. It has both a formal dining area, where
reservations are recommended, and a more casual area downstairs. The
menu is similarly
diverse,
featuring both
Mediterranean
and Asian-influenced
meals.
The service
was outstanding;
our waiter
was a great help
as he showed us
which items on
the menu would
fit within our
$30 budget, all
Above: SHARING A TENDER MOMENT: Senior Bryan
Barks and junior Jeffrey Rogers practice their manners
before heading to prom. “The restaurant would be ideal for
a couple who have been together for at least a few months;
the atmosphere is very romantic,” Barks said.
without looking
at the menu.
Our food came
out very quickly, so
we were able to eat
and leave in about
thirty minutes.
I decided on the sweet and sour pork entrée ($14) that was fried with a
savory sweet-chili sauce and served over penne pasta. The sauce gave it an
exotic twist that was uniquely oriental, making it the most original meal
I had.
With walls adorned with artwork and soft lighting schemes, East-
West has the most formal setting of all the restaurants I visited. If you’re
looking for a traditional prom experience, East-West is a great choice.
Tip: With everything from calamari ($8.50) to Italian bread ($6) available as appetizers,
it’s possible to eat a variety of foods within a group without paying full entrée
price.
Depalma’s
As a staple of Athens dining for more than 20 years, downtown Depalma’s
is an obvious choice for prom dinners. Senior Arielle Golan
and I got to Depalma’s at 6 p.m. and were seated immediately at a booth
that could easily fit a party of four. If you’re planning on going with a
larger group, it may be a good idea to make a reservation, because Friday
nights can get a little hectic downtown.
Having only gotten pizza in my past experiences there, I really had no
idea what to order. I ended up going with the apricot glazed pork tenderloin
($15), served with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli with dijon
butter. I was unsure with how I felt about my pork being adorned with
a fruit sauce, but
it turned out the
apricot glaze was
the perfect compliment,
providing
a slight tang to
spruce up the pork.
The mashed potatoes
and broccoli
rounded out what
I would consider a
perfect meal.
The service was
great from start
to finish. Our
Photos By isabel atkinson
Photography Staff
Above: MORE FOOD, LESS TALK: “This restaurant would
make a great start to any prom night. The food was extravagant
and the service -- super friendly,” senior Arielle Golan said.
waitress engaged
in small talk,
explaining how
she had graduated
from Clarke Central High School in 2001. She also managed to give
us more than five refills in the period of around thirty minutes.
With candle lit tables and bottles of wine on the wall, Depalma’s was
one of the more romantic restaurants from the eateries I attended. At $40,
it was also the most expensive, but the superior food, service and atmosphere
made it all worth it.
Tip: If you’re really looking for a deal, you can buy a large pizza for $12. Make sure
not to overload on the toppings though, because they run at $2.50 each.
Above: STEALING HER HEART: Junior Jeffrey Rogers robs a piece
of Senior Amber Thomas’ food. “I had a wonderful night with a man
who was tall, light and handsome. The food was great accompanied
with a side of Jeffrey’s humor,” Thomas said.
Inoko
With waiters dressed in Japanese attire, it is immediately apparent that theme plays
a large role at any Inoko experience. You are seated before an open fryer and served
with soup, followed by a salad, while deciding what you’re going to order.
Around the time I was finishing up my salad, our chef came out to prepare our meal. I
ordered the sirloin steak ($12.99), which he brought out and began to cook our food directly
in front of us. It’s nice to know exactly what’s going into my food, but the best part is the
show the chef puts on. The highlight is the flaming onion, a stunt where the chef lights his
hand on fire, then sticks it into the stack of onions to ignite the entire thing.
The food was delicious. The meals are prepared in stages, with the vegetables, then rice,
and finally the meat being added to complete the meal. Everything tastes very fresh, and it’s
nice to know it hasn’t been sitting in some refrigerator waiting to be heated, because it’s
cooked in front of you.
Because of the theatrics, Inoko’s is by far the most exciting of all the restaurants. With
soup and salad coupled with an already generous entrée, Inoko gave the most food of all the
restaurants we visited, and the price was similar at around $32 with the tip.
Tip: The food being prepared in front of you makes for easy conversation if you suspect an awkward date.
Take advantage of it.
58 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

March 2009
The Box
Score
Swimmers, take your marks
The Clarke Central High School swim
team competed at the state level on Feb
13 and 14 at The Wesminster Schools in
Atlanta, Ga.
Both freshman Joyce Lu and
senior Pirie Humphries went
to state in individual events.
Humphries placed high enough
at the preliminary level to make
it back to the finals the next day
in the 500 meter freestyle, in
which she placed 9th.
The relay teams that made
the state cut were the girls 200
Free Relay, which consisted of
senior Katlyn Wolfe, juniors
Shelby Curran and Kaitlin
Kasay, and sophomore Lisa
Traore; the girls 200 Free
Relay, which consisted of
Humphries, junior Alana
Blankenship and Curran,
and Lu; and the girls 400
Free Relay, which consisted
of Humphries, Blankenship,
Kasay, and Lu.
The 400 Free Relay group
made it back to the finals and placed 12th.
Friday night’s alright for fightin’
On Friday, Feb. 27 the Clarke Central High
School girls basketball team took on Rome High
School in the Class AAAA State Tournament
opener.
In the first two quarters, the Lady Glads shot a
scary 26 percent, though they still led 21-20 at the
half. Determined not to lose their last game, the
girls picked up the intensity and out-scored RHS
enough in the third quarter to have a comfortable
lead throughout the second half.
Junior Jillian Anderson finished with 13 points
Left: KICK
PUSH: Freshman
Katie Rosemond
dribbles the ball
up the field with
Madison County
High School
midfielders in
her wake. The
Lady Glads
won their first
Regional game
5-1 over MCHS.
The game was
shortened due
to an immediate
lightning warning,
after one half
and some excess
minutes of play.
Photo by Lexi Deagen
Photo Illustration by Cassie Evans
Photo by Isabel Atkinson
and seven rebounds, and sophomore Aja Sorrells
finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight
steals.
The CCHS boys also won their opening game
in the state playoffs with a 55-54 victory over
Sprayberry High School.
Junior Arion Bolds led the Gladiators with 15
points and junior Taylor Layne had 14 points as
the Gladiators squeaked by SHS in a game that
came down to a missed final shot by SHS.
Defeat is served
Both Clarke Central High School boys
and girls tennis teams were defeated
by North Oconee High School on
Feb 24, 2009.
The boys lost 4 to 1. In
singles, junior Josh Smith
defeated NOHS Jared Fisher
at the No. 1 singles position to
seal the boys only win.
The girls lost 5-0. In No.
1 singles NOHS Stephanie
Gonzales beat sophomore
Emily Hubbard 6-4, 6-4 and
the No. 1 team of NOHS Rachel
Donovan and Leah Livesay
defeated junior Nisha Vashisht
and sophomore Abby Suddreth
6-1, 6-0.
Easy as 1, 2, 3
Clarke Central High School
girls soccer was victorious against
North Oconee High School on Feb
24, 2009. CCHS defeated the Titans 3-1.
Senior Abby Trevino scored two first-half
goals in the game. The other goal was added by
sophomore Helene Somda and goalkeeper junior
Marina Thomas recorded eight saves.
Locking the links
On Feb 19 Clarke Central High School’s golf
team took on region rival Cedar Shoals High
School in what turned out to be a victorious
match.
Leading scorers were sophomore Rush Maxwell
shooting 49, junior Thomas McCallister
shooting 54, sophomore Jordan Peirce shooting
60 and sophomore Michael Holden shooting 65.
Dark, ominous clouds hang over
Billy Henderson Stadium on Feb.
18, as girls from both teams adjust their
shin guards, ready to play their first
regional game, rain or shine.
The Clarke Central High School
Gladiators were set to take on the
Madison County High School Red
Raiders. Despite playing on a wet,
slushy field, the passing of midfielders
sophomore Audrey Horne, seniors
Madison Begnaud and Abby Trevino
kept the Red Raiders on their heels.
The steady drizzle of the Lady Glads
passing continued for the majority of
the first half, with the CCHS offense
revolving around junior forward Ashley
Wassel. It was not long before the
Hot bats
The calm before the storm
Sports
Above: WEB GEM: Junior Will Lance makes a
leaping catch for a ball in practice. “I strongly believe
that no one works harder than us and I think
that will really show up with our record this year,”
Lance said.
In the Clarke Central High School
baseball team had a successful debut
against Johnson High School, winning
17-4. The boys scored 12 runs in the first
two innings. The Georgia High School
Association rule is that when a team is
behind ten or more runs and has had
five or more turns at bat the game ends.
Therefore CCHS was able to seal the victory
in only six innings.
Senior Parker Evans and junior Dillon
Bawayan both went 3-for-4 at the plate
with an RBI each. Senior Sam Cornwell
hit a two-run home run and senior Jeron
Draine was 1-for-2 with a three-run
double. Junior Jay Swinford earned the
win on the mound for the Gladiators.
“Even though our bats were hot
throughout most of the game, we still
have to work hard every day in practice.
We have some big games coming up that
could make or break our season,” Draine
said.
passing turned into points for the Lady
Glads. Wassel scored three goals. The
fourth goal for the Glads was an own
goal by MCHS for the Glads.
The second half went on for five minutes
and one MCHS goal was scored.
However, officials spotted lightening
in the area and the game was called off,
with CCHS declared the winner.
Wassel credits the teams’ first half
intensity to a solid pre-game ritual.
“Before the game we did a warm-up
and that really pumped up the team. So
we came out really strong and scored a
lot of goals in the beginning and everyone
passed really well,” Wassel said.
-- Compiled by the Sports staff
Photo by Courtney Brown
60 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Sports March 2009
Era of fraud
Grade: 11
Sport: Varsity Soccer
Years experience: 12
GPA: 3.9
Game day rituals: Listen
to music.
Personal motto: “Give it
your all.”
What teammates say:
“Tom is very talented and
encouraging. He always
pushes me to do my best
and he’s a great teammate.”
-- Tawhid Bhuiyan, senior
What coaches say: “Tom
Lingard has shown great
potential throughout his
high school career. He is
never critical of his teammates
and quietly offers
them advice when he sees
things that can be fixed. He
leads by example and the
boys have responded to him
overwhelmingly. He is an
ideal captain.” -- Sam Hicks,
head coach
Best athletic achievement:
Scoring on a first touch in
my first varsity game.
ODYSSEY Star Players are selected based on their academic standing and commitment
to teammates, their sports program, and Clarke Central High School.
Star Players are selected each month by the Sports staff based on interviews with
players and coaches.
Photo illustration by Hal Hager
Photo illustration by Tyler Elrod Photos by Isabel Atkinson
Grade: 9
Sport: Track
Years experience: 1
GPA: 3.7
Game day rituals: Lift
weights and listen to music.
Personal Motto: “You miss
100 percent of the shots you
don’t take!”
What teammates say:
“Chelsea is an extremely
hard worker. She brings a
lot to the team this year and
does an outstanding job for
a freshman.”-- Demetria Davis,
sophomore
What coaches say: “She’s
a very hard worker and she
has tons of potential. I’m very
excited to see what she will
accomplish in the future.”--
Peter Graybeck, assistant coach
Best athletic achievement:
Making the varsity team
freshman year.
When you think of America, some things immediately come
to mind: apple pie, front porch swings, and democracy
itself. However, baseball, America’s fallen pastime, sits in the shadows
as a reputation of fraud overwhelms the sport.
Unless you’ve been in a tunnel since New Year’s, there is no
doubt that you’ve seen the Sports Illustrated report that proved Major
League Baseball All-Star slugger Alex Rodriguez used two types
of anabolic steroids in 2003. Rodriguez was “anonymously” tested
during the year in which he won his first American League’s Most
Valuable Player for the
Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez was once
thought to be the savior of
modern baseball. He was
a clean-cut, well-rounded
player, who had national
appeal and plays for the
New York Yankees, the
biggest baseball franchise
in the United States. Above
all else, Rodriguez could hit
the deep ball, probably due
in part to the artificial testosterone
running through
his veins.
However, Rodriguez is
only the most recent example
of the loss of integrity
in baseball. Rafael Palmeiro,
Roger Clemens, Jose
Canseco, Mark McGuire,
Sammy Sosa and Jason
Giambi were all players
that tarnished the rich
history of Major League
Baseball.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org
Above: JUICED: Jose Canseco’s 2006
bestseller, Game of Shadows, revealed issues,
such as performance enhancing drugs
in Major League Baseball. Although the MLB
enforces drug testing, many athletes stay off
the national cheating radar.
Years of history that Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio,
Roberto Clemente, and Hank Aaron built with their calloused,
God-given hands, now stained with the ever-growing suspicion of
widespread cheating in the MLB.
They played back when 714 homeruns meant something, when
every hit was a product of hard work and not of poking needles in
each others’ butts. However, baseball has now turned over a new
leaf. In the modern era, no player is given the immediate assumption
that they play clean.
In fact, clubhouses are littered with rumors and suspicion of
players juicing up. Trainers find ways around loose drug testing
policies set by the MLB. Baseball has turned in to the title of former
juicer and Texas Ranger, Jose Canseco’s widely disputed book, The
Game of Shadows.
Millions of kids will pick up a baseball for the first time this
year. Where is the transition from the innocent love of baseball to
cheating on a national scale? Rodriguez blamed his use of banned
substances on the self-imposed pressure in an interview with
ESPN’s Peter Gammons.
“I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the
weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and
perform at a high level every day,” Rodriguez said.
There is never an excuse to cheat in little league or in professional
sports. Players should play their best every day and learn from mistakes,
as well as their wins and losses.
The minute players decide to use illegal performance enhancing
drugs, they’re not only scarring their reputation, but the game they
play.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 61

March 2009
Sports
Josh Smith. Stacey Venker. One a teenage, Australi
local tennis icon. With a growing interest in the spo
62 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Sports March 2009
alian tennis sensation -- the other a
port, the question becomes...
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 63

March 2009
Sports
General with a
Photos by Lexi Deagen
A look into the life of Stacey Venker, a
woman who has sparked life into a once
dead Athens tennis scene.
By Arielle Golan
Variety Editor
Stacey Venker waves to everyone
that she passes, brings her pug,
Cody, to work with her every day
and is training to perform in Dancing
with the Athens Stars. She doesn’t seem
like the typical ruler of an empire -- a
tennis empire.
“I laugh at the thought of this being
considered a tennis empire, but people
really do call it that. I just don’t see it that
way because I am so close to it that it just
doesn’t seem that way to me,” Venker
said.
Venker, the founder of Tennis for Life,
an organization providing recreational
tennis and competitive tennis opportunities,
has many accomplishments to be
proud of. She not only founded Tennis
for Life, but also jumpstarted the entire
Athens tennis scene.
Venker first began playing tennis
when she was a young child. At the age of
12, she participated in her first tournament.
She moved to New Jersey that same
year and was ranked number one in that
state. She played number one singles for
her high school team and was then offered
a tennis scholarship to Landis College in
South Carolina. During her sophomore
year of college, she transferred to play at
Clemson University.
Venker then came to Athens in 1985 to
finish school at the University of Georgia
after sustaining an injury while playing at
Clemson. In May of 1987, Venker began
coaching tennis in Oconee County. After a
few years there, she came back to Athens-
Clarke County to coach.
“I always wanted to be in Athens. The
truth is, I asked Athens before Oconee,
but they didn’t think there was enough
demand in Athens. Then when I came
back to Clarke, I thought, ‘I can make
this happen.’ So, they gave me a chance,”
Venker said.
Venker did not always plan on passing
her love for tennis on to hundreds of students,
but through her years of instructing
the sport, she’s groomed a new generation
of tennis lovers.
“When I got to Athens there was no year-round
tennis and there was only one women’s team that
played out of here (Bishop Park),” Venker said.
Now, Venker’s program has 18 adult teams
playing out of Bishop Park, a 33-acre park off of
Sunset Drive.
“Never ever did I think that coaching tennis
was going to be my career. You know, teaching
starts to get in your blood. I really enjoy teaching.
I enjoy the interaction with students,” Venker
said. “My biggest accomplishment is that I introduced
the sport to so many people and now there
are so many people enjoying the sport and the
game in this community and the number of lives
I’ve touched.”
Venker has had such an impact on her past
students that they continue to return for lessons.
The program has five full-time instructors and 15
part-time. A handful of those instructors grew up
in the program and came back to teach.
Clarke Central High School sophomore Emily
Hubbard is one of the countless students coached
by Venker. Like many students, she returned to
the program after being a student and is now a
part-time coach during the summer.
“I started at Bishop Park when I was eight or
nine. Stacey was always very encouraging. After
a few years of going to the tennis summer camp
she asked me to assist with coaching. It was quite
an experience to work with her,” Hubbard said.
“She’s always very creative and coming up with
new ideas and techniques.”
CCHS head tennis coach Stephen Hinson admires
Venker’s creative coaching technique. He is
an avid user of “Stacey’s Teaching Points,” which
are 10 tips that help a coach improve their player’s
game.
Her coaching creativity is shown in a number
of the techniques, such as one that personifies
the net. The teaching points are all stated in a
student-friendly form, using metaphors and personification
that help get her points across.
“The net is your enemy. If you are going to miss,
miss your shot long. Don’t let the net beat you,
make your opponent beat you,” Venker said.
Her ability to coach a wide range of students
has been fundamental to the success of Tennis
for Life, which seeks to provide a full range of
recreational tennis activities to people of all ages
and abilities.
64 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Sports March 2009
Above: COURT GENERAL: Stacey Venker is referred to as “The General” by her students. Her strict coaching style and tough love with the players is all part of the discipline she feels to
be necessary in the game of tennis. Opposite above: MAN’S TWO BEST FRIENDS: Although tennis may be Stacey Venker’s passion, she still finds time for her pug, Cody. Cody accompanies
Venker to the courts and even has his own bed in her office. Opposite below: LENDING A HAND: Venker works with students of all ages, including the older portion of Athens
tennis lovers, as Venker helps out one of her older students at Bishop Park.
“Stacey is a well-known coach throughout
the community. She has lots of experience and is
able to improve anyone’s game, whether it is their
first time stepping on the court, or they have been
playing for years,” Hinson said.
The Tennis for Life program serves not only
ACC, but Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee and
Oglethorpe counties. They have classes,
tennis leagues, camps and tournaments
throughout the year.
“We called it ‘Tennis for Life’ because
I want people to stay with us for life,”
Venker laughed. “But seriously, tennis
is a game that is for life. We teach fouryear
olds to adults. I had a student at
one point who was 85. We have a senior
citizens group, a handful of people who
come are in their 70s and come in three
times a week.”
Jane Kimbel, 70, plays on the senior
league team and also comes in for senior
drills on Tuesdays, which are open to anyone over
the age of 50.
“Stacey is very helpful as a coach. She is warm,
caring and makes friends very easily. She never
meets a stranger, I mean she remembers names
like no one I know,” Kimbel said.
Although Venker’s students appreciate her
friendly demeanor, she is far from lax with her
pupils. Her coaching techniques have earned her
the nickname “The General.”
“I guess I can sound like a general on the courts
so that’s why they call me that. I can just bark
commands, I mean when you are trying to move
ten, 15 women in a constructive way, I can get a
little bossy. It’s just a fun little nickname they gave
me,” Venker said.
“My biggest accomplishment is that I introduced
the sport to so many people and
now there are so many people enjoying
the sport and the game in this community
and the number of lives I’ve touched.”
-- Stacey Venker,
President of Tennis for Life
Even with her strict coaching style, it is still
clear to all that teaching tennis is her passion.
“She loves to play tennis and see people playing.
She says it is the sport of a lifetime and that age
is not a factor. We try to get her to give us a little
forgiveness for our age but she says no, she won’t
go easy on us,” Kimbel said, as she watched Venker
serving the ball to the senior citizen class.
Not only has Venker touched the lives of her
students at Tennis for Life, she has also helped
local tennis players in other ways.
“I don’t think people realize how much she has
done. I’ve been with her for a few years and people
don’t realize what an influence she has had on the
tennis scene and community,” Kimbel said.
Venker does not believe a student’s inability to
pay for tennis should stop him or her from enjoying
the game. Therefore, Tennis for Life grants
students tennis lesson scholarships if they are
needed financially.
“Scholarships are the number one thing we provide
for the community, a lot of scholarships and
outreach. I mean Athens is a pretty poor town and
we are a for-profit business, but the thing is a lot
of people in Athens can’t afford tennis but want to
learn the game, so we provide a certain number of
scholarships,” Venker said.
Tennis for Life also donates to several local
auctions for schools in the community and other
fundraisers. In addition, they put together packages
to give to numerous
events in Athens.
In addition to helping the
community through Tennis
for Life, Venker makes an
effort to contribute personally
to local causes. This month,
she will be participating in
Dancing with the Athens
Stars, a fundraiser to raise
money for Project Safe, a local
non-profit organization to
end domestic violence.
“Last year was Dancing
with the Stars’ first year and Joan, the director of
Project Safe, plays tennis here and she asked if we
would like to sponsor the event and I said yes. So
last year, we were a corporate sponsor. Then, I
told her if she needed anyone I would love to be in
it,” Venker said.
Whether dancing for charity or coaching her
students, Venker’s enthusiasm is evident in everything
she does.
“I can’t imagine not hitting the tennis ball,”
Venker said, “The smell of the tennis ball, the way
it bounces, the sound of the ball when it hits the
strings right, the movement, and then just doing
that time and time again, I just can’t imagine ever
not playing.”
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 65

March 2009
Sports
Photos by Madison Begnaud
A wonder from
Australian tennis phenomenon Josh Smith has arrived at Clarke Central
High School, and he is taking the CCHS tennis scene by storm.
Chris harper
Sports Writer
66 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Sports March 2009
He bounces the ball three times on the service
line. As he tosses the ball up in the air and rears
his racket back over his head, the two stripes
shaven into his hair glint in the sunlight.
Whoosh! His blistering 125 mile per hour serve
hits just inside his opponent’s service box for an
ace. Welcome to the United States, Josh Smith.
“Ever since I started playing tennis I’ve
wanted to blow away my opponent,” the 5-foot-
11-inch caramel skinned Smith, who speaks with
a thick Australian accent, said.
Smith was born in Melbourne, Australia and
at the age of five, he took an interest in tennis.
Much of this interest came from watching his
older brother, former Australian professional tennis
player Tymon Smith play almost every day.
“I watched him all the time, so I just picked
it up from there,” Smith said.
Smith ’s tennis involvement started by
observing and playing with his older brother
until the age of 12. He then began playing tennis
competitively by participating in national and
international tournaments such as the Sale International
Future Tournament and the South Australian
Future Tournament. As a young player,
Smith’s concern was on the future, preparing
himself by playing older competitors.
“I was aging up in these tournaments because
I was playing guys two or three years older than
me, and I was beating them,” Smith said. “It made
me feel great when I beat a guy three or four
years older than me. I guess that is why I became
ranked. I was winning these tournaments.”
In Australia, the ranking system for tennis is
based on points. Smith explained that by the time
he was 15 years old, he had won enough national
tournaments to rank him fifth among players
under the age of 16 in Australia. His parents were
happy to see their son succeed while playing
against a higher level of competition than his own
age group.
“We were always proud of Josh because
he would take on other players much older than
himself and was confident that he would win.
He didn’t seem to care what size they were or
how old they were, he just
wanted to play. He was
winning nearly all of his
matches by a fairly large
margin, and people began
to notice,” Smith’s mother,
Glenys Smith said.
Smith was also
noticed by Lotto and signed a contract with the
international sportswear company when he was
14, which provided him with free tennis apparel.
After he signed with the company, he began
taking on the practice schedule of a professional
athlete.
“I was training four to five hours a day for six
days a week on and off the court,” Smith said.
Friends and family around him were noticing
his new work ethic, and many of them felt Smith
was ready to take the next step in his tennis
career.
“I had a lot of people wanting me to go pro
even though I was young,” Smith said. “They said
I was good enough.”
Smith was nearly to the point where he could
have declared himself a professional tennis player
in Australia. At the time, he was 250 points away
“Ever since I started playing tennis
I’ve wanted to blow away my opponent.”
-- Josh Smith,
junior
from being able to play in professional tournaments.
However, a barrier soon presented itself
that stood in the way of Smith’s bright future in
Australia. His father’s work required the family to
move to the United States.
“My parents told me one day after I was done
practicing that we were going to move to the
United States, to Georgia. At first I was really
sad because I knew that I was going to miss my
friends and people I knew,” Smith said.
Along with severing personal ties and leaving
his contract with Lotto behind, he was also losing
eight andw a half years of tennis recognition in
Australia.
“I had a trainer. I had a coach. I had a lot of
people looking at me,” Smith said.
Still, Smith saw a bright side to the move.
“I had already known that pro tennis in
America was great and the competition was fantastic.
And there was college tennis in America.
In Australia, you just go pro individually. You
don’t play in college,” Smith said.
Smith arrived in Athens when he was 17. He
began school at Clarke Central High School at the
beginning of the 2008-09 year.
“I prefer the public schools. It’s just a better
atmosphere and the people are really great,” Smith
said. “I guess I could have gone to (Athens) Academy,
but private schools really are not the same.
You do not get the same experience.”
Smith immediately became involved with the
tennis program at CCHS. Many of the players already
had an idea of his reputation, but it was not
until he came out to practice that the members of
the CCHS tennis program got to know the real
Smith.
“I knew that it would be great to play with
Opposite page:
SMOKIN ACES:
Junior Josh
Smith blasts a
serve in a match
against Cedar
Schoals on Feb.
23, 2009. Smith
went on to win
his match in
three sets. “It
was a great
match. Josh
played with
stamina and
really earned
the win,” Coach
Steve Hinson
said. Left:
AUSSIE VOL-
LEY: Junior
Josh Smith
returns a serve
in the backcourt.
“Playing back
on the baseline
and hitting the
big shots is the
best part of my
game,” Smith
said.
Josh,” senior Don Shon said. “I mean he was number
five in Australia. He is also a really great guy,
though. He is really determined at what he does
and once he steps out onto the court, he does not
mess around.”
Smith has also developed a relationship with
CCHS tennis coach Stephen Hinson. Hinson,
after coaching Smith for over two months, realized
that Smith is not only just a great player.
“Everybody knows Smith’s natural ability in
tennis. But not only is he good, he has the work
ethic of a great player,” Hinson said.
Smith was aware that tennis was competitive
in the United States before he moved. In fact,
his role model is American-born Andre Agassi, an
international tennis superstar. Smith explained
that they played with similar styles, preferring
the backcourt game to the net game. Still, the
American competition does not measure up to the
competition in Australia, as far as Smith is
concerned.
“In Australia, there are courts everywhere
and there are always people playing on them.
Tennis in Australia is kind of like football in
America, and because so many people played
tennis and really grew up playing--the competition
is better in Australia,” Smith said.
Smith recently experienced American high
school tennis competition when he competed in
and won the Georgia State Junior Winter Open
at the beginning of this year. But, Smith said, the
other competitors were good players and put up a
strong challenge.
“For my first tournament in America, it was
not all that easy. Honestly I did not know what to
expect. But really it was my first real taste of what
American tournaments were like,” Smith said.
Smith plans to continue to compete in tournaments
throughout the rest of his time in high
school. He hopes to attend college at the University
of Georgia and continue his tennis career in
the United States, eventually aspiring to become
a professional. But for now, it all starts with three
bounces of the ball and the swift serve that got
him there.
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 67

March 2009
Sports
Photo courtesy of HoopsU.com, Photo illustration by Alexander Boza
Are books in
your game plan?
I grow up, I want to be a
professional football star,” the
“When
wide-eyed child said to his
father. His dad replied, “Well son, chances are
you’re not going to be good enough, so why
not focus on something more practical? Like a
teacher?”
Although this father may have been blunt, his
Cassie Evans
message is one that many student athletes need
Sports Writer
to hear.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association reported that only .02
percent of high school students have the potential to become a professional
athlete. Yet in an article published on lifeaftersports.org, over 43 percent of
black males in high school
believe that they will play a
sport as a profession.
“When you look into
sports, primarily football and
basketball, it’s dominated
by black males,” Clarke
Central High School Athletic
Director Jon Ward said. “So
(the high percentage of black
males wanting to play a professional sport) kind of makes sense.”
Whether it makes sense or not, many student-athletes of all races need to
be educated on the likelihood of actually being selected for such a competitive
level.
Only five percent of college athletes go on to play professionally. The other
95 percent of athletes are thrown into the working world and often have no
real training because their time was consumed by the sport they once played.
Yet, people rarely seem to see it that way.
As a varsity basketball player, I do not get home until around midnight on
some school nights. After playing a complete game and fatigue kicks in, there
is no energy to do school work. For me, that means early mornings of homework.
For other athletes, that may mean a zero in the grade book.
It seems that the media’s advertisements on the “road to success” have left
young audiences confused with their one-dimensional commercials of rare
athletes. Clarke Central High School Assistant principal Reginald Thomas
agrees that there is a problem.
“We have our role models mixed up,” Thomas said. “The media feeds us;
they channel us into these ‘superstars.’”
Kids would rather look at success stories like National Basketball Association
star Lebron James, who bypassed college and hopped straight into
professional play, than remember that only three out of 10,000 high school
players will actually go to the NBA.
“I really don’t know what the media should do about this though; I mean
they can’t have a disclaimer at the bottom of an ad that says, ‘You probably
will not be here one day,’” Ward said.
But the NCAA acknowledged there is a crisis. It is trying to shed a realistic
light on the topic, shown by the slogan it released in late 2007: “Go pro in
something other than sports.”
I am not telling students not to dream. I am only suggesting that they have
a backup plan. The more parents and other important figures emphasize the
reality of this, the wiser student athletes will be.
I was going to go into my senior year as a varsity basketball player, but
then I tore my ACL in summer league play. I played for a top Amateur Athletic
Union team, colleges were sending me letters and I had chosen my top
university. Then, one injury canceled all of my plans. Luckily, I had a fall-back
plan.
Though my dream of
Only .02 percent of high school students have the
potential to play sports professionally.
-- National Collegiate Athletic Association
Scores of
high school
students
believe
they’ll one
day play
sports professionally,
but the
chance is
nearly one in
a million.
playing basketball in college
was crushed, I maintained
my grade point
average. Sadly, enough
teens do not.
For many, athletics is
their only way to improve
their circumstances and
to get into college, but
sports should only be an extra factor.
“You should play the sport for the pure love of the game and try to be the
best that you can be within the context of that sport,” Ward said. “We’re
so sports oriented, but that’s a society problem. It’s just where we put our
interest.”
Books should always be a student athlete’s top interest. Parents today push
their children hard in athletics, which is a fair goal, but that same emphasis
needs to be put on a child’s academics.
Thomas has taught at CCHS for over a decade and has watched the best
compete, but fall short of the higher level.
“You can think about all of the athletes, you can think about every game
that you saw as a little kid, think about every superstar who was the best
player that Clarke Central High School ever saw and say to yourself ‘where
are they now?’” Thomas said, “None of them (are) in the NBA or NFL.”
“Shoot for the moon, so even if you miss you will land amongst the stars”,
goes the famous saying. But while someone is shooting for their goals, they
should always have another target in mind.
“When I grow up, I want to be a football star,” the wide-eyed child said to
his father. “But my fall-back is a P.E teacher,” The father grinned down at his
child and said, “That’s smart, son, very smart.”
68 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

March 2009
Sports
Photo by Madison Begnaud
Boys Tennis
Last season: 10-11 Head coach: Stephen Hinson
Season outlook: “I am really looking forward
to improving the boys team. I think
its going to be radically different. I think
we will be approaching a winning record.”
-- Steve Hinson, head coach
Key returning players: Don Shon, Jerry
Griffin, Tim Juul and Nathan Caskey.
Key senior losses: Kenjuan Farley and
Zack Smithwick
Assistant coaches: Tom Potter and Dale
Autry
Spring
sports
preview
Photo by Lexi Deagen
Baseball
Last season: 4-22 Head coach: Kyle Kirk
Season outlook: “I think our program is ready to take a step to
the next level and bounce back from a very sub-par season. This
entire off- season we have worked harder than any team I have every
coached. I am really excited, more than I have ever been going into
a season. It has been fun watching these kids develop over the years
into great young men.”-- Kyle Kirk, head coach
Key returning players: Greg Goetz, Parker Evans, Sam Cornwell, Jeron
Draine, Bill King, Jay Swinford, Bradley West, Eric Gordy, Will Lance,
Chris Redding, DeShawn Smith, Dillon Bawayan, and Taylor Layne.
Assistant coaches: Eric Smith, Joey Gawrysiak, Nick Allen, Eric West ,
Ty Kelly
Photo illustrations by Hal Hager
70 ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE

Photo by Madison Begnaud
Photo by Isabel Atkinson
Sports March 2009
Boys Soccer
Last season: 10-6 Head coach: Sam Hicks
Season outlook: “The 2009 Gladiator
Soccer team will be a young group that
is eager to prove that they can compete
in our region. We believe that we have
talented and hard-working players
that will represent CCHS well, as we
continue our winning tradition.” -- Sam
Hicks, head coach
Key returning players: Andres
Giraldo, Jesus Parra, Adam Erickson,
Braxton Hudson and Tom Lingard.
Key senior losses: : Andrew Suddreth,
Jorge Paseta, Thomas Yoder,
Pedro DePaz, Jay Kloepfer, Beau
Evans and Davey Norwood
Assistant coaches: Paul Wells and
Billy Hale
Photo by Isabel Atkinson
Last season: 9-8
Girls Soccer
Head coach: Matt Davenport
Season outlook: “I think it’s going to be
similar to last year when it comes to stats,
but I think it’s going to be a lot more wins. I
really think that this year we are tougher all
around and we have a lot more experience
coming back. We also have different coaching,
you know, Matt Davenport’s resume is
amazing; he’s been very successful in other
soccer programs and he’s coached on the college
level.” -- Robert Walsh, assistant coach
Key returning players: Tiffany Eberhard,
Audrey Horne, Ainsely Liken, Ashley Wassel,
Helene Somda, and Lisa Traore
Key senior losses: Lis Carney, Elizabeth
Chafin, and Pilar Neal
Assistant coach: Robert Walsh
Last season: N/A
Photo by Lexi Deagen
Boys Track
Head coach: Damien Gary
Season outlook: “This being my
first year, I’m looking forward to
taking the team back to Jefferson
and capturing the state title because
I understand we were only a
couple of points off (from qualifying
for the state tournament).”
-- Damien Gary, head coach
Key returning players: Marcus
Maxey, Paris Allen, Martavious
Huff, Jamel Davis and Derrick
Smalls
Key senior losses: Terence
Scruggs, Darrieon Robinson and
Paul Kasay
Assistant coaches: Peter Graybeck,
Bryan Dietz, Drew Haro
Girls Track
Last season: Region 8-AAAA runner up Head coach: Reginald Thomas
Season outlook: “We have a new look
team, but I expect for us to compete
for the region title. We have a bunch
of good juniors and a very impressive
group of freshmen. I also anticipate a
strong distance program.”
-- Reginald Thomas, head coach
Photo by Lexi Deagen
Key returning players: Dayna Edwards,
De’anna Edwards, Bianca Davis,
Jillian Anderson, Briana Bowles
Key senior losses: Natasha Wright,
Wanaya Clark, Brandy Mims, Tyiry
Idemudia, Olabisi Olumuyiwa, Brittni
Johnson, and Veronica Bolds
,
.
,
Photo by Rachel Amster
Golf
Last season: Fifth in Region
Head coach: Dinah Posey
Season outlook: “We’re young, we’re very
young; we have no seniors, but we do have
a good group of sophomores returning from
last year. We had a pretty big turn out,
too—10 total. I was a little worried early
on that we wouldn’t have big numbers, but
I was happy to see the turn out at the try
out. ” -- Dinah Posey, head coach
Key returning players: Rush Maxwell,
Jordan Pierce and Michael Holden
Key senior losses: Russell Kretzchmar
and Andrew Suddreth
Assistant coach: Matt Snow
Photo by Lexi Deagen
Girls Tennis
Last season: 5-8 Head coach: Steve Hinson
Season outlook: “I’m very hopeful that the girls team will
challenge to win the sub-region. We’ve got some new players
who are not experienced in team tennis, nor do they have much
tournament experience. This year will do them a lot of good.”
-- Stephen Hinson, head coach
Key returning players: Sarah Grace Dennis, Emily Hubbard,
Nisha Vashisht, Mica Blake, Rachel Grossman
Key senior losses: Athena Lao and Jasmine Edwards,
Assistant coaches: Tom Potter and Dale Autry
-- Compiled by the Sports staff
ODYSSEY NEWSMAGAZINE 71