December 19, 2013

Cummins named teacher of the year

Devon McCarroll
Staff Writer

Benjamin Cummins was chosen by his colleagues to be awarded Apex High School’s Teacher of the Year in early November.
Benjamin Cummins
Cummins said it felt good to be recognized by his peers but added that other teachers also deserved this honor. He has been teaching for 13 years, four of which have been spent at Apex. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Natural Resource Management and Forestry at Western Carolina and his master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction for K-12 students and broad field science from the University of Montana.

December 18, 2013

Exam study tips

Shauna Hines
News and Features Editor

Exams are right around the corner, so don’t procrastinate. After break there are only eight days of school before exams start. Although there is no appeal to studying over the holiday break, it is over a week of time you could potentially use.

For most exams, there is a lot of information you will need to know, so do not cram. Rather, space out your studying. Work for 30 minutes a day, or during commercial breaks, reviewing main ideas or making flash cards of essential vocabulary. If you learn in parts, you will remember the information better.
Don't stress out while studying for exams. Casey Nash doesn't.

December 17, 2013

Texas teenager sentenced to probation after killing four

Michael Lyday
Staff Writer

On an early morning in June on a Fort Worth, Texas highway, a pickup truck packed with seven teenagers, fresh from stealing beer at a local Wal-Mart, careened down the street at 70 miles per hour. The truck ended up smashing into a broken-down vehicle on the side of the road. Local authorities described the resulting wreckage as one of the worst they had ever seen. The stranded driver of the broken-down vehicle along with the three individuals trying to help were left dead, and one of the passengers riding in the bed of the truck was left paralyzed. The driver that night was Ethan Couch, the 16 year old son of a CEO. Couch had a blood alcohol content that was three times the legal limit.

Celebrating the final year of the BCS

Adam Mancini
Staff Writer

Adam Mancini
BCS Bowls


The end of the college football season is in sight, and its conclusion will also mark the end of the highly controversial Bowl Championship Series. Through the BCS, a computer and poll based selection system creates five bowl match-ups between the top ten teams in the country, allowing the top two to compete in the BCS Championship Game. This year’s BCS games will be played out from January 1 to January 6, with the championship falling on the sixth. All five games are previewed below, along with this writer’s predictions for the winner of each game.

Here's Where to Rock (Around the Christmas Tree): 2013-2014 Concerts

Sarah Kebea
Staff Writer

December 31- The Avett Brothers will perform at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte with special guest Shovels & Rope, “Gasoline”, starting at 8 p.m.  

January 4 & 5-The Jay Z: Magna Carta World Tour will come to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex (January 5) and also to the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte (January 4), both concerts will start at 8 p.m.  

January 23-Justin Moore: Off the Beaten Path Tour is coming to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex with Randy Houser, “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight”, and Josh Thompson, “Way Out Here”, the concert will start at 7 p.m.  

January 23-Jason Aldean: 2014 Night Train Tour with Florida Georgia Line (“Round Here”) and Tyler Farr (“Redneck Crazy”) will come to the Crown Center in Fayetteville starting at 7:30 p.m.   

January 31-The Marshall Tucker Band will perform with the Shane Pruitt Band (“Hard Bargain”) at The Filmore in Charlotte starting at 7:30 p.m.      

February 3-Indie band Arctic Monkeys will perform with The Orwells, “Who Needs You”, at The Filmore in Charlotte starting at 8 p.m. 

February 9-Jazz and Blues legend Buddy Guy will perform at the Carolina Theatre in Durham starting at 8 p.m.  Guy will mostly perform songs off his new album, Rhythm & Blues.  

February 9-“Piano Man” singer Billy Joel will perform at the PNC Arena, the concert will start at 8 p.m.  

February 13- Luke Bryan: That’s My Kind of Night Tour 2014 will come to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex with Lee Brice, “I Drive Your Truck”, and Cole Swindell, “Chillin’ It”, the concert will start at 7:30 p.m.

February 23-Demi Lovato: The Neon Lights Tour with Little Mix, “Move”, Cher Lloyd, “I Wish”, and Fifth Harmony, “Miss Movin’ On”, will come to the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte starting at 7 p.m.   

February 28-The PNC Arena will welcome American rock band The Eagles, the concert will start at 8 p.m. 

Holiday season shopping guide

Casey Nash and Nicholas Chupka
Staff Writer and Editor in Chief
Don't get stressed this Christmas.


It can be a challenge shopping for the opposite gender during the Christmas season, but this list may provide some useful tips necessary to make this holiday season all the merrier.     

Accessories:

If you are looking for a present for a girlfriend, look first to accessories. There are a wide variety of accessories that girls like; purses, jewelry, scarves, and perfume are just a few. Purses are great because they are cute, fashionable, and you can never have too many.

December 13, 2013

Ask Apex: Christmas Songs

Emily Nguyen
Staff Writer

The time of year has arrived when Christmas carols follow you wherever you go. In the spirit of the holidays, we polled students to determine their favorite Christmas songs.

Top Five Favorite Christmas Songs
1. Jingle Bells
2. Jingle Bell Rock
3. Santa Baby
4. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
5. The Christmas Song

We also asked them what the most annoying Christmas song was. Surprisingly, this list was more varied, although it included many of the same songs.

Top Five Most Annoying Christmas Songs
1. Jingle Bells
2. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
3. Feliz Navidad
4. Santa Baby
5. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Holiday movies

Shauna Hines
News and Features Editor

Here are the movies you might want to see over the holiday break.

December 13:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG-13)
The quest of Bilbo Baggins, the dwarves, and Gandalf the Grey continues with his journey to reclaim Erebor from Smaug.

Hours (PG-13)
Recently deceased Paul Walker plays a father struggling to keep is newly born daughter alive after Hurricane Katrina leaves no power in the hospital.

December 20:

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (PG-13)
Ron Burgundy is back and headed to New York City, along with his team, in hopes of becoming number one on the news again.

American Hustle (R)
Two con-artists help an FBI agent crack down on New Jersey powerbrokers and the mafia.

Saving Mr. Banks (PG-13)
Walt Disney brings author P. L. Travers to Los Angeles in order to bring her book character Mary Poppins to life.

Walking with Dinosaurs (PG)
This family friendly movie portrays the life of the runt as he grows up and leads his heard on an adventure across the land.

December 27:

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (PG)
Walter Mitty finds his life boring and when his job is threatened, he takes of f on an adventure and travels the world in order to save his job.

 The Wolf of Wall Street (R)
Based on a true story, Leonardo DiCaprio portrays the wealthy stocker Jordan Belfort’s life, involving corruption, crime and the FBI.

47 Ronin (PG-13)
After being sold as child, abandoned, enslaved, and banished from his land, a man with an army of 47 fights for revenge against an infinite army.

Apex prepares for Christmas

Shauna Hines
News and Features Editor

Culinary art students prepare for Christmas by making festive gingerbread houses.

  



Who will take home the Heisman?

Adam Mancini
Staff Writer


The Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Trophy is, by far, the most sought-after distinction in all of college sports. Awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football, this year’s ceremony will be held on Saturday, December 14. A panel of voters, consisting of journalists, former Heisman winners, and fans, are responsible for deciding the winner. This year’s finalists for the Heisman are listed below in descending order of where this writer thinks they will finish in the voting, as well as an explanation for each ranking.

December 10, 2013

DIY Holiday Gifts

Sarah Kebea
Staff Writer


Late for a holiday party and need a gift?  Don’t fret!  Below are some easy holiday gifts that can be completed before you can sing a Christmas carol.  

For the coffee lover in your life, a DIY no-knit coffee holder is a must.  Grab a couple of Starbuck’s coffee wrappers (brown cardboard) and an old sweater.  Go thrift shopping for a bargain sweater for this easy project!  

  1. First, use one Starbuck’s wrapper to trace on the sweater.  
     2. Next, cut around the lines, not directly on them, so you will be able to fold them over later. 

     3. If you do not want to sew it (keep in mind that if you sew the fabric, the coffee holder will be washable), just wrap the fabric around the wrapper and hot glue the fabric on and glue the two ends together.   

     4. Once finished, wrap the fabric around the mug and pin it closed to the desirable tightness. 
Next, sew the two ends together with a cute button (this is where you get to personalize the coffee holder) and give it to the coffee lover in your life. 


You can use mason jars to assemble ingredients for a hot cocoa mix, brownie mix, or any sweet treat.  How easy is that?
1. For a hot cocoa mix, fill a favor bag/clear small bag with the hot cocoa mix (to keep things neat) fill enough to cover 1/3 of the jar (this can vary depending on how many extra “toppings” you wish to put in the jar). 
     2. After you place the bag of hot cocoa in the jar, this is where you can customize the jar with whatever you want.  A couple options for this part is filling the jar with marshmallows, chopped up candy canes, chocolate chips, etc.  The toppings do not need to be wrapped, but if you wish to have the jar as neat as it can be, the toppings can be wrapped as well as the cocoa.  
 
     3. After you are done with the “toppings”, put a tag around the lid of the mason jar with the recipe (how to prepare the mix).  

     4. After the tag is on, decorate the mason jar with whatever you wish to use, for example, wrapping paper and ribbons.  Or, buy a pre-decorated mason jar from a retailer, such as Walmart. 


Who wouldn’t want an ornament made especially for them?  All you need is a trip to the craft store. 
All you need to make a DIY ornament is a glass ornament (you can find these at most department or craft stores) and a decal.  
  1. Put any decal on the glass ornament whether it’s a team logo, a monogram, whatever you want.  Top the cap off with a bow or another decorative piece, and you’re done! 
     2. If you have more time on your hands, you can fill the ornament with poly beads, bath salts, anything you think would look good inside the ornament (this will make the decal pop more).  Only fill the inside 1/3 of the way, to avoid overpowering the ornament.   

     3. If you have even more time on your hands, go to Pinterest.com to see if you can find more details to add to your ornament, including coloring the inside or decorating with glitter.