This summer's hottest concerts

Sarah Kebea
Editor-in-Chief 

The school year is coming to a close, which means summer concerts are right around the corner.  Prepare yourselves, good music is coming your way. 

Seniors pick top trends

Apex Legacy staff

Check out this year’s top trends, according to the class of 2015:

http://prezi.com/qh8g4ew_jrir/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Top 25 dorm room essentials

Maya Horton and Katie Mazanec
Staff Writers

Seniors, there are only a couple of weeks left until many of you are an official college student! Listed below are dorm room essentials:

1. Bedding: The basis of the dorm room color scheme starts with the bedding. The color of the bedding can be matched to rug, organizational bins, and other dorm decorations.
   
2. Bathroom Towels: Bathroom towels need to withstand a week without washing; meaning the quality is very important.
3. Organization Boxes: Since all dorm rooms are the size of nice master suite closet, it is necessary to have extra boxes to store clothes and other materials.  
4. Cleaning Supplies: Keeping the dorm room clean is important, some colleges have a floor monitor who makes sure the rooms are in decent shape. Also, students in suites are responsible for taking care of their own bathroom.  
5. Hygiene Care: Don’t forget the basic necessities such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, shampoo/conditioner, hair products, hair dryer/straightener, shaving kit, lotion, and other hygiene items.

Peak Players production of Les Miserables wins Best Musical

Alexandria Sands
Arts & Entertainment Editor

The Apex Peak Players production of Les Miserables took home the trophy for 2015 Best Musical at the fifth annual Triangle Rising Star Live Showcase and Award show at the DPAC on Tuesday night. Seniors, Will Stapleton who played Jean Valjean, Joshua Menzies who played Javert, and David Flowers who played Marius, were all finalists in the Best Actor category.

To be nominated, musicals in the Triangle area must fill out an application. Judges from DPAC, Theatre in the Park, Raleigh Little Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory Theater, Durham Arts Council and WTVD ABC 11 attend the performances of each show in order to select their regional finalist.

Cold War Kids to play free concert at Red Hat Amphitheater

Michael Lyday
Features Editor

Ready for a superb concert experience that won’t break your budget? Look no further than this year’s edition of Red Hat Amphitheater’s annual free concert series featuring Cold War Kids, the band behind the hit song “Hang Me Out to Dry”. Tickets which normally cost up to $50 each are not required for this show. Opening for Cold War Kids are local bands Wild Fur and Jack the Radio. The venue opens its doors at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Be sure to show up early to get a good spot as the line fills up quickly. 

Celebrity comprehension tested by new Apex poll

Cameron Goz and Henry McKeand
Staff Writers

Apex High students and teachers tested their star knowledge recently, being polled to see if they can recognize various celebrities, from movie stars like Tom Hanks and Angelina Jolie to musicians who rock the mic like Pharrell and Kendrick Lamar, and at least some of the student body displayed their mastery in face recognition.  The results, taken from a poll of 85 students, may surprise you:

Prom proves to be a true Polynesian paradise

Alexandria Sands
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Students were blown away by the effort put forth at this year’s prom. The “Polynesian paradise” took place at the Embassy Suites in Cary on Saturday night.

“My favorite part of prom was by far the people and the scenery. Those things combined really made the night feel alive,” said senior Jake Wnuk. The prom committee went as far as to bring a van into the venue and placed pineapples on every table, which attendees enjoyed taking home after prom.

Poll: Student body put to the presidential test

Cameron Goz and Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

With the 2016 presidential election, many students will have the chance to vote for the first time.  Several politicians have announced their candidacy, and most young voters are going to be focusing on the new candidates.  A poll of 120 students and teachers at Apex High shows how much the student body knows, and doesn’t know, about the people running for president.  

Five pictures of individual candidates were shown for people to identify.  The following charts show the number of respondents who could and couldn’t successfully identify the respective candidates.  

Plausible post prom parties

Natalia Ghan
Staff Writer

If you don’t want your prom night to end at midnight, here are some fun and safe after prom ideas. 

Bonfire - A great way to get to know your friends better is to have a bonfire. Roasting marshmallows, playing guitar, and telling ghost stories with friends who supported you through high school will make for a fun night.
  
Bowling - Bowling is a game that a large group of people can play, is relatively inexpensive, and something most people know how to do. Conveniently, midnight munchies can be overcome by the nearby concession stand.

Great albums to jam out to this summer

Nicholas Chupka & Michael Lyday
News Editor & Features Editor

Warmer weather is finally upon us with spring in full force and summer getting closer. Here are some essential tunes for fun in the sun this summer.

If you’re going for a road trip this summer or just riding around town, roll the windows down and turn up these albums perfect for singing/shouting along to:

 

To Pimp a Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar: this funky hip hop album filled with many memorable songs such as “King Kunta” and “i” will be the highlight of your ride.

Celebration Rock – Japandroids: this high-volume powerhouse features summer anthems such as “The Nights of Wine and Roses” and “The House that Heaven Built” complete with catchy, shout-along choruses, overdriven guitars, and powerful drumming.

Joyce Manor – Joyce Manor: though it clocks in at under 20 minutes, this outburst of punk rock force is not short of thrills, fitting catchy hooks and unbridled energy into a small package. Like a can of pressurized air thrown into a fire, this album explodes through your speakers in a short but impressive display.

Run the Jewels 2 – Run the Jewels: features a riptide of verses with unbelievable flow and chemistry by collaborators Killer Mike and El-P. Never worry about overplaying this one; with sparse choruses or repetition, there will always be an aspect that is fresh or that had unnoticed every time you put it on.

What to do instead of prom

Natalia Ghan & Maya Horton
Staff Writer

If prom isn’t your ideal way of celebrating the end of another educational year, here are some alternatives that offer just as much (and sometimes even more) fun than you would find at prom.

Go Camping- Putting yourself in the middle of the wilderness with your friends is a great idea if you’re looking for an unforgettable experience. However, you might want to make sure you have a certified scout with you, or someone comfortable with fire safety precautions.

Hike - Strap on a pair of Chaco’s with wool socks and take a breath of spring air whistling between trees and flowers.  Exercise and meditative all in one, great memories, photos and likely more than a few ticks to bring back home with you.

All about corsages and boutonnieres

Natalia Ghan
Staff Writer

Prom season is coming up and corsages/boutonnieres are a tradition no one wants to miss out on. Flowers have been a popular accessory for formal occasions since the ancient Greeks, who believed floral accessories to not only be decorative, but also powerful tools in warding off evil spirits. Throughout history they have also been utilized as a natural deodorizer and can provide for an aroma to go with the night.

"What the HECK" News

Alexandria Sands
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Obituary asks mourners not to vote for Hillary Clinton

• The family of Larry Darrell Upright added a strange request to his obituary. It is written, “the family respectfully asks that you do not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016.” Upright was 81 when he passed away in a hospital in Concord, North Carolina. The family also asked that donations be sent to a Florida children’s hospital instead of sending flowers.

Ask Apex: Prom preferences

Kenison Garratt & Jo Gatlin
Staff Writers

Apex High students have begun their meticulous preparations for this year’s prom scheduled for May 2. This year’s prom theme will be Polynesian Paradise, and tickets will be available for sale and pickup April 20 to 24 during lunch and after school until 3 p.m. But aside from tickets, students have been planning their outfits and their evenings. The results of a recently conducted poll reveal the students prom preferences. 

Spring premieres you don't want to miss

Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

Game of Thrones (HBO, Sundays at 9 p.m.): The fifth season of HBO’s fantasy series continues the show’s winning streak, despite containing some of the unevenness of prior seasons.  The series focuses on several royal families trying to secure power in the fictional world of Westeros.  The show is strongest during changes in the status quo, and the newest episode is no exception.  Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) is being forced to build new alliances in a foreign land, and Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) must deal with the fallout of last season’s explosive finale.  The performances, as usual, are phenomenal, and the show is great at giving characters interesting ways to reveal different parts of themselves.  This isn’t even to mention the show’s increasingly astonishing special effects, which are featured prominently in the new episode.

The sheer number of plots in the show means that some story threads were left out of the first episode, and not all of the characters are equally entertaining.  The plot of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), for example, seems to simply be stalling until it can reach the conflict it has been promising for seasons. It is too early to judge the season based on one episode, and it is still unclear if all of the show’s plotting and scheming is really leading to a satisfying end, but for now the show is as confident and fun as ever. 

Recommended if you like: The Lord of the Rings, Breaking Bad, Spartacus

Mr. Apex competition crowns a new winner

Johunna Gatlin
Staff Writer

Mr. Apex is an annual competition for senior males nominated by the senior class. This competition contains choreographed routines, a talent act, and an interview question. The 2015 Mr. Apex contestants were Zafir Alam, Sammy Camut, Andrew Fiorentino, Tyler Galvin, Trevor Hair, Bailey LaBerteaux, and Connor Riley.

For the talent section of the night Alam performed a magic trick, Camut and Riley danced and sang a duet, Fiorentino sang a song and “promposed” to his girlfriend. Fiorentino also performed a choreographed dance with Galvin while wearing a sumo suit.  Hair sang a song, and LaBerteaux performed a theatrical dance. The end of the night consisted of voting for a contestant and announcing Alam as the winner of the 2015 Mr. Apex competition.

Twin Peaks return in doubt as creator pulls out

Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

The cancellation of Twin Peaks in 1991 left many fans of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s surreal show hungry for more.  The show, which revolved around the disappearance of a local girl in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, captured the public conscience in a way that few shows before or after have.  It was a cultural phenomenon, with people spending large parts of their day discussing the show’s many mysteries and twists.  It helped start the careers of Kyle MacLachlan and Heather Graham, and the stars of the show graced the cover of entertainment magazines all across the country. 

Then, after the end of its second season, the show was cancelled.  It disappeared as soon as it arrived, and anyone who watched the show to its cliffhanger ending felt as if they had been cheated.  The finale created more questions than it answered.  A continuation felt natural, but any attempts to bring the show back were unsuccessful until last year when Showtime announced that it would revive the series for a nine-episode continuation of the story. 

Prom dress shopping guide

Alexandria Sands
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Prom is sneaking up on us and girls are on the hunt for that one dress. Here are some of the hottest trends. The following dresses can be found at the following locations: Chique Prom, An Affair to Remember Bridal & Formal Wear, Jewel’s Formal, Kannon’s, and Kristina’s:

If you want to be the topic of conversation…

Two piece prom dresses are a new, unique trend this season. Above is a fun, an elegant, and a romantic example.

Spring brings treats

Maya Horton, Katie Mazanec, & Natalia Ghan
Staff Writers

With spring upon us and Easter around the corner, here are some sweet and sticky treats you can concoct in the kitchen.

Cheesecake Cookies

Recipe Credit to: browneyedbaker.com

Serves: About 40 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients:

• About 40 (mini) Nilla wafers, 2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Cherry pie filling

Upcoming concerts: Earl Sweatshirt, Curren$y amongst artists

Alex Sands and Sarah Kebea
Arts and Entertainment Editor & Editor-in-Chief

Before summer concerts start flowing in, get started with some concerts happening before the end of the school year. 

Friday, March 27- Rapper Curren$y at the Ritz with Corner Boy P. 

Sunday, April 26- Rappers Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples, and Remy Banks at the Ritz.

Saturday, May 2- Rappers Tyler, the Creator and Taco at the Ritz.  Old Crow Medicine Show and Sturgill Simpson will be performing the same night at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre.