Spring into fashion

Rebekah Gould and Sarah Kebea 
Staff Writers

Spring is in full bloom. The weather is warming up and lighter colors are coming back. This year’s trends are sure to complete your style.   

Male spring and summer style guide

Matt Krombach
Sports Editor

Four months of winter have passed and temperatures are beginning to rise. This means that it’s time to put away the jackets and pants and put on your favorite summer clothes. So what is on the top of the list for guys?

'Egg'-cellent Easter recipes

Sarah Kebea
Staff Writer

Have a sweet ‘Egg’scape from reality with these easy Easter recipes.

Pause before you post

Nicholas Chupka
Staff Writer

We live in a generation defined by the Internet; in fact, some have even called us the Google Generation. Thanks to social media hubs like Facebook and Twitter, it is now easier than ever to be constantly connected with your friends, family, and even strangers. Unlike typical bullying that may occur, cyber bullying can occur at any hour of the day in the comfort of your own home.

Abusing the Internet can be harmful in multiple ways. “It’s bad and it should stop. Posts are destructive and once you put them on the Internet you can’t take them away. It’s harder to pin the blame on one individual person because the Internet is kind of anonymous. You can create a fake Myspace or Facebook,” says sophomore Cole Lamb.

The majority of Apex High students polled said
they know somebody who has been cyber bullied.

Some students are saying that the Internet is making it easier for bullies to harass others through social media websites such as YouTube and Facebook. Cyber bullies feel safer behind a computer screen and can harass their victims anonymously thanks to Internet privacy settings and phony social media profiles. “Bullies aren’t afraid to say things online in front of a screen rather than in person, they feel like it protects them, in a way. It gives them protection from teachers,” says sophomore Logan Santana.

People have always been bullied, but never quite on such a large scale. Many victims of cyber bullying have retaliated in extreme anger, some even going so far as to murder their bullies. According to a survey conducted by the CDC, 16 percent of high school students reported to have been bullied over the Internet in 2011. Endofbullying.com reports that students who experience bullying are more likely to earn poor grades, avoid going to school, and use alcohol and drugs. Bullied students are also more likely to have suicidal thoughts and/or attempt suicide.

Unfortunately, this has been the result of many cases involving cyber bullying, such as the infamous 2006 suicide of Megan Meier. Meier killed herself after being harassed by the mother of her former friend posing as a teenage boy on MySpace. The event drew national attention and sparked a number of movements to stop cyber bullying including the Megan Meier Foundation, founded by Megan’s mother Tina Meier.

So, you may be asking, “What can I do to help end bullying?” If you see bullying in the process, intervene and help the victim escape. Then, tell a trusted adult, since the bullies will most likely submit to an adult. Doing this will set a good example for other students and bystanders to follow.

Megan’s isn’t the only cyber bullying story, there are hundreds more like her who have ended their lives due to bullying and the numbers are constantly rising. Following the above tips may help to end bullying of all kinds and to prevent stories like Megan Meier’s from ever happening again.

Scholar Athlete: Clay Connors

Zane Muzzillo

Staff Writer

Classes: AP Psychology, English IV (Honors), Calculus III, U.S. History (Honors) 

Clay Conners (left) running for Apex High track.

GPA: 4.75

If you could eat one food every day, what would it be?

Pizza, because you can never eat too much pizza.

How long have you been participating in sports?

I ran for Cross Country and currently run for track. I run the 3200 meters in track and I have been running for Apex since freshman year.

What sparked your interest in sports?

I wanted to stay in shape, so I started running and never looked back.

What’s your favorite team?

When I was a kid my dad forced me to support the Steelers because he is from Pittsburgh.

Lax pep band provides school spirit

Casey Nash
Staff Writer

Many schools have both a band and lacrosse teams, but rarely are they intertwined. Apex High is one of the few schools in the nation with a lacrosse pep band. Club president and junior Elise Jaffe states that, “the lax pep band provides pep via band.” With about 60 students, the lacrosse pep band frequently attends games. It provides a fun activity for students who want to show spirit for their school through music.

The band performing at a game last year

The Pep Band does not play a special “half-time” show but rather plays stand tunes from the bleachers, cheering on the men’s lacrosse team. Completely student-led with Jaffe as president and with senior Saif Hassan and junior Nick Vanbuskirk as vice presidents, this club fills more seats at the games and provides additional cheering in the student section. “I love lacrosse pep band because all of the members are devoted and most importantly, full of pep,” says junior Nick Vanbuskirk.

Anyone who plays an instrument and is able to read music is welcome to join. The lacrosse pep band meets after school on Wednesdays in the band room. If you are interested in joining, stop by the band room for more information.

Spring into volunteering

Casey Nash
Staff Writer

Spring is here and so is the time for giving. Whether it’s for club hours or just to do something productive with your free time, there are tons of volunteering opportunities. Here are some of the many options:

Marching Cougars brave the Caribbean

Michelle Matthews 
Staff Writer

Ships docked at port during last year's band cruise.

The Apex High School’s band will be leaving for the port of Miami on March 31. Students will be spending their spring break aboard a Celebrity Cruise ship – the Celebrity Constellation – where they will travel to Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico. While on the ship, the band will be participating in a music festival where they will perform and receive a score of 1-4 (1 being the best) by a music adjudicator.



Two years ago the band took a similar trip aboard a Royal Caribbean ship with destinations in Key West and Nassau in the Bahamas. During this trip there was only one band performing a list of three songs – “Farewell to a Slavic Women,” “Incantation and Dance,” and “A Movement for Rosa.” This year the group is being split up into two different bands each performing three songs. The lower band will be performing “El Relicario,” “Pageant” and “Sedona.”

This year's prom dress styles

Rebekah Gould
Staff Writer

Prom is just around the corner, and finding a dress can be difficult. Here are some 2013 prom trends that’ll help.


One shoulder: The one shoulder strap is very popular this year.

Many of the straps include ruffles or rosettes.   



Second HOSA anonymous medical question

Matt Wotus
Features Editor 

Dear Grandma Chase,

Something weird has been happening to me. Sometimes when I get up from my bed and stand up, I start to feel really dizzy and lose my balance. This happens randomly and usually whenever I get up from lying down. Can you help me?

Sincerely,

Dizzy Izzie

Hi Dizzy Izzie,

Dizziness from standing up is actually called orthostatic hypotension, but don’t let that alarm you. Usually there is another problem that is causing the dizziness, such as dehydration. Dehydration can lower your blood pressure, and cause you to experience dizziness after standing up. However, dehydration can be avoided easily, just make sure you that you drink plenty of water throughout the day. The Mayo Clinic suggests breathing deeply before standing up, then slowly coming to a standing position. If the symptoms do not go away after a few minutes of rest, medical attention from a doctor is needed. 

Hope you feel better soon.

-Grandma Chase.

Au revoir!

Matt Wotus
Features Editor

Come Spring Break, a handful of Apex High students, including myself and News Editor John Santos, will travel to France to complete an exchange program with École-Saint-Martin-de-France, a private college and high school in Pontoise, a city about 35 miles north of Paris. Students from Saint Martin spent two weeks at Apex earlier this month, visiting local universities, museums, and attractions.  

We leave Friday, March 29, landing in Paris the next morning after a stop in Toronto. Saint Martin is a Catholic school, and since March 31 is Easter Sunday, students have Monday off from school, meaning we will spend the three-day weekend with our host families. For the most part, the French celebrate the holiday like Americans. Many people go to church services, and major cities are usually pretty quiet, as most government offices and businesses are closed. Popular dishes the French prepare for the occasion include roast lamb with harvested vegetables, brightly colored boiled eggs, and omelets. While overseas we will also experience French education, sitting in classes for four hours on two occasions.

Sports roundtable: March Madness

Matt Wotus and Jonathan Crighton
Features Editor and Staff Writer

In the latest Sports Roundtable, Features Editor Matt Wotus (MW) and Staff Writer Jonathan Crighton (JC) take a look at this year’s NCAA Tournament, picking a winner from each region and a national champion.

Midwest Region Winner

MW: Louisville – The Cardinals are the overall number one seed in the tournament, and they really shouldn’t be challenged in this bracket. After Michigan State knocks out Duke (if they both make it that far) in the Sweet 16, the Cardinals will breeze through the rest of the Midwest Region.

JC: Louisville – I feel they are the best team in the tournament. Rick Pitino’s squad is too talented not to make it.

Veteran and newcomer musicians coming to NC

Sarah Kebea
Staff Writer

April 3: Rock n’ Roll legend Eric Clapton will perform in Raleigh at the PNC Arena with The Wallflowers opening for Clapton. Ticket prices for Clapton’s 50th Anniversary Tour range from $57.75 to $100.55. For fans of: Rod Stewart, Eric Johnson, and The Allman Brothers Band.
April 6: Legendary musician Elton John will perform at the Winston Salem Entertainment Sports Complex. John is expected to perform both classics like “Tiny Dancer” and songs from his thirty-first album, entitled The Diving Board. Ticket prices range from $47.65 to $153.60. For fans of: Billy Joel, The Doobie Brothers, and Rod Stewart.

Join the "Pin it" craze

Rebekah Gould

Staff Writer

The Internet has become part of everyday life. People are able to share videos, pictures, and ideas on different social networks. While shopping online or watching videos, a new option has appeared: pin it.

Pinterest is basically an online bulletin board. To start, users can create a couple of different boards to categorize their interests, or pins. The categories can range from cars and traveling to fashion and Do-It-Yourself. To get different ideas, pinners can follow their friends who also have a Pinterest account and repin what their friends post. If someone has a specific category, such as recipes, they click on the ‘Categories’ tab and look through the different subjects until they find ‘Food & Drink’. This helps narrow his or her search to individual interests. To refine a search to a specific topic, type into the search bar in the top left corner and results will appear.

Lip Dub: capturing Apex individuality

Nicholas Chupka and Zane Muzzillo
Staff Writers

This year, Apex High’s Lip Dub seems to be taking on a tribal, psychedelic theme, with the song “Derek” by Animal Collective. Apex sophomore Meghan Morris explains why they chose the song. “It’s frickin’ awesome. Have you heard it? It’s cool,” she says. Animal Collective is an experimental psychedelic quartet from Baltimore, currently based in Lisbon, Portugal. Lip Dub organizer Erin Morris says, “I think we chose it because the tribal beat-ish thing in the song kind of fit with what we were going for.”

Coach D Memorial Scholarship 5K

Matt Wotus
Features Editor 

The second annual Coach D Memorial Scholarship 5K, in honor of Gene Daniels, will be held this Saturday, March 23, at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre. For those wishing to register, they can go to http://www.sportoften.com/events/eventDetails.cfm?pEventId=10039. All proceeds will benefit the Gene Daniels Memorial Scholarship Fund.

When signing up, participants are asked to affiliate themselves with either Apex High or Panther Creek High, and the school with the most participants will be awarded The Daniel’s Cup. In addition, the Gene Daniels Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to one male and female from both Apex and Panther Creek. Applications are available in Student Services. 

Tonight is Coach D Spirit Night at Qdoba. Those wishing to can, “come out and have a great meal and support a worthy cause,” according to the Apex High School Twitter account.

Catholics elect first pope from the Americas

Michelle Matthews
Staff Writer

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was chosen to be the 266^th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. His official title is Pope Francis, the first pope to choose this name. From Argentina, Pope Francis is the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years and is the first pope from the Americas. He is the first Jesuit to be elected as pope. With 115 Cardinals eligible to vote, it took only two days for a decision to be made.

UNC faces federal investigation after handling of sexual harrassment case

John Santos
News Editor

The Federal Department of Education has announced that it will be conducting an investigation into how the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill handles sexual assault complaints filed by students.

The investigation comes after three students, an alumna, and a former dean filed a complaint against the University, claiming that the school ignored them after they reported rapes and sexual harassment.

On Friday, March 1, over 200 protestors gathered to show support for Landen Gambill, a UNC-CH student who spoke out against her alleged rapist, an ex-boyfriend and also a student at Chapel Hill. The University charged Gambill with an honor code violation for intimidating her fellow student. Gambill has never publicly identified her alleged rapist. Protestors called for the University to drop the charge.

Gambill could face expulsion, suspension, community service or a grade penalty if she is convicted of the honor code violation of “disruptive or intimidating behavior.”  

Officials deny all wrongdoing, but said that they will cooperate fully with the federal investigation.

Apex student wins culinary competition

Zane Muzzillo
Staff Writer

Apex High senior Wesley Ryan Beske recently placed first in a cooking competition and received a $4,000 scholarship to the Art Institute in Durham. “I didn’t expect to win when I entered because the competition looked stiff,” he said. Beske has committed to the Arts Institute. “I have to spend it on the Arts Institute, so I will be going there and I will be studying culinary management,” he explained.

Apex High wins big at state DECA competition

John Santos
News Editor

Apex High DECA has returned after competing at the 2013 Regional Career Development Conference in Greensboro, N.C. A school record of 36 students qualified for the International Competition in Anaheim, Calif. Apex High School also received the Gold Level Chapter Award, which is the highest award given by North Carolina, and received an award for the largest Alumni Division.

Senior Jenna Blas and senior Siri Chadalavada both competed at the state competition this year. Their project, centered on financial literacy, won second place at the competition. “We worked on it the whole semester,” said Chadalavada, “The project was all about the importance of finances in our lives,” she added.

Both Chadalavada and Blas are no strangers to DECA state competitions. This year’s competition was Chadalavada’s third time competing and Blas’ second time representing Apex. “We won a lot more this year,” said Blas. “It was the best state competition for me,” added Chadalavada.

“The most memorable moment was hearing your name get called, getting on stage and posing with our trophies,” said Chadalavada. She will be competing in Anaheim next month for the International Competition. “There’s going to be people there from China and Canada,” she said. “I’m looking forward to meeting other people, and competing on a wider scale,” added Chadalavada.

Sports spotlight: Jake Castagnero

Matt Krombach
Sports Editor

Apex’s own Jake Castagnero won this year’s 4A Wrestling State Championship in a rather unusual fashion.  Castagnero won as his opponent tried to gain an advantage, thus resulting in a disqualification.

  

Castagnero at the Wrestling State Championship.

Castagnero, who has been wrestling since sixth grade, has received offers from Campbell University, UNC, and N.C. State.  “My mom read a flyer and asked me if I wanted to try [wrestling] and I said sure,” he said.  He also played catcher for Apex High’s baseball team throughout his four years, but prefers wrestling.  “Don’t get me wrong, baseball takes skill,” he stated, “but wrestling takes a lot of skill and work and I excelled at it more than baseball.”   

Castagnero appreciated how the coaches made his team earn every aspect of the mat.  “The coaches worked us extremely hard; there were times where we didn’t like our coaches,” he said.  “When we got compliments we knew we earned them, they weren’t given out lightly,” he added.

Castagnero put in more dedication and effort this year compared to previous years.  “I came back from an injury and had turf toe, so I went on the elliptical before actual practice for 20 to 30 minutes before actual practice,” he said.  Most of his support and his motivation came from his coaches and his mother.  His mother took over his middle school wrestling program and “always wanted him to do well.”