Apex student art displayed in NCMA

Zane Muzzillo & Nicholas Chupka
Staff Writer and News Editor

Teens Inspired, a program run by the North Carolina Museum of Art to better connect with North Carolina youth, has offered three Apex High School students the opportunity to have their artwork displayed in the museum. Students were required to pick a piece of art from the museum’s permanent collection and make their own piece based on that. The three winners: sophomores Hannah Siegel and Michelle Stanziola, and senior Brittany Baril, spoke about the competition and the process behind each of their pieces.

Prom Hair and Makeup Ideas

Caroline Gadsby
Staff Writer

Are you still in need of hair and makeup ideas for prom?  Well look no further!

To make the half updo shown here, follow the instructions below:

      1.) Section hair and curl it. 

            2.) Braid front sections of hair on both sides. 

          3.)  Lastly, secure the braids in the back with bobby pins.  

    It’s as easy as that!

Here’s the Before and After: 

And the back and side views:

To show your eyes off for prom, use these eye shadows to brighten your eyes:

Blue eyes:  For blue eyes, choose dark blue (the dark blue tones can help to bring out the natural blue tones in your eyes), gray, silver, violet or lavender as well as intense winged eyeliner.

Brown eyes:  Brown eyes can try green, violet or bronze colored eye shadows.  Experiment by pairing neutral shadow with metallic eyeliner in copper or bronze for evening.

Green/Hazel eyes:  For green eyes, choose color tones such as dark green, lavender, purple, plum or lilac. Gold and copper are great for highlighting green eyes. For eyeliner, it is best to avoid black and to choose browns or gray, which are much softer and not so harsh. A general rule of thumb for green eyes is to choose warm shades vs. cooler shades. Choose mascara in a brown tone as well so the face does not look harsh or overpowered.

You're late, you're late for a very important date!

Grace Fendrick
Staff Writer

Prom is on Saturday, May 3 and some of you have not bought your tickets yet! Tickets are being sold for $45 each in the main lobby during all lunches and afterschool until Friday. Online ticket sales end Thursday, and you must pick up your tickets before Friday in the main lobby. The last thing you want is to show up and not have your ticket, because tickets are not being sold at prom. 

Don’t be too late for this very important date!

Shaving heads for cancer research

Marisa Ingraham
Staff Writer

There will be an event supporting St. Baldrick’s Foundation at Apex High School on Friday, May 2. It is being organized by Tim Kane who is a member of the organization.

St. Baldrick’s is an organization working to end childhood cancer with 82% of donations going towards finding a cure. The event will be a place for people to meet up in support of children who have cancer and their families. There will be music and Kane is working with a radio station to come to the event. Students and staff can also register to be a shavee. A “shavee” is someone who will show his/her support by shaving his/her head. So far 14 people have registered to be a shavee including both teachers and students. Some of the registered shavees include Kane, Coach Kilby, and Matt Wight. Wristbands will be on sale at school for $2.  

This is the first St. Baldrick’s event at Apex High. Kane decided to start this event because he knows students who are going through chemotherapy and wanted to show them that they had support. The event will be held in the junior parking lot from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.

 

 Donations can be made at the event’s website, www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/11257/2014 or brought to Pod K. So far $2,755 of the $5,000 goal has been raised.

St. Baldrick's Foundation logo

Boys take 2014 Bojangles Apex Lions Relays

Natalia Ghan
Staff Writer

Mihret running the mile

The 2014 Apex Lions Relays opened with a four mile relay and cool, drizzly conditions.  Despite the weather, 31 national elites were achieved, including junior Sydnei Murphy’s 12.18 100 meter dash. “I was really happy. I’ve never won the 100 in Bojangles before, and had really good competition I hadn’t been able to beat so far this year.” Senior Mihret Coulter’s 4:19.36 mile placed third and also met the national silver standard. “The weather conditions were perfect and we kept a consistent pace until the last lap when two guys out kicked me. That’s what I have to work on.” The boys’ sprint medley relay also performed well, taking first place. Junior Tyler Cook, who ran the second 200 leg of the relay, recounts the race. “We were within a couple seconds of Knightdale, and [senior] Carl Geiger pulled ahead on the second lap of his anchoring 800 meters.” Cook also placed second in the 100-meter dash. “Despite the cold, I managed to set a personal record.” Although most field events were cancelled, Apex threw well in shot put and discus. Senior Jason Lockamy placed second in the men’s discus finals, throwing a 143-09.00.

Sixteen die in Mount Everest avalanche

Adam Mancini
Sports Editor

Over 250 people have died since 1922 trying to scale Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. On April 18, the single largest accident in the mountain’s history occurred when 16 people, all of them Nepalese guides known as Sherpas, were killed in an avalanche in the early hours of the morning at 19,000 feet. The disaster transpired only a month before the prime climbing season in mid-May, when a brief window offers better weather.

Asking celebrities to prom

Sarah Kebea 
Arts and Entertainment Editor 

    Last week, high school student Patrick Farves interrupted his school’s assembly, last week when Miss America, Nina Davuluri, was giving a speech on the importance of science and mathematics, to ask Duvuluri to prom.  Farves was then suspended for three days after he disrupted her scheduled appearance.  Does this promposal foreshadow the end of asking celebrities to prom?  Will asking celebrities to prom be “so last year” by 2015?

     It’s very rare that these promposals will be heard by the intended celebrities, but when they do respond, it’s amazing. For instance, Los Angeles high school student Jake Davidson asked one of the most talked about models of today, Kate Upton, to prom by posting a video to YouTube, which has almost three million views.  When Upton said she couldn’t attend, Victoria’s Secret model Nina Agdal stepped in as Davidson’s back up date.  And sometimes, the intended celebrity has something better in mind than a date to prom.  For instance, Virginia teen Cady Eimer, asked Justin Bieber to her prom.  The pop star had to decline, but instead of wearing corsages, Bieber invited her and her sister to attend the Billboard Music Awards.  Taylor Swift had a similar situation with 18 year old New Jersey high schooler Kevin McGuire, who asked the pop star to his prom in 2012.  Because of an illness, McGuire couldn’t attend.  A year later, Swift didn’t forget about McGuire, and took him and his family to the 2013 ACM awards. 

     So if you want to ask your favorite celebrity to prom here are some tips: 

• ·         Set up a webpage full of YouTube videos asking your celebrity crush to prom.  The more, the better.  There’s a better chance of them seeing the video/webpage!  It may seem like a lot after a while, but with the millions and millions of followers they most likely have, it will be a struggle to get their attention!
• ·         Use social media to your advantage, tweet your promposal, post it as your Facebook status, post a clip to Vine, post it everywhere! 
• ·         Ignore the haters.  There will always be some people, especially involving social media, that won’t be as supportive as others. 
• ·         Don’t come off as a jerk through your promposal, be polite and considerate of their schedule.
• ·         Don’t be a bore.  Make the promposal funny and original! 
• ·         Don’t be overly-fawn over the celebrity, just be cool.

Have fun, beware the haters, and good luck!

Boston Marathon returns after last year's tragedy

Triangle area runners Dave Cockman
and Olga Kruger after the race

Marley Shattuck
Staff Writer

Qualified runners from across the nation came together to race the annual Boston Marathon one year after the shocking bombing that occurred at last year’s race. This year’s race was held on Monday, April 21, 2014. Nearly 36,000 competitors ran to honor those that lost their lives or faced severe injuries due to the bombing. Runner Lee Ann Yanni was greatly affected by the attack, and lost the ability to walk for five weeks following the 2013 race. After the incident she trained hard and refused to give up until she was able to run to her fullest potential again. Shortly before this year’s marathon, Yanni said, “I am running for those who can’t.” The tragic events of last year’s race have touched the lives of many. An additional 9,000 runners participated this year compared to the 2013 race.

Grants, loans, and college debt

Shauna Hines
Features Editor

You have gotten into the college of your dreams and are ready to move on to a new chapter in your life. Now is the time to figure out how to pay for your expensive dreams. Two of the most commonly used payment methods are grants and loans.

Grants are sums of money provided by the U.S. Department of Education that do not need to be paid back. Grants are given to students showing financial need, which occurs when the cost of the attendance at a school exceeds the expected family contribution, and is determined by the government when they review your submitted Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). That is pretty straight forward, but there is more to know when it comes to loans.

Weird, wacky, worldwide news

Grace Fendrick
Staff Writer

There are many stories circulating around such a big world, and not all of them are worthy of the front page. Here are some interesting, unique, and downright weird stories:

• A child was happily stuck inside of a claw machine in Lincoln, Nebraska. He entered the machine through the prize door; he even got to keep one of the prizes!

News worldwide

Texting while driving

Sarah Hirst
Staff Writer

Technology in the 21^st century has revolutionized the world both positively and negatively. On the positive side we have created a world where people can get a lot done in a short period of time. This fast paced lifestyle has created an addiction to technology and a decrease in patience. Most teenagers are great at multi-tasking, but sometimes it is crucial to focus on one particular thing at a time. One of those times is while driving. Whether they realize it or not, young drivers need to concentrate on the road. Yes, this generation wants 24/7 connectivity, but should you use that phone when you’re behind the wheel?

Google Glass shows promise after one day sale

Nicholas Chupka
Staff Writer

Google Glass was put on sale to the public for the first time last Tuesday and almost immediately sold out their off-white color model. The glasses cost $1,500 and were only on sale to U.S. residents who were 18 or older.

Critical security flaw hits the Internet

Adam Mancini
Sports Editor

Somewhere in Europe, four programmers help maintain one of the Internet’s most critical security features. Only one of them considers it to be a full time job, while the other three work different jobs during the day and work on the software in their spare time. Combined, they earn less than $1 million a year for their work in keeping the entire Internet running. They are the creators and caretakers of OpenSSL, which is used for security on popular web servers such as Yahoo and Tumblr. The software helps to provide encrypted information to visitors so that passwords and usernames cannot be seen by others while it transfers from your computer to the website. It is used by nearly two-thirds of currently active websites. 

MERS spreads across Middle East and Europe

Zane Muzzillo
Staff Writer

Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory syndrome that originated in Saudi Arabia and was first diagnosed in 2012. The most common symptoms are fever, cough, and shortness of breath; the disease is potentially fatal if not treated. Since 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 228 cases, 92 of which were fatal. This month alone, there have been 15 new confirmed MERS cases with two deaths in Saudi Arabia. Seven of the new cases tested positive, but showed no symptoms, said Saudi health officials.  

Flirting 101

Grace Fendrick
Staff Writer

Have you been striking out when flirting lately? A recent study on flirting at Webster University in St. Louis provided insight into the best methods. It also concluded “it’s not the most physically appealing people who get approached, but the ones who signal their availability and confidence,” said psychologist Dr. Monica Moore. So if you feel like you should put a bag over your face, you are not hopeless! Here are some of the best tips to perfect the art of flirting, while still being appropriate:

Spinal cord treatment progresses

Marisa Ingraham
Staff Writer

A team of scientists at the University of Louisville have recently made a breakthrough towards healing spinal cord injuries for paralyzed patients.  Scientists performed a study that involved sending electrical stimulation to patients’ spinal cords which allowed them to move.

#ThrowbackThursday: Prom Edition

Grace Fendrick 
Staff Writer

With all the stresses of high school, we often forget that the people around us, our parents and teachers, all got through it at one point. Here is some proof: their prom pictures. Some of the Apex High School faculty submitted their prom photos; did you guess correctly?

The Ladies:

1.   Jenny Holt   

2.   Tori Fuhrman

3.   Emily Regan

4.   Gina Winter 

5.   Megan Fackler-Bretz

6.   Kelley Simpson

       7.   Erica Hoskins

The Gentlemen:

                             8. Chris Stapleton                                     9. Matt Wight

Pay with your palm

Shauna Hines
Features Editor

Engineering student Fendrik Leifland at Lund University in Sweden has developed a scanner, called Quixter, that reads the pattern of vessels in your palm in order to pay for purchases. Scanning the palm and entering the last four digits of your phone number at the cash register will pay for the items. Fifteen facilities around the university have begun using the vein-matching biometric scanners and 1,600 participants are registered to pay through the program.

Russia announces plans to build moon base

Michael Lyday
Editor-in-Chief

Logo for the Russian Federal Space
Agency, also known as Roscosmos.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced an ambitious new goal for Russia: building a base on the moon. Constructing a lunar base is an idea that the Russians have been flirting with for a while, approaching NASA and the European Space Agency with the idea in 2012. The Russian Federal Space Agency plans to take the first step in 2015 with the launch of a rover onto the moon’s surface exploring possible sites for the base. The current plan predicts having a manned base completed by 2037. If this promise holds true, it will be the first time humans had traveled to the Moon in over 50 years, the last manned mission being Apollo 17 in 1972.

Fort Hood shooting sparks controversy

Mariane Ghazaleh
Staff Writer

On April 2, 2014, Ivan Lopez, who served in Iraq but never saw combat, walked onto Fort Hood, his assigned station in Texas, and opened fire.  Authorities say he was being treated for depression and anxiety, but was not yet diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The tragic shooting that wounded 16 people and killed three others has sparked a debate once again over the issue of gun control and mental stability.

Questions have been raised about whether or not servicemen should go through a mental health evaluation before enlisting. What used to be solely a debate for stricter gun laws has turned into a question of how much money to spend on preventing and treating mental illnesses. According to PolitiFact, “Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., introduced the "Medical Evaluation Parity for Service Members Act," which would require a medical evaluation before an individual enlists in the armed forces.” Interest groups such as Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Military Officers Association of America support the legislation. Capitol Hill is in a tough debate over what to do. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada resists the advancement of mental health provisions because he fears it would close the door to weapon restrictions in the future. On the other hand, some gun rights advocates fear that “opening discussion of mental health could be a back door to a flood of new federal fun laws.”

Still others believe the issue of mental health could be a way of moving past party divisions. There is hope even among the heated debates. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut explains, “Mental health is really the key to unlocking this issue… I’ve become more and more convinced that we should establish the mental health issue as our common ground.”

Source: New York Times

Two die at Raleigh marathon

Marley Shattuck
Staff Writer

Two runners unexpectedly passed away running the Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon in Raleigh. The name of one man, age 31, has not been released yet due to privacy issues. Derrick Myers, age 35, was the second man to pass away.  The 31-year-old man collapsed at the finish line while Myers passed along the 10- and 11-mile markers. The Wake County EMS and race medical personnel immediately took action but were unfortunately unable to revive the men. The causes of death have not been officially released; however, doctors at the event believe it to be the result of undiagnosed cardiac abnormalities. Dr. Jeff Bymtomski, head medical team physician at Duke University, said, “It’s just an inherent risk at these races. It’s still a very low risk, but it happens.”

Runners’ deaths at races are relatively rare. A study done by the New England Journal of Medicine discovered that out of nearly eleven million participants in marathons and half-marathons between 2000 and 2011, there were only forty-two fatalities total. Even if participants are regular runners, they can sometimes have underlying medical problems. Runners are highly encouraged to get checked out by a doctor prior to a race to ensure that they are in the proper health condition.