Apex shines at Indoor Track State Championship

Matt Sholtis
Sports Editor

The Apex Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field team competed in the State Championship Saturday at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem. Both teams had big time performances individually which led to team success. The Apex Men’s and Women’s teams’ fate came down to the final event. Ultimately, the Apex girls finished state runner-up which is the best finish in school history and the Apex guys finished third in the state. 

"60 Minutes" host dies in car accident

Dylan Tastet
Staff Writer

Bob Simon, CBS “60 Minutes” correspondent, has died in a tragic car accident. Simon was riding in a Lincoln Town Car when his driver lost control and the car collided with a Mercedes-Benz and careened off the road. Simon was then taken to Roosevelt Memorial Hospital where he later died.

Authorities say that the car was so badly mangled that the roof of the car had to be pried open before Simon could be extracted from the back.

Simon’s driver was also taken to the hospital for a suspected heart attack and injuries to his legs and arms. A blood test administered on arrival tested negative for alcohol or other intoxicating substances. The driver had two moving violations and nine cleared suspensions on his license.

North Carolina one of the only states that hasn’t banned ET Plus guardrails

Jessica Stiehm
Staff Writer

Guardrail failure in North Carolina has come under scrutiny due to the severe injuries that have occurred associated with Trinity highway’s ET Plus guardrail. Trinity Highway Products, one of the most popular guardrail makers in America, has faced many lawsuits against their product in recent years. Prior to 2005, Trinity designed five inch rails to prevent highway crashes, but a cost cutting design change has led to many questions and complaints. The guardrail end terminals were reduced to four inches, a number that isn’t supposed to change the reaction of the safety mechanism. The rail heads were changed without notifying or submitting the new design for approval to the Federal Highway Regulators; they were not aware of the change until 2012. To this day the Federal Highway Administration still hasn’t approved the new design.

Jon Stewart leaving Daily Show

Zane Muzzillo
Staff Writer

The Daily Show’s host, Jon Stewart, has announced the end to his 16 year career at Comedy Central.  He announced his departure at a live taping of The Daily Show on Tuesday, February 10. Stewart will not be leaving immediately, his contract is up in September of this year, but nothing is concrete yet. “I won’t be leaving the show right away… We are still working out details. I’m up in September. It might be around then, but it might be December, might be July,” said Stewart on his show. He doesn’t have any set plans for when he leaves the show. “I don’t have any specific plans, but I have a lot of ideas in my head,” said Stewart.

Apex Basketball wins fourth straight Conference Title

Matt Sholtis
Sports Editor

The Apex Men’s Basketball team won the SWAC Conference Championship for the fourth consecutive year on Tuesday night after dominating Green Hope 82-54. The lopsided score is a good representation of how this conference has looked over the last four years. It has consisted of pure domination by the Apex Cougars. In a high school conference that can be compared to the ACC in terms of big schools and talented athletes, it is very rare that one school wins four straight conference basketball titles; but that is exactly what Apex has done.

Wake County to make final decision regarding tenure

Kenison Garratt
Staff Writer

The Wake County School Board is holding the final vote next Tuesday on restoring tenure rights for teachers. Tenure rights, also known as career status, are earned based on a teacher’s performance in the first four years of teaching. Since 1971, North Carolina teachers who were successful during this probationary period received tenure, but through a legislative amendment in a 2013 hearing, the General Assembly voted to eliminate career status for all teachers by 2018. Some of the securities of career status include: only fired for one or more of 15 specific reasons, obtain in writing the reasons for their dismissal and have the ability to request a hearing from the school board. State Republican legislators who passed the change referred to figures showing just 17 tenured teachers had been fired, but supporters of tenure rights say career status doesn’t mean a guaranteed job and many ineffective teachers were weeded out while in the first four years. Supporters of tenure rights believe teachers will be protected from being fired without cause. The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), the largest group representing educators in North Carolina have praised this decision. “This shows a commitment by the Wake County school board to its teachers,” says NCAE vice president Mark Jewell, “This is a very smart policy move for Wake County schools in order to keep good quality, highly effective teachers. It’s going to make a teacher not want to leave Wake County to work elsewhere.”

Upcoming movies in early spring

Katie Mazanec
Staff Writer

The transition from winter to early spring is a great time to see some movies, listed below are the top movies that are coming out late February to early April.

Kingsman: The Secret Service - February 13, this action film is about a young man starring actor Taron Egerton getting invited into a prestigious spy agency. (Action)

Peak Players' production of Les Mis opens March 6

Michael Lyday
Features Editor

The Peak Players’ production of Les Miserables opens March 6. Tickets start at $8 and are going fast, so be sure to buy your ticket soon. Tickets can be purchased at www.apexdrama.com. The play is also being performed March 7 and March 12-14. All shows start at 7 p.m.

Tragic shooting occurs in Chapel Hill

Alexandria Sands
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Three college students were murdered Tuesday evening on Summerwalk Circle in the Finley Forest Condominiums, home to many University of North at Carolina Chapel Hill graduate students. The students were identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Barakat, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha.

Craig Stephen Hicks surrendered himself to deputies in Pittsboro after driving to Chatham County immediately after the shooting. Hicks has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird sequel to be released

Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

An unreleased novel by To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee, Go Set a Watchmen, is set to come out on July 14.  The book, centering on the protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout Finch, as an adult, was written before Mockingbird in the early 1950s.  Lee’s publisher convinced her not to release the book, telling her to focus instead on flashback sequences in the novel that focused on Finch as a child.  This recommendation led to To Kill a Mockingbird being released. 

Sam Smith dominates music's biggest night

Sarah Kebea
Editor-in-Chief

Sunday night was full of creative performances and surprising moments at the 57^th Annual Grammys.  AC/DC started off the show with a hell-themed performance of “Rock or Bust” and “Highway to Hell”.  Kanye West took the stage three times Sunday night, performing “Only One” solo and later performing “FourFiveSeconds” alongside Rihanna and Paul McCartney.  In a surprising moment, West went on stage when Prince announced Morning Phase as Album of the Year, leaving Beck confused, and Jay-Z and Beyonce amused in the audience.  Beyonce also took the stage, ending the show with her rendition of gospel song “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.”  Throughout all the surprises and performances, Sam Smith seemed to continuously rack up his Grammys, leaving him with four awards by the end of the night.

New NC school letter grades posted

Johunna Gatlin
Staff Writer

The first letter grades for public schools in North Carolina were posted Thursday, January 5. The grades are intended to help the public evaluate a school. Senate leader Phil Berger, the force behind establishing the school grades, said they are an important tool for parents, administrators, policymakers and taxpayers. According to a News & Observer statewide data analysis, with the new A-to-F grading system, schools with fewer low-income students were more likely to score As or Bs. High-poverty schools were more likely to get Ds or Fs.   School letter grades showed a strong correlation between grades and economic status. This has led to a statewide debate about how public schools can help bridge economic gaps. Opposers of the grading system said the new information was too harsh. The grades would only make poor schools look bad and not show the academic growth students made. Berger states that not all high-poverty schools scored poorly. State Board of Education Chairman Bill Cobey acknowledged that the grades would bring further attention to schools with children who are considered to be living in poverty.

Vaccination controversy revisited in wake of measles outbreak

Henry McKeand
Staff Writer

A recent measles outbreak in California has sparked debate over whether or not vaccines should be mandatory in all states.  While the general consensus is that vaccines are effective and harmless, some people in the country still take issue with vaccinations.  A common belief is that vaccines lead to autism and certain mental disorders.  However, this belief has been disproven in the scientific community by multiple studies, including one conducted by the Institute of Medicine in 2011 that found that “there is no relationship between vaccines and autism rates in children.”  Still, even though the belief that vaccines are dangerous has been debunked, a large number of people in the country still believe that it is true. 

Fashionable choices for spring

Michael Lyday & Nicholas Chupka
Features Editor & News Editor

Spring is coming our way in just a few weeks, meaning no more freezing temperatures and back to being cool and mild. Here are some fashionable choices for guys and girls to wear to keep from being too chilly, while still looking fresh.

• Sweatpants: the classic lazy (and cozy) attire.
• Cardigan Sweaters: light enough not to make you too hot while still keeping you from being too chilly. Wear them over a nice button-down, t-shirt, or over a dress.
• Flannel shirt: whether buttoned up or left open, a flannel shirt is another classic top for that little extra warmth when it’s a bit too cold to go in just a t-shirt.
• Black and White striped shirts or dresses: the classic stripes will add some variety to your outfit.
• Boyfriend jeans/tee: oversized tee shirts and jeans for girls.
• Gingham dress: this checkered pattern is currently trending, and getting one in a soft color such as light blue will reflect the season perfectly.
• Dr. Martens: this trendy and hardy brand of shoes comes in many styles, including boots and low-cut shoes.
• Tie-dye: whether a shirt, pants, socks, or shoes, tie-dye is a fun way to bring in the warmer season with your own personal and unique touch.  
• Track pants: these very comfortable, stylish pants come with zipper pockets, which makes carrying items around much more convenient.
• Floral prints: with flowers blooming all around, become part of the season with a flowery dress for girls or a Hawaiian shirt for guys.
• Fringe suede jacket: this attention grabbing throwback to the 1970s has become a hit in the digital age among all kinds of people. 

A cardigan over a t-shirt is
a casual yet refined look for Spring

Cardigan over a button-down
with Dr. Martens    

Floral print dresses help to
bring in the season

Student Showcase: Christopher Caggia and Meghan Peterson

Maya Horton
Staff Writer

Chris Caggia and Meghan Peterson are talented artists in Ian Sands Art 1 class.  This week they discussed their art and inspirations with the Legacy reporters.  They are the first participants of the weekly Student Showcase, where student artists can be discovered by their peers.

Christopher Caggia

15 years old

Freshman

Favorite color?

“Yellow, primarily because no one else seems to like it.”

Weapon of choice?

“I like to do art on the computer.  I also enjoy photography, and photographing things”

iHeartRadio Popular Music Awards to take place March 29

Jessica Stiehm
Staff Writer

iHeartRadio has released their 2015 nominations in expectation of their popular music awards that will take place on March 29. Los Angeles Shrine and Expo Hall will host the awards as they did at iHeartRadio’s debut last year. Eleven categorical awards have been chosen for numerous artists, songs, and fan bases.

Artist of the Year

Ariana Grande

Iggy Azalea

Luke Byran

Sam Smith

Taylor Swift

Dean Smith passes away

Matt Sholtis
Sports Editor
 

Legendary UNC Basketball coach Dean Smith passed away Saturday night at the age of 83. He was in the company of his wife and five children as he peacefully passed away in his home in Chapel Hill. Smith suffered from dementia in his late years. He is one of the most iconic figures not only locally but in all of college basketball. 
 
Smith had 897 career wins which is fourth all-time behind Mike Krzyzewski, Bob Knight, and Jim Boeheim. He also had 11 Final Fours which places him in a tie for 2nd with Coach K behind the great John Wooden who had 12. 

Student Council hosts annual Mr. Apex February 20

Alexandria Sands
Arts & Entertainment Editor

The annual Mr. Apex pageant will be held Friday, February 20, in the Apex High auditorium. Mr. Apex is a male pageant where nine senior guys, who were nominated by their classmates, showcase their talents and answer questions. Student council uses the money raised by Mr. Apex for further activities that will benefit the school.

“We definitely had a big turn out last year,” said student body president, Trisha Bonthu. “It was good for raising money for student council.” Bonthu says there’s a lot to look forward to, including seeing the boys perform a dance choreographed by Meredith Bailey, Erika Forslund, and Jonah Creech-Pritchett.

Women's swim team takes on regionals

Natalia Ghan
Staff Writer

Ashling Murphy (10) competing in the 200M Individual Medley

The Apex women’s swim and dive team finished the Southern Wake Athletic Conference Championships in second place with 498 points, behind Green Hope with 589 points, and ahead of Panther Creek with 413 points. The girls have a strong returning team from last year. Head coach Kevin Maksinchuk is optimistic going into regionals and states. “The goal is to place top eight in all events Apex is entered in to ensure that we have a big group qualifying for the state meet. At states we want to swim fast, place high, and win.” Returning senior Claire Williams, who will be swimming at William and Mary in the fall, placed second in the 100 breaststroke at conference meet with a 1:07.96.  Williams will be a key swimmer in the women’s team ranking at regionals and states. Sophomore Madison Deters swam in states as a freshman and returns to swim the 100m and 200m freestyle in regionals. “It’s really exciting that we have a regional team of 12 girls. I’ve become good friends with them this year, and we’re all ready to compete in states.” Junior Hannah Day placed fifth in the 500m free in states as a sophomore, and finished fourth at conference with a 5:05.9. Day was satisfied with her performance, and believes she is capable of swimming faster these next two meets. “I wasn’t tapered so I wasn’t expecting to drop time in the 500 free; but I’ll be rested for states.” State competitor Olivia Hair returns as a junior with a regional cut in the 100m breaststroke and 200m IM. Hair looks back on conference in a positive light. “Even though we did not win, we put in our best effort and I wouldn’t want to be on any other team. Individually I was happy placing fourth in the 100 breaststroke and hope to qualify for states tonight.” 

Google Fiber service to come to Triangle

Nicholas Chupka
News Editor

Google’s plans to expand their Google Fiber service into the Triangle have been confirmed. At a press conference on January 27, Google officially announced their plans to expand the service into the Triangle, including Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Morrisville and Raleigh. Google Fiber will provide the Triangle with ultra-fast Internet expected to benefit businesses, schools, and Internet users in general.

Groundhog Day recap

Katie Mazanec
Staff Writer

This past Monday it was proclaimed that the groundhog in Pennsylvania saw its shadow meaning there will be six more weeks of winter. The famous groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil is awakened annually on February 2 to forecast the weather for the next six weeks.

In Raleigh, our groundhog Sir Walter Wally did not see his shadow, predicting an early spring. Sir Walter Wally has been correct at determining the weather 53% of the time since 1998 and Punxsutawney Phil has only been correct 35% of the time. Sir Walter Wally has been nominated by the Weather Channel’s “top 11 groundhogs to watch”. Based on Sir Walter Wally’s statistics being much better than Punxsutawney Phil’s, be prepared to start getting your spring wardrobe together. 

RadioShack going out of business after over 94 years

Dylan Tastet
Staff Writer

RadioShack will most likely close its doors in a bankruptcy deal that will sell half of its stores to Sprint Cellular.  Its stock has plummeted to under $1 a share and it can neither afford to close its stores nor keep them open.

RadioShack was established in 1921 as a mail-order catalogue for amateur radio hobbyists and maritime communications officers. By the 80’s it had expanded to a large network of brick-and-mortar stores that were seen as a destination for computer parts and devices that were hard to find at the major retailers.

Microsoft Hololens to revolutionize computing industry

Cameron Goz
Staff Writer

For the first time ever, Microsoft Hololens brings HD holograms into today’s world. These holograms integrate with the physical world around you. This next generation technology is enabled by Windows 10, and will have many holographic apps that can run on cell phones as well as PCs and Xbox One. With an inbuilt spatial sound, users will be able to locate holograms anywhere in the room.

There have been rumblings of the expected price of the device, and the $500 range seems to be where experts pinpoint the dollar amount. As expected, people have also been curious of the release date of this product. It’s been said the Hololens will be released around the same time as the full release of Windows 10, which is later this year. Even without concrete evidence of the Hololens’ release date and price, the device has attracted worldwide attention. Microsoft recently did a demonstration of the Hololens, going in depth into the Holostudio feature. You can find that video here, https://www.youtube.com/twatch?v=b6sL_5Wgvrg

Apex High Nourish members plan to raise awareness, provide opportunities for less fortunate

Kenison Garratt
Staff Writer

Nourish, an Apex High School club started by junior Dhvani Bhatia, plans to host a scavenger hunt at Bond Park to raise money for Nourish International. “Currently, there is nothing like Nourish at Apex. I thought that it was important for me to raise awareness about the organization and to be able to create an impact in my community and school,” says Bhatia. Nourish International is a student driven organization that started in 2003, while it includes mostly college students, it has recently begun to allow high school students to work with them on their mission to fight poverty. The goal of Nourish is to raise funds and awareness in an effort to provide opportunities for the less fortunate. “So how it works is that college students create small businesses on their campuses to raise money for a particular community (e.g. water sanitation in Peru) and after raising the money on their campus, they take that money and actually go to the country to fix the problem during the summer,” explains Bhatia, president of Nourish.

The great sport debate

Jo Gatlin
Staff Writer
 

What does Apex High School think about cheerleading?

Thirty students at Apex High School were asked if they think cheerleading is a sport. Out of the 30, 20 said that cheerleading is a sport, while 10 believe that it is not a sport. Junior Levi Warren said, “Male college football cheerleaders are stronger than most people; they have the physical ability to perform a skill, like a backflip.” Senior Josephine Devita says, “Cheerleading is a sport because you have to be in top physical shape and it’s very difficult, and looks harder than it is.” On the other hand, sophomore Kyle Benton said, “It’s more of just cheering for a sports team instead of it being a sport in general.” Freshman Emma Totten believes that cheerleading is not a sport because, “It’s not in the Olympics.”

What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Zane Muzzillo
Staff Writer

The Super Bowl has come and gone, but left us with another year of commercials. We polled 47 Apex High students to find their top Super Bowl commercial picks of 2015. 

Apex Friendship plans for opening

Jessica Stiehm
Staff Writer

Apex Friendship High School is scheduled to open August of the 2015, accepting rising freshmen and sophomores. The Apex Friendship 100 plus acre campus is located on Humie Olive Road in Western Apex. Students from Holly Springs, Panther Creek, and Apex high schools have been selected for reassignment to fill the new school.

Super Bowl recap

Cameron Goz

Staff Writer

 In a Super Bowl where the line was even for the first time in recent history, the game certainly matched the hype. A game, in which the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots delivered blow after blow upon each other, saw the Patriots emerging victorious in a 28-24 thriller. While the game was neck and neck all night long, the game will be remembered for its controversial ending. With 25 seconds left on the clock and inside the one yard line, Russell Wilson received the snap and threw a bullet to wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, but was picked off by cornerback Malcolm Butler. People across the nation stared in disbelief at the play call, merely 50 seconds after Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse made a miraculous juggling catch falling to the ground in double coverage. The thought of not running the ball when you have arguably the best running back in the NFL, Marshawn Lynch, has baffled many. But in the end Pats fans rejoiced, Seattle fans wept, and New England was crowned Super Bowl XLIX champions.  

Apex Track and Field competes at UNC

Matt Sholtis 
Sports Editor

The Apex Track and Field team traveled to Chapel Hill this past Saturday to compete in the Eastern High School Challenge which took place at the Eddie Smith Field House. The meet had many high profiled athletes not only from North Carolina, but also many from out of state.

The day started out bright and early at 9:30a.m. with the men’s and women’s 4x800 meter relay. The Apex girls 4x800 have already qualified for the State meet but were looking to improve their time. The relay consisted of seniors Hannah Barefoot and Sarah Wotus, junior Cara Gaudioso, and sophomore Kylie Hofmeister. They ran a season-best 10:16 which puts them at NC #9 and only six seconds behind the school record. The girls finished second behind Leesville Road who blew away the field running 9:39.  The men’s side was a little different as the boys, seniors Wyatt Miller, Jacob Townsend, and Anthony Gavazzi, and junior Lawson Benfield, were looking to break the qualifying time for the State meet of 8:35. It was a quick relay and Apex came up short running 8:37 and finishing 7th. They will have one more chance next week to get into the State Meet at the David Oliver Invitational.