Meenakshi Sathish Editor-in-Chief The earliest early action and decision deadlines are coming up within the next two weeks. Some seniors are prepared for this while others still have not gotten the memo about what Common App is. My grievances go out to those who are writhing in the pain of stress, but hope is not lost. Finishing, or starting for some people, college applications may seem like an impossible task given the small window of time, but nothing is possible and thinking so is not helping anyone. The best way to start knocking down things that need to be done is by creating a list of things to do. Here is a list of things a senior must do before sending off college applications. Create a Common App account: The great thing about Common App is that if you plan on applying to seven different schools, you don’t have to write out seven different applications. With the Common App the questions that every college needs are all put on one page, and they are all sent off to all the colleges of choice with the click of one button. On this site, the applier can also request recommendations, and write their essays. It is so easy that a baby could do it. With an account on Common App, the rest is pretty self-explanatory, and half the battle is done. One of my recommendations is either sit down with your parent(s), or give them the username and password, so they can fill out some of the questions that you may not know the answer to like questions regarding their employer or income tax. However not all schools are the Common App website. If it is not on the Common App, you can apply on CFNC (if the college is within the state), or chances are that they have their own admissions portal of their website. Call the admissions counselor if you are still lost on where to apply. If you feel like a college resume would better you application, get right to starting/finishing that up as well. Prioritize your colleges This is a little more applicable to those who started their applications earlier but is still nevertheless important. It is also especially important if you are the person who is applying to a good number of schools (ten and up). Figure out, highlight, and star the deadlines of each college, and know what they are each expecting. Many colleges require different supplements than others, and it is important to organize what you need from each school. Diligently plan out the order in which you complete each application, so you are not freaking out at the last minute. Meenakshi Sathish Editor-in-Chief It’s unfair that our generation is being called disappointed and hopeless. I like the Roaring Twenties just like anyone else. I fawn over flapper girl dresses and The Great Gatsby, but please don’t use the term “Lost Generation” on us that Gertrude Stein coined for the young men who came back from war mortified by the world’s violence. It is one thing to call a generation directionless and another to compare them to a generation who were in confusion because all their beliefs were challenged by the amount of bloodshed they saw by the time some of them were eighteen. We are fortunate that many of us won’t ever have to witness that kind of atrocity in our entire lives. Maybe we do prefer finding our own way just like the youth from ninety-six years ago. However, I am not apologizing for my generation because we like to grow into adults as opposed to flipping a switch to turn into one. The Great Recession and the daunting professional competition have not made it easy for Millennials to make it into the work force. While still experiencing the aftermath of the recession, they are paying off student loans and trying to find ways of making money. Some are working as waiters and bartenders even though many of them have a Master’s degree of some form. Consequently, many Millennials are breaking the stigma and are living with their parents after the age of eighteen and pushing off marriage. Actress Chloe Sevigny pities our generation as she says, “I feel sorry for the kids today. It’s all too much,” but is it actually that bad? Because they push off marriage, individuals are now marrying because they actually enjoy the other person’s company rather than marrying for the purpose of just marrying. They are focusing their energy on making money, so they can get their finance in order; they are taking the time to discover themselves and learn what they want from life. Youths don’t get jobs out of nowhere and have to work harder than maybe their parents or grandparents did so they learn the power of hard work. Our generation is learning the importance and power of sweat. Having to be financially accountable, a generation of great budgeters is born. So far, I am not getting a whiff of “directionless” or “hopeless” from my generation. Amelia Borger Staff Writer On Sept. 29, a New Jersey Transit train in Hoboken, New Jersey crashed into the rail station, injuring over one hundred, and fatally injuring one. The train hit the station at full speed and caused extreme damage to the structure. Witnesses said the train overran the stopping point, crashed into the bumper block, and hurtled through the concourse in the terminal. Personal accounts recall being thrown around the train and seeing debris falling from the roof and the concrete. Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, 34, of Hoboken, was killed, the State Medical Examiner's office announced. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said the woman had been standing on the platform and was struck by debris. Thomas Gallagher, who has since been released from the hospital, has said he has no memory of the crash. He said the brakes were working just fine, and the train was only going at ten miles per hour. An event data recorder, which collects information about the train’s speed and braking, was recovered but was not functioning properly. A second data recorder beneath a collapsed part of the train station’s roof has not been recovered yet. Months before the deadly train crash, federal rail officials found dozens of violations during an audit that focused on NJ Transit’s safety and operations, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about an investigation and spoke to the AP anonymously. A Federal Railroad Administration audit was launched, and the federal regulatory agency found “dozens of safety violations” that had to be fixed immediately. The agency has been fined as a result. Since 2011, New Jersey trains have been involved in more than one-hundred fifty accidents and have settled one-hundred eighty-three safety violations. Carlee Lewis Staff Writer In Montreal, Canada, law officials have passed a bill that bans all pit bulls and any dog that looks like a Pit Bull. What caused this law to be passed? A dog registered as a boxer but said by police to be a Pit Bull had attacked and killed a woman four months earlier. The law is called BSL law, meaning “breed-specific legislation”. The law is in effect for the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, and any dog with any percentage of those breeds in its DNA. It states that any dog in a shelter or picked up off the street with short hair, medium sized, and a big head is considered a Pit Bull and should be euthanized. If citizens already own one of these dogs, they have to adhere to strict rules. These rules include the owner getting a permit; the dog having to be sterilized, vaccinated, microchipped, and muzzled in public; and a fee paid by the owner. The owners also have to make sure the enclosure at home is a six foot chain link kennel with concrete floors, a lid, and a “vicious dog” sign in front of the kennel. If the owners cannot obey these rules, the dog will be seized and euthanized. Ashton Baysden A&E Editor The Wolfpack received an appearance of presidential proportions; First Lady Michelle Obama appeared and spoke at North Carolina State University on Oct. 4, 2016. Obama’s rally took place at Reynolds Coliseum on NC State’s campus at 3 p.m. following her appearance at the Charlotte Convention Center at noon. She spoke at the local college with the intention of encouraging young adults to vote and advocating for the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Jessica Dorcelien Editor-in-Chief Each year, the American Language Association’s (ALA) Office of Intellectual Freedom collects information from newspapers and individually submitted reports to compose a list of the top ten most frequently challenged books. From 2000 to 2009, there were roughly 5,099 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom. Majority of the challenges were due to their “sexually explicit” material and “offensive language.” Other reasons included violence, homosexuality, Satanic themes, and religious viewpoints. Surprisingly, 119 of these challenged books were due to their depiction of an “anti-family” theme. Amber Hancock-Burns Staff Writer “Together from the top,” is one of the most common phrases that the Apex Orchestra Director Mr. Miller will say. Many people around Apex know that the arts are one of the most featured departments at Apex, along chorus and theater, however not everyone knows that there is an orchestra. It is only one class, not multiple, and is only made up of about thirty-five people. The orchestra is made up of violins, violas (basically a larger violin), cellos, and stand up string basses. With around four to five concerts during a school year, orchestra is constantly working on their music in order to make it as close to perfect as they can. Kendyle Harris, a violinist, says that there is never enough time in the class and that something can always use work. Whether it is a certain section that is unable play their part or a certain piece of music is hard on everyone, something can always be improved on. The director, Mr. Miller says that we could always use more time, but we just don’t have it. McKenzie Feldman Staff Writer Eat. Sleep. Swim. Repeat. Competitive swimmer and Apex High School student, Ana Pozder, has had a rock star year! This summer, Pozder competed in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and her community is so proud! Not only is making it to the Trials a massive achievement on its own, but it does not stop there. Pozder won her heat in the Women’s 800 meter freestyle and made it look so easy! However, what is frequently overlooked is how much dedication and time it took a swimmer, like Pozder, to reach that point. In this interview, Pozder has provided us with a behind the scenes look of what it took to make it to the Trials. Here is an insight into this swimmer’s world! Madeline Rudd Staff Writer After attending the Givenchy Fashion Show reception in Paris, France, on Sunday, Oct. 3, Kim Kardashian West posed for some pictures and got into a “paparazzi proof” van. She traveled with her sister and her bodyguard back to her apartment inside a private exclusive mansion. About two and a half hours later, five men (allegedly) dressed as police entered the luxurious private mansion, at least one armed with a handgun. With low security around the mansion, the men were able to tie up the concierge’s hands and force their way into Kardashian West’s apartment. Held at gunpoint, Kardashian West was forced into the bathroom and was tied up with her mouth gagged. The men then searched around her apartment finding cellphones, a ring worth around $4.49 million, and a jewelry box with an overall worth of $5.6 million. Jessica Dorcelien Editor-in-Chief Ms. Haley Stallworth is this year’s new guidance counselor who handles students with the last name letters ‘Db-J’. Although new this year, Stallworth has some prior experience at both Apex High School and as a guidance counselor. From 2002 to 2003, she served as an intern under former counselor Ms.Harrington, and from 2003 to September of 2007, Stallworth was an official counselor. Stallworth then took some time off to raise her daughter, born in 2007, and then her son, born in 2009, before returning back to AHS. |
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