Jessica Dorcelien Staff Writer Apex High School will be implementing its Writing Center beginning on Nov. 10 in room 607 during first lunch and 609 during second lunch and afterschool. Led by students who have been recommended by their teachers as having strong writing and communication skills, the program’s student volunteers will aid others in “becoming more comfortable with sharing their ideas and more confident in their [writing] abilities”. The student-run program, aided by advisors Emily Whitsett and Emily Collis, will be available for twenty-minute sessions during both lunches and after school until 3:15 on Tuesdays. Taylor Tyson Staff Writer R.I.P. to the Twitter favorite. As of Nov. 3, 2015, Twitter has changed all of its star-shaped favorite buttons to a heart-shaped like button. From polls (where one can poll friends about two topics) to moments (where one can catch up on the latest trending news), Twitter has expanded immensely in the past few months since Jack Dorsey’s promotion. However, the most influential change thus far has been the switch-over from favorites to likes. Alyssa Hotchkiss Staff Writer This October, there were many 5k runs, but the one that stood out the most was a run founded by a student at Apex High. Junior Anna Parrish founded a 5k run raising awareness towards mental illness. Six months ago Parrish had opened an online funding account to collect donations. There were sixty-five volunteers, and one hundred seventy-two runners and walkers that participated in the event. The two organizations that will receive the estimated $4,000 each in proceeds are: NAMI of Wake County, the Triangle advocacy and support branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention program for lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and questioning people. McKenzie Feldman Staff Writer Are you constantly feeling worn out due to lack of sleep? Even though you cannot control all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, here are some effective tips on getting better rest. Official Press Release TAC TITANS swimmer Morgan Montgomery has verbally committed to swim for the University of Vermont. She plans to study nursing at one of the oldest schools in the nation. Montgomery excels at backstroke, and helped the TAC TITANS women’s 400 Medley relay come in 16th place in the USA Swimming Jr. Nationals competition this summer. She is excited to keep practicing and competing this year before she heads out next fall to train with Women’s Swimming & Diving Head Coach Gerry Cournover and his staff in Burlington. Although Morgan is a Vermont native, she moved to Raleigh at 3 years old and started swimming in Raleigh’s popular summer league when she was only 4. “She began swimming year-round at age 8 and never looked back,” her mom says. Combining high grades and elite swimming is challenging, but Montgomery’s dedication as a student-athlete has been key to her success all along. Founded in 1791, UVM’s education is so highly regarded, it’s considered a “public Ivy league” school. After Montgomery’s official visit, she knew this was the right place for her, "I fell in love with everything about the school and town. Burlington is such a cool place. I'm so excited that I get to study and do what I love with an amazing team and group of coaches next fall. Go cats go!!" Montserrat Rivera Staff Writer To some, it comes as no surprise that meat is not good for you. Vegetarians and vegans have been saying for years that meat is bad, not just health wise but morally. On Oct. 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced, processed meats (hot dogs, bacon, sausages, etc.) are linked to causing colorectal cancer. Red meat also has the possibility to cause higher risk in pancreatic and prostate cancer. Their risk of causing cancer is so high that the WHO placed processed meats in the same category as smoking. Kenison Garratt Editor-in-Chief and A&E Editor Scientists at Ohio State University have succeeded in growing a near perfect embryonic human brain. Researchers have been making brain organoids for less than a decade, and already they have succeeded in the creation of an organoid containing ninety eight percent of cells existing in the brain of a human fetus at five weeks. In 2011 an embryonic brain was grown by Madeline Lancaster, a scientist at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, but Ohio State’s organoids are different because they have most of the brain parts. These “mini brains,” grown in petri dishes from skin cells, are just scraps of tissue between two and three millimeters long, and yet they will be incredibly helpful in drug testing and treatments against disorders and diseases. Taylor Tyson Staff Writer Where words fail, emojis take their place, proving the aphorism: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” About a week ago, Apple released software update, iOS 9.1. For many Apple fans, this update meant better software and increased app productivity on their iPhone or iPad. However, for students at Apex High, the update was all about the emojis. From nerd faces to unicorns to tacos, emojis have become a part of teenagers’ everyday lingo. Releasing “over 150 new emojis,” according to Forbes, Apple is really stepping up their game. Don’t have an iPhone? Don’t fret; Apple’s got you covered. According to Forbes, Apple’s new emojis have “full support for Unicode 7.0 and 8.0 emojis.” That means that Android users can also see these new emojis, eventually. For Android users who just can’t wait, the app, Emoji Switcher, can help one see the emojis in no time. Even while on a Dell computer, one can view various emojis such as the comet and shamrock symbols. Apple really knew what they were doing with their emojis this time but why the long wait? In July, when news leaked that new emojis were on their way, Apple had just proposed a list of emojis to be “approved by the Unicode Consortium,” according to Digital Trends. Apple strategically perfected the emojis following their iPhone 6S press release, leaving many iPhone users on edge. Nick Stines Staff Writer On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Deputy Ben Fields threw a thirteen year-old African-American girl on the floor and across the room and put her in handcuffs at Spring Valley High School, South Carolina. The girl was disrupting the class, preventing the students to learn and the teacher to teach. She was asked several of times to stop beforehand. In South Carolina, it is unlawful to willfully or unnecessarily disrupt students and teachers. It is a misdemeanor offense that can amount up to $1,000 or ninety days in county jail. The girl now has neck and back injuries, a cast on her arm, and forehead rug burn. Emily Sartin Staff Writer Adele has continually left everyone awestruck with her powerful ballads that never fail to break records or win awards. Over the course of her career, Adele has won ten Grammys, four MTV awards, one Golden Globe, and one Academy Award. She has even broken the record for solo female artist by staying at number one for eleven weeks in the US with her sophomore album 21, which sold eleven million copies in the US alone, making it the biggest-selling record this decade. It has been four years since the release of 21, and Adele is saying “Hello” with the first single from her upcoming album 25. “Hello” is a powerfully chilling ballad that leaves you unconsciously singing and dancing along. It is a full volume, cruising-down-the-highway kind of song. It gradually builds to a climactic chorus with Adele belting out an apology to her former lover. The entire song relays feelings to which everyone can relate. Adele explained that, “It’s about friends, ex-boyfriends, it’s about myself, it’s about my family.” The relatability of “Hello” is further enhanced by the authenticity of the song as Adele’s commanding voice is not overproduced like many songs today. The video for “Hello” broke the record for most views in the first twenty four hours with 27.7 million views, beating Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood,” which had 20.1 million views when it was released in May. The momentum has not slowed with nearly 195 million views currently. Adele’s new album, 25, will be released on Nov. 20. Adele describes the new album as a “record about getting older and becoming nostalgic. It’s about what was, what is, what might have been. It’s about missing things that you had no idea were so precious…” Judging by the success of “Hello,” 25 has many awards on the horizon. |
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