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| Reyn Graves |
by Claudia Middleton
Reyn Graves, sophomore and first year journalism student, is an adventurous soul. Her "willing-to-try-anything" mindset is complimented by a very optimistic outlook on failure.
"I love to ride horses," said Graves. "This past summer I was a wrangler in training at Camp Merriwether."
Graves spent time this summer not only riding horses, but falling off of them too.
"It's part of the experience. By the time you're on the ground, all you can say is 'oh well' then you just have to get up again," said Graves.
Reyn's "camp name" was Allegro, an allusion to her love of music. She plays the flute and the cello, and is an active member of Chamblee's marching band, when she's not binge-watching Netflix or figuring out how to play lacrosse.
"I just love trying new things. If I had to describe myself in one word, it would be adventurous," said Graves.
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| Caroline Kim |
Presenting the Girl of Many Qualities
by Michelle Serrano
When one thinks of an individual who likes the news, one might picture someone dull. However, a new member of the journalism staff this year does not fit into this category.
Multi-faceted sophomore Caroline Kim is not your average news junkie.
Kim is deeply interested in journalism; consequently, she likes to watch the news and would like to possibly pursue a career in journalism in the future.
“My mom would always keep the news on when cooking and eating dinner,” said Kim. “As soon as I could actually understand what the reporters were talking about, I was hooked.”
Besides her interest in journalism, Kim likes to cook and bake. Although she enjoys cooking food, she has trouble deciding which food is her favorite.
“Everything has a different flavor and trying to choose a favorite food is like trying to decide if German is a better language than French,” said Kim. “It’s completely different, so you can’t choose a better one.”
Despite not being a people person Kim is good with groups of people, if the situation presented itself.
Kim’s favorite music genre is alternative (with a growing obsession for German pop music). She played the guitar for about 10 years. Although she has love for music, Kim quit playing the guitar thinking that she was not as good as others.
Her father’s Korean heritage encouraged her to learn the language, due to her father not knowing the language fluently.
“My dad practically only spoke Korean at home until he was in the third grade because of issues at school,” said Kim. “Now he can’t really remember a lot of words or phrases. So, it’s impossible for him to teach me.”
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| Dickinson, Emma |
Sophomore Diverges from Status Quo
by Marc Sheinman
Emma Dickinson, a sophomore in the Blue and Gold newspaper staff, surprises many with hobbies such as bird watching or “My Little Pony”. Dickinson is a new member of the newspaper staff, and many have noted her as unique and ambitious. She is very active in the marching band, and has aspirations to be a professional musician.
“In ten years, I hope to be at a music conservatory, maybe Indiana,” said Dickinson.
Her interest in music is quite serious, with influences from her parents competing with influences from her band director, Tonya Mitchell.
“I’d like the keep ornithology as just a hobby, but my parents want me to do that as a career because music performance isn’t very consistent. They [Indiana] have one of the best music programs in the country, and my band director went there as well,” said Dickinson.
Her passions include “My Little Pony”, Netflix, and awareness of mental diseases.
“I’ll get heated over the existence of mental diseases,” said Dickinson. “Many people have the idea that mental diseases don’t exist, or they try to hide them, but they’re a real thing.”
Though Dickinson is serious and intense about some issues, she is also known to have some humorous responses to questions.
“Tom Kenny, or really any sexy black man could narrate a movie of my life, but Emma Watson would definitely play the lead role,” said Dickinson.
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| Erin Woo |
The Girl Who Wants to Become a Novelist
by Onna Biswas
For the year 2014-2015 there were new sophomores,
juniors, as well as a few seniors that were accepted to journalism. One of them
is a sophomore girl named Erin Woo.
Woo was born into a Chinese family on July 14, 1999.
She is the eldest daughter of the three: Megan who is 11 and Caeley who is
nine.
Woo is a type of girl who can get an attitude when
needed, otherwise she is pretty calm and quiet. She is shy at first, but once
she gets to know someone very well she is free to them.
Before Woo joined journalism, she was not sure if
she would be able to get accepted or if she would be able to handle the amount
of work done in the class. But when she read one of the articles in the paper
from last year, she was impressed. Therefore, she decided to give it a try.
“When I found out that I was accepted into
journalism, I was extremely happy,” said Woo.
Even though Woo is excited about being accepted to
journalism, she concluded that she has some fears that she hopes to conquer.
“I have a fear of public speaking,” said Woo, “I
don’t like it.”
Not only does she fear of public speaking she also
does not like working with hypocrites or working in groups.
“I just hope that I do well in journalism,” said
Woo. “I also plan on continuing the class throughout my high school year.”
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| Noa Benveniste |
Soccer
Player Tackles Journalism
by
William Linde
Noa
Benveniste’s forte has always been soccer. She has been playing since she was
four and a half and joined the girls Varsity team as a freshman.
Now, as
a sophomore, she is expanding her opportunities by joining Journalism.
“I
wanted to join Journalism so that I could learn to become a better writer,”
said Benveniste.
Benveniste
will be a valuable addition to the school newspaper. Her passion for helping
people, she wants to work in medicine later in life, will definitely express
itself in her work for the school paper.
Outside
of school she enjoys rock climbing and has a dog named Shai, who she adopted
from the Humane Society.
“We were allowed to take him into
their little yard, and after sniffing around a little bit, he came and sat down
between my brothers legs. After that we knew he was the dog for us,” said
Benveniste.
Her favorite childhood memory was
coming down with Swine flu at sleep away camp.
“Nobody believes me when I say that
having Swine flu at camp was fun,” she said. “Sure, when I was sick I missed
some fun camp activities, but I was sick with a bunch of my friends and we
watched movies and ate popsicles all day.”
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| KT Hoovestol |
Atten-hut: Clarinetist Discovers Comradery amongst
the Marching Band
by Sierra Reese
Football games tend to draw the largest crowds out
of all sporting events. Students attend the games for various reasons such as a
love of the sport, to hang out with friends, or general entertainment. Halftime
entertainment is provided by the marching band. These performances usually
incite excitement and school spirt amongst the crowd.
Katherine Hoovestol, a sophomore, joined marching
band her freshman year and has loved it ever since. She not only enjoys the
performance aspect of marching band, but also likes being on a team.
“I like marching band because of the relationships you
build,” said Hoovestol.
During the summer, matching band members attend a
band camp at Rock Eagle. While there, members learn the fundamentals of
marching and engage in various activities that allow them to learn more about
each other.
“[At band camp], you build relationships with other
students which is useful when entering high school,” said Hoovestol.
Since she plays a variety of team sports, Hoovestool
understands the importance of each member of a team. However, she believes that
each individual member is crucial to the marching band and cannot be easily
repaced.
“When I play soccer, I know that someone else can
play my position just as well or even better than me,” said Hoovestol. “In
band, no one marches the same way. Everyone tries to do their best to perform
their own unique role.”
Hoovestol has gained confidence from participating
in the marching band. She is able to hold conversations with strangers and
befriend them.
“Marching band made me realize just how important it
is to be dedicated to something. That really transfers over to other aspects of
my life,” said Hoovestol.
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| Hannah Rosen |
Junior
Displays Love for Salsa and Tennis
by
Aurora Blumberg
Hannah Rosen,
at about five feet even, may seem shy at first but has been called a “silent
assassin” by Chamblee’s tennis coach, Christopher Smith. She has been a member
of the varsity tennis team since her freshman year and she is a cross-country
runner.
More
recently, Rosen is coping with the loss of former cross-country coach and
literature teacher Brett Belcher.
“The
only reason I am staying is because I’ve done cross country for half of my high
school career and I figured I should finish the other two years,” said Rosen.
While
she is adjusting to cross country becoming a much more intensive sport, she
leaves time for fun. When she is not hanging out with her friends on the
weekends, Rosen is spending her time making salsa.
“The
salsa idea came from when we would go stay at our lake house, because my mom
and I would pick tons of tomatoes and would have nothing to do with them,” said
Rosen.
When
searching for a stress reliever from sports and the academic workload of junior
year, Rosen turns to Netflix, specifically Grey’s Anatomy.
“I am
such a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, that it sparked my interest in taking human
anatomy this year. I have seen every episode, and they used all these technical
terms, so the class is helping understand the lingo on the show better,” said
Rosen.
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| Obi Alegbeleye |
Conflict in the
World Sparks Interest in Journalism
by Miriam
Chisholm
High school students
typically spend their time outside of school watching television or using
various social networks. This does not hold true for Obi Alegebeleye.
News enthusiast, Obi
enjoys spending time using news outlets such as CNN to inform himself of conflict
inside the United States as well as in regions such as Africa and the Middle
East.
His interest for news
truly began, when he learned more about the tragic events that occurred on
September 11th.
News is only one of his
many interests. He enjoys math, history, literature, and science. Obi is
especially interested in climate change and important politicians such as
Barrack Obama.
“Obama has made a
difference in this world,” said Alegebeleye. “His involvement in the war in the
Middle East has also fueled my interest in politics and news.”
Despite his interest in
news and academics, he would like to become a pastor. Although Obi would like
to become a pastor of a Baptist church, he still looks up to President Barrack
Obama as a role model.
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| William Linde |
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| Manna Zelealem |
Uniqueness Strikes Again
by Noa Benveniste
A personality is made up of quirks and talents.
William Linde, a junior, is anything but mainstream. His hobbies, ambitions, skills, and goals, together create an interesting combination.
Although he loves a nice teal, Linde’s real favorite color is purple. He has been a night owl since birth, probably due to the fact that he was born just minutes before midnight. In spite of living in Atlanta his whole life, Linde’s prefers colder weather, and hopes to someday live in Finland or even Iceland.
When he’s got some extra time on his hands, you can find Linde in the kitchen cooking. His favorite dish to make is mouthwatering pasta with pesto and goat cheese. Linde also enjoys eating pistachio ice cream and watching his favorite cartoon, Tom and Jerry.
“I actually like Tom better than Jerry because, nobody likes Tom, even though he is just doing his job”, said Linde.
Junior
Embarks on Journalism Path
by
Aurora Blumberg
Manna
Zelealem, 16, a junior at Chamblee Charter High School made the exciting decision
of joining journalism for the 2014-2015 school year.
Zelealem,
a former Belieber, who once passed Justin Bieber in a hallway, has changed her
tune.
“I used
to love him and thought one day I would marry him,” said Zelealem. “I realized there
was more to life than Justin Bieber.”
While this is a good life decision, Zelealem still
claims that Justin Bieber and model Ashley Moore and herself would make up her
ultimate selfie.
When she
is not crushing on celebrities, she develops small crushes on teachers. Former Chamblee
teacher Engsberg takes the win.
“At the beginning
of the year, I slick had a crush on him,” said Zelealem.
Junior
year can be very stressful for high school students, but Zelealem stays alert
by sipping her latest addiction, mocha coffees from Starbucks.
“ They
are my latest addiction along with chocolate chip cookies from Quick Trip,”
said Zelealem.
Zelealem
has an outgoing personality, which she hopes to utilize when interviewing
people.
“I am
really looking forward to journalism, and hope I learn a lot,” said Zelealem.
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| Alex Bragan, Editorials Editor |
Senior Finds His Happiness over Summer
Break
by Megan Carey
When most people go on summer vacation,
they look forward to parties, summer shopping, trips to the beach, swimming, or
all the time they will get to spend with friends. However, for senior Alex Bragan,
summer means a lot more.
Bragan began his first few weeks of summer
as most high schoolers would.
“I tried to cram in as much fun and
partying as possible,” said Bragan.
This summer was different. This summer,
Bragan would be attending four weeks of Governor’s Honors Program [GHP] at Valdosta
State University. There, he studied communicative arts, like poetry, writing,
and film.
“Basically, GHP was an incredible
experience where all sorts of intelligent people came together and existed for
four weeks at Valdosta State,” said Bragan. “It was enriching, fulfilling, and
eye opening.”
For Bragan, he had been sort of dreading
the experience as essentially a second school year, only in miniature form.
However, he found himself pushing himself to work harder and attributes his
success to the people.
“I made lifelong friends,” said Bragan. “I
learned how to be happy.”
In the future, Bragan hopes to take what he
learned at Valdosta State to “improve my writing and ability as a storyteller.”
After his return from GHP, Bragan really
tried to keep up the “go get ‘er” attitude GHP instilled in him. For the
conclusion of his summer, he went on a couple of what he called “urban
adventures.” This entails going to explore downtown Atlanta through
photography.
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| Aurora Blumberg, News Editor |
The
Political Dawn of Aurora Blumberg
by
Manna Zelealem
If
Chamblee Charter High School senior Aurora Blumberg could take a selfie with
anyone in the world, it would be with Grumpy Cat and Teddy Roosevelt.
“I
love cats,” said Blumberg. “And Teddy Roosevelt is one of the top five hottest
presidents.”
Blumberg
has an attraction to politicians, specifically Jason Carter, the grandson of
former President Jimmy Carter and the Democratic candidate for the Georgia
gubernatorial election.
Blumberg
isn’t only attracted to politicians. She has a history with politics herself.
“In
the sixth grade, I got in trouble for putting Obama stickers on the front of my
locker,” said Blumberg.
Most
sixth graders don’t have political views past that of their parents, but
Blumberg developed a few of her own.
“I
saw [Obama] bringing a lot of change, which I thought the country needed right
after Bush,” said Blumberg. “Recently, I’ve been disappointed with the job he’s
doing. I think he needs to make stronger decisions and be more precise.”
Blumberg
currently holds office as president of the Interact Club, a community service
organization. However, one day she’d like to go into politics for herself.
“I
definitely know I want a career in politics,” said Blumberg. “I’ve just always
had an interest in it.”
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| Claudia Middleton |
Senior Finds Joy in Volunteer Work
by Reyn Graves
High school is a great time to try new clubs,
sports, and classes, and senior Claudia Middleton is doing just that. In her
four years at Chamblee High School, she has joined everything from Interact to debate
to Student Government Association and journalism.
“I’ve dabbled in most everything,” said Middleton.
“I want to experience all that I can in the time that I have.”
Although she loves to try new activities, Interact
has stood out from all the others.
“It has exposed me to so many awesome volunteering
opportunities and people,” said Middleton. “It has been my favorite by far.”
Interact is a service club sponsored by the Chamblee
Rotary Club. The members of this club do various projects around the Chamblee
area, including Habitat for Humanity projects and Trees for Atlanta, and they
assist at many homeless shelters and food banks. They also help with some
Chamblee High School activities such as the Cox Trot.
“I love volunteering,” said Middleton. “I like
making people happy. Bringing joy to another person genuinely brings me
happiness. I also like giving back to the community because I know how lucky am
in my circumstances as a person, and volunteering helps me remember that I
can’t take that for granted.”
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| Michelle Serrano |
Senior
Embodies Immigrant Hope
by Caroline Kim
Around
the United States, the issue of immigration consistently stands among the most
debated. Many reports discuss the effect that immigrants have on the economy,
especially those from Mexico.
However,
many do not include the reason that those immigrants have come to the United
States. Almost all immigrants come to the U.S. for better lives or better
futures for their children, looking for wealth and stability in America.
Michelle
Serrano is one of those children, and she is making the most of her
opportunities.
Serrano
previously lived in Texas City, Texas before moving to Georgia to be closer to
her mother’s family and to
make room for her growing family.
“Those were some of
the best years of my life, I’d
say,” said Serrano. “Small spaces really
bring the family together.”
Her
parents’ biggest wish was
for her and her siblings to prosper from America’s education system. Clearly, Serrano
has grasped that opportunity, being in her last year of high school and second
year of journalism. She’s also embraced
American culture, loving french fries and spaghetti, rock music, and stories
about serial killers.
Even
so, she thanks her parents for raising her so well, saying, “Although there are
many obstacles with having immigrant parents, love and support are not among
them."
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| Onna Biswas |
Chamblee Senior Writes, Dances, and Dreams
by Erin Woo
Most self-described shy students tend to be
quiet. However, this is not the case
with senior Onna Biswas.
Biswas is entering her second year of journalism,
which she said has helped her become a better writer and public speaker.
“My favorite section to write for is the features
because I like getting to learn about people,” said Biswas.
She is also effusive about how her Bangladeshi
heritage has shaped her hobbies. Biswas
has been a Bollywood dancer since she was three, and she performs bharatnatyam,
a type of Indian classical dance, as well.
While Biswas readily admits to her frequent
procrastination, extreme perfectionism, and occasional low self-esteem, she is the
most passionate about her dreams.
Biswas said, “I would love to become wealthy enough
to travel around the world.”
But her ambitions are not limited to helping
herself.
“I want to help poor children get the education they
deserve,” she said. “I want to help
those who don’t have a home.”
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| Miriam Chisholm, Sports Editor |
Soccer Stud Enjoys the Challenge of Juggling
Athletics and Academics
by
Hannah Rosen
When
most Chamblee students think of a student athlete, they think of someone
strictly geared towards his or her sport. Miriam Chisholm is an exception to
this stereotype.
Varsity
soccer player Miriam Chisholm is not only a devoted player, but also a
dedicated student.
“I see
soccer as one of the biggest parts of my life, but regardless of my
participation in soccer, school will always come first,” said Chisholm.
Between
managing soccer and four advanced placement classes, she does not have time for
many other activities. This year one of her priorities is to get involved with
more clubs that will help her with her future. These opportunities will help
her to be more inapt when she goes into the field of medicine.
“I want
to be a pediatric oncologist, so being in anatomy will help me,” said
Chisholm.
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| Marc Sheinman |
Sheinman Scores his Passion
by
Emma Dickinson
Music
usually occupies a small part in every high school student's mind, but for Marc
Sheinman, music holds a special place in his life.
The
usual monotony of school work is made up by music. His primary
hobby is listening to music and composing music for personal enjoyment.
Sheinman's music tastes are also very versatile.
"I
grew up in a household that always played classic rock and roll,” said
Sheinman. “My brother got into blues, and I later got into hip-hop, jazz and
R&B. I have been introduced to all different genres."
Sheinman
finds music enjoyable and alluring, not only to listen to, but because of its
universality and vastness.
He
has also found journalism compelling, and not just for the glamour of
writing. His mother is a huge influence.
"My
mom used to be a journalist, but she quit when she had me, and her job always
intrigued me," said Sheinman.
Sheinman
has participated in many interesting activities throughout high school and he
plans on continuing his new experiences after he graduates.
"My
aspiration is to keep all options open to interesting lines of work," said
Sheinman.
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| Elmo Mobley |
High School Senior Shoots for the Stars
by Hannah Wilborn
When asked, many high school students will tell you
that they do not know what they want to do after college. Then again, same may
have big plans for their future, like senior Imani (Elmo) Mobley, who has
always known what she wants to do with her life.
“After I finish college, I want to be come and
editorial assistant. I hate finding mistakes in books and when I graduate
[college], I want to be the person to fix them,” said Mobley.
Mobley is quite enthusiastic when it comes to
reading. “My favorite genre is really anything that keeps the reader thinking,”
said Mobley.
While reading is one of her favorite hobbies, Mobley
also enjoys the Japanese stylistic art of Manga. Along with Manga, she also
appreciates Anime as well as the many wonders of Tumblr.
Her drive in these many subjects is also evident
through her love of the French language.
“I have three years of French under my belt. I just
love the language and I’m not even sure why,” said Mobley. “Someday, I’m going
to visit France. I really just want to immerse myself in the language and the
culture.”
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| Sierra Reese, Features Editor |
Senior Leading Social Justice Crusade
by Katherine Hoovestol
Senior Sierra Reese does not watch cartoons; instead she prefers to watch horror movies.
“You don’t really have to watch them to know what’s going on,” said Reese
When it comes to the subject of social justice, however, Reese definitely wants to know what’s going on.
A self-proclaimed feminist, Reese strongly believes in not only equality, but justice for everyone, no matter what race or gender. Reese blogs about this in her free time, and has cultivated a massive following on the popular social media site Tumblr. Even though she is also interested in the social status of people of color and women of any race, Reese has a particular interest in one group.
“Women of color have the lowest status in society as of now,” said Reese. “People our age and even younger need to be educated about social inequalities and injustices. Only then, can we work toward changing the conditions within our society.”
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| Hannah Wilborn |
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| Megan Carey, Photography Editor |
