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UGA fans act irresponsibly during exciting
game
BY ELIZABETH BLEAKLEY
Saturday I attended an equally thrilling and infamous University
of Georgia football game. I got lucky; two season tickets were
just handed to me. I ended up going downtown at about nine that
morning to watch the UGA band rehearse, and some people were
already tailgating (or, to put it another way, drinking). I went
home after watching an excellent band practice and came back
about an hour and or two before the game started to find sufficient
parking.
The fraternity yards we passed during our one-mile voyage to
Sanford Stadium were littered with bottles. An intoxicated group
of guys started yelling a spontaneous and dull-witted, "Who
let the Dawgs out?!" to anyone who walked by. Pre-game festivities
as usual.
The game itself was rather exciting, since a UGA victory over
Tennessee had not occurred since 1988. The score was 21-10 with
about 1:30 left in the fourth quarter. Suddenly, students started
jumping walls (one person did this with crutches in each hand)
to get down to the field level. Then they started leaping over
(and destroying) the hedges to get on the field during the game.
With great disrespect, some started to rush the field and hang
on the goal posts during the play. "Get off the field!"
the crowd shouted. They were in fact cleared off, but only ten
seconds before the game was over, a huge wave of students repeated
the act and attacked the goal posts. They came down for the first
time in UGA history, were disassembled, passed up the stands
and out the doors, and paraded throughout downtown that night.
I must admit, my dad and I were both cheering and having a blast
watching the anarchy. He said, "I have never seen a game
like this in my life, and you may never again either."
The next day, I picked up the Sunday paper to see the front page
illustrated with scenes of a trashed field, ripped-out seats,
and the famous hedges mostly ruined. The estimated repair cost
is at $80,000. Also, a girl had been injured and taken to the
hospital during the on-field chaos. While we were having a fun
time, people got reckless and someone was injured. Buying a ticket
to a game does not mean you have the right to destroy property
and interrupt the game.
I know that the level of excitement was electric, but I do not
think it is a reasonable excuse to be careless. Looking back,
I realize that in a memorable victory against an old rival, many
UGA fans acted irresponsibly and were an embarrassment to their
team and themselves.
'Vend
happy'
BY ARRIE BROWN
"You wanna go to the snack machines with me?" "Will
you trade your straight dollar for my crumpled dollar? The machine
won't take mine." "Can I borrow a quarter? I want an
ice cream." "Ack! It took my money!"
Sound familiar? If you're a high school student, it probably
does. Every day kids venture down the halls into the gym lobby
or out in the area between the new hall and old buildings to
pop their change into a vending machine. It's a good idea in
theory, but it's starting to get ridiculous.
When I was a freshman, we had two drink machines and a snack
machine. When they would be "out of product," we would
be out of luck. Slowly but surely they started adding more-a
PowerAde/Fruitopia machine, three (really cool) vacuum-powered
chip machines, two new candy machines and an ice cream machine.
So what's wrong with that?
Nothing, if you want the whole school to be unhealthy and fat.
Let's take a look inside these wonders of modern technology,
shall we?
First machine: Sodas. Flavored sugar water. Oh, how healthy.
Now, I admit it. I am addicted to Cherry Coke. But 180 empty
calories, twice a day, five days a week, really adds up.
Second machine: Chips. Yum, fried potato mush. Or corn mush,
whichever is your preference. Once again, I love my Doritos,
but some people think a bag of Lays constitutes a balanced meal.
"Hey, potatoes are a vegetable!"
Third machine: Candy. Ah, my favorite machine. Nothin' but chocolate,
caramel, peanuts, nougat and peanut butter. Hungry? Why wait?
Grab a Snickers bar. Or how about eating a tablespoon of lard?
Same nutritional value.
Fourth machine: Ice cream. Yah! Heart attack on a stick. But
oh, how I love peering through the glass window, watching the
vacuum suck up my toffee bar and drop it into the padded area.
It's fascinating.
I know, it sounds like I'm completely contradicting myself, and
maybe I am. I love the vending machines just as much as the next
person, and yet I'm sitting here saying that they're going to
make the school fat. But I'm merely making an observation of
the student body, of which I am a part. And I know I'm not going
to do anything about it, because, frankly, I like junk food.
I'm a teenager, after all.
Talking about food has made me hungry. Anybody got a dollar I
can borrow?
Nader,
the underdog at the 2000 election
BY JONATHAN COLE
A government of, by, and for the people ... not monied interests.
That's Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader's campaign
slogan. The underdog of the 2000 election, Nader has run his
entire campaign on public funding, as opposed to Democrat Al
Gore and Republican George Bush, who fueled their campaigns with
funding by corporate America. In speaking out against big corporations
and for the power of the middle class of America, he has caused
the corporations that sponsor the presidential debates to simply
look past him.
The attendees of the Democratic National Convention and the Republican
National Convention were mostly the same people, meaning the
same corporations donated the same amount of money to both parties,
suggesting they will get the same millions of dollars in corporate
welfare and tax returns no matter who wins. Nader's campaign
was fueled entirely by the public, signifying that millions of
dollars are spent wisely in the interest of the people. The same
corporations are the ones sponsoring the presidential debates,
so logically, why would they want to invite Nader?
Nader's trade reform includes withdrawing from the NAFTA and
the WTO, and negotiating new agreements that put the interests
of workers, consumers and the environment above those of multinational
corporations. He also promises to provide full medical coverage
to all Americans, whereas right now over 40 million Americans
remain insecure.
A 66-year-old native of Winstead, Conn., Nader graduated magna
cum laude from Princeton in 1955 and from Harvard Law School
in 1958. He went straight into law upon graduation but gave up
the profession in 1963 to become a professional citizen. He has
since had many articles published exposing everything from GM's
unsafe automobile designs to the ingredients of a hot dog. His
first government job was at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington,
D.C., and he has since worked for and founded many organizations
that have been responsible for myriad federal consumer protection
laws. Of these organizations, the most notable was the Public
Citizen (http://www.publiccitizen.org), which he founded in 1971.
Over the years, Nader has proved that he supports an honest,
accountable government for and by the people and if elected,
he will have it no other way. Though he many not get the coverage
that Bush and Gore get, he is still a worthy contender in the
presidential race. Don't forget about Ralph Nader on election
day.
Visit http://www.votenader.org or more information.
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Y-Club holds second meeting
BY WENDY TILLER
On Wednesday, October 11, the Y-Club held their second meeting
of the year.
Y-Club helps with school and community projects. For this month,
they are raising money during spirit week with the annual spirit
chain contest between grade levels. They are going to the Family
Fair to work and play with the children there. They are also
preparing for the upcoming shoe box drive. More information will
be given by Y-Club members in their newsletters.
With a lot of snacks, singing and learning, the members always
have a great time together. Anyone interested in joining Y-Club
should talk to Mrs. Jones. They plan to meet again next month.
Mrs. Conwell - Not just another carbon
copy
By SARA DUCEATT
Traveling, being a mother and grandmother, staying involved in
sports, and having a job where you can still have a great effect
on the lives of students. Sound to good to be true? Well, it's
not.
Mrs. Edna Conwell has traveled all over the United States and
Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean, and Hawaii and Canada. She
hopes to go to Alaska one day. Mrs. Conwell has two children
and four grandchildren.
She also helps in sports by taking tickets at baseball and softball
games. Mrs. Conwell said, "The reason I spend time with
baseball and softball is because I feel that as long as the students
are involved in sports they don't have time to get into trouble."
At MCHS Mrs. Conwell is the copy person. She has done this for
five years. Before she took on this endless job she taught study
halls, worked in Special Education, and helped students in reading
and spelling. Mrs. Conwell has been at MCHS for 28 years.
Mrs. Conwell is an asset to MCHS and we could not do without
her. She says she enjoys working with the teachers and children
very much and she is not planning to retire anytime soon.
A hectic week lies ahead for MCHS students
BY ELIZABETH BLEAKLEY
Due to some poorly done scheduling, homecoming and exams fall
within the same three days this year. This week will prove to
be hectic a one for MCHS students. Depending on their performance
and attendance in classes this quarter, students have the opportunity
to exempt exams. Several of us will be "forgetting"
to set our alarm clocks correctly on Wednesday or Thursday, coming
down with mysterious two-day illness, or "accidentally"
thinking it is the weekend already. The rest of us will be doing
some last-minute cramming on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
On top of all of this stress, final preparations are being made
for homecoming this week. The battle of hall decorations rages
on until Wednesday at 6 p.m. as people race around to put the
final touches on their South Pacific style halls. Also, the student
council decorating committees will dedicate time to put our field
and gym in top shape for the homecoming dance. The supreme procrastinators
are just now asking for dates, searching for the perfect dress,
or finalizing plans for after the homecoming dance on Friday
as the football team gets psyched up for the game.
Good luck to all MCHS students during a stressful, yet fun week.
Spirit
week planned
BY ASHLEY MULLINS
Spirit week is one of the longstanding traditions that comes
along with homecoming. Every year there is the traditional Hat/College
Day on Monday, and the County/Camouflage Day was on Tuesday.
This year we had Pajama Day (as long as it did not infringe on
the dress code) on Wednesday. Thursday will be Tropical Day to
go along with the theme of Homecoming, which was South Pacific/Tropical
Paradise. On Friday we all wore our red and gray to support our
Raiders as they played Wesleyan that night. We all had a good
time seeing everyone dressing up to show their spirit.
DCT Student of the Week: Trevor Smith
BY JONATHON COLE
Trevor Smith, a senior at MCHS, is currently working as a bagger
at Ingles in Commerce. He gets to school at 8 a.m. and leaves
at 10:30 to go work. For this native of Danielsville, driving
to Commerce every day might seem a hassle but is more than worth
it for the money and the freedom of leaving school early.
Sean Ratcliff, Trevor's supervisor, described him as a hard worker
who is great with customers. DCT has been beneficial to the store
by providing it with many good kids who need work. They start
the kids out as baggers and they climb the ladder over time.
Promotions are awarded to hard-working and dependable employees
who show up every day and aren't late. They are done within the
store and Trevor hopes to become a store manager someday.
Mosseri is a hardworking student
BY WENDY TILLER
Sarah Mosseri, a junior at MCHS, is a very dedicated and hard-working
student. She is a member of multi-cultural club and takes honors
classes. Sarah is also a defensive player for the school's soccer
team. To keep her skills fresh for the soccer team, Sarah is
a member of a club soccer team. Being on a club soccer team at
Athens United gives her the opportunity to play on a soccer team
when it is not soccer season. They get to play with other people
from all over the state. As a result of all of her hard work
and dedication to the team, Sarah was named the JV captain last
year and was awarded the Most Valuable Player award.
Sarah has a job at the Madison County Recreation Department scorekeeping
and working in the concession stands. This allows her the extra
money to do what she loves doing most, going out with her friends
on the weekends. She is also an assistant coach for a children's
soccer team at the Recreation Department.
Sarah is a member of the youth group at Colbert Baptist Church.
She loves all of the singing they do at church.
She remarked, "I really enjoy going to church on Wednesday
nights because I always receive a blessing there. The atmosphere
is great and the songs are so powerful."
Her future dream is to become a therapist. Besides the honors
classes that she is taking, Sarah is a peer mediator at MCHS.
The peer mediation program was formed to help students talk their
problems out with other students. This gives her a slight taste
of what therapy would be like. As for now, Sarah remarks, "I
am expecting this year to bring a lot of new experiences. I am
really excited!"
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