Newspapers / Grimsley High School Student … / Dec. 3, 1996, edition 1 / Page 3
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^Tue^uCcuff ^eee^H^eft 3f Movie challenges entertainment norm By Lindsey Gulya Reporter Toast hurling through the air, showers of rice, flying rolls of toilet paper, clouds of confetti, and scant ily-clad people. No, it’s not some wild bachelor’s party; it’s the ' Rocky Hor ror Picture Show.” For those of 5'ou unfamiliar with this movie, the "Rocky Horror Picture Show” is a classic movie made in tlie 70’s that has dev eloped a tremendous cult follow ing over the years. Some find it shocking, risque, and even a bit appalling, but to most it’s just a lot of fun. The weirdness of this mo\'ie has been embraced by gen erations of people with a taste for the freak}. Just about e\'eryone tliat tiuK’ loves the mo\ ie knows even,' song b}' heart and sings along with the vigor of a drunken sailor. It’s a campy, kooky flick that most people eitlier love or hate. Tm in love. If you’ve never been to a theater to see the ’’Rocky Horror Picture Show.” your "virgin” e.xperience may be a bit shocking. Although I had seen the movie about a dozen times at home. I had never undergone the theater ex perience, so I decided that this year I would give it a whirl. I stuck close to home and went to the early show at the Carolina Theater, where they show "Rocky Horror” at least once on Halloween night. On arrival, I got a taste of the atmosphere after standing outside the theater for just a few minutes. People of all assorted ages were dressed as characters from the movie. There were a half-dozen people dressed as Dr. Frankenfurter, the campy trans\ estite character who spends half of the movie frolicking in fishnet stockings, garter belts, and a tiny bustier. Some people were a little modest and didn’t look quite as flamboyant as the real Frankenfurter. but others went 'all out’ to the point that more skin was showing than in a bucket of KFC. This is probably why some people shy away from tlie whole af fair, but for me it made tire whole night a lot more entertaining. The beauty of tire "Some find it shock ing, risque, and even a bit appalling, hut to most it's just a lot of fun." experience is seeing the die-hard fans who don’t care how goofy they look, just as long as they have fun. The best thing about seeing “Rocky Hor ror” in the theater is the fact that not only do you get to see the film on a huge screen, but you also get to see ac tors playing out the movie simultaneously on the stage below. This year the actors were a bit disappoint ing because they had to look up at the screen er'eiy' fn'e seconds to see what drey were supposed to be doing, but hey, it’s not like they’re professionals or an3'thing. I ha\’e heard from friends that in other cities like Raleigh or Charlotte, where they do the show monthly or even eveiy weekend, the actors are really e.xperienced aird do hilari ous impror' stuff, like using a tricycle on stage fora motorcycle. Another amusing part of the dreater ex perience is dre audience participation. In the dreater, experienced spectators bring all the necessary provisions; nee, newspapers, rolls of toilet paper, toast, confetti, and witty remarks. At various parts in the movie the audience members let loose the crazy props onto everyone else. (A warn ing to “Rocky Horror” virgins- the rice thrown during the wedding scene has an obnoxious habit of working its way into your clothes; I found myself dripping grains of rice hours after the movie had ended). Hard-core fans have read the script and periodically shout things in response to movie lines, so don’t be sur prised if you hear some really odd things screamed during the movie like "For those of you on acid, this is imaginar}' toast! For those of you on imaginar}’ toast, this is acid!” The "Rocky Horror Picture Show” is definitely not for everyone, but it’s worth the $5 or $8 (depending on when the tickets are bought). Regardless of whether you end up loving it or hating it, going to see "Rocky Horror” is an experiaiceyouwon’tsoonfoiget. So if^ou’re tired of tlie same old boring Halloweea tirne- waip on down to die Carolina Tlieater ne.xt year. 1 know it’s where I’ll be. Vouchers disastrous to public schools By Jenny Ballen Reporter You may have thought that North Carolina’s politicians ouldn’t be any stupider ... They can. Right now, the Gen- ral Assembly faces an issue that threatens the welfare of he entire public school system. School \ ouchers are federally funded grants given to ndividuals. Families would receive money from the ovemment to send their children to private schools. Ide- lly, federally funded vouchers would enable four mil- ion families to send their children to a moderately priced rivate school. But in reality, the voucher program ould disable the public school system and offer pri- ate educations only to a small percentage of students. The plan would allow a minority of students to get a resumably better education while leaving the public chools in the dust with depleted funds and resources. The rogram wouldn’t be effective for a few reasons: First, tire ublic schools would not be able to compete with the pri- ate schools and would undoubtedly fall behind. Also, tire rivate schools, which would pick and choose which stu- ents attend tire school would select only the brightest and est students, leaving the other children in the public chools on long waiting lists. In addition, how can the Volume 73 Issue4 rhe High Life Staff welcomes comments in the form of letters to the jditor from students, faculty, and the reading public. Letters may be ;umed in to the office. All letters must be signed. The staff reserves the ight to reject any letter containing libelous statements, the right to edit for length and grammatical errors, and the right to ascertain the truth fulness of its content. The High Life is published eight times a year and s produced by the students of Grimsley High School, 801 Westover retrace, Greensboro, NC 27408. Tlie High Life functions as a medium :'or creative journalistic pursuits as well as a training instrument for as- liring journalists, artists, and writers. The High Life functions as a pub ic forum for student expression. Editors in Chief: Rachel Green and Sarah Pendergrafl, Editorial Edi tor: Simon Newman, News Editor: Brian Schiller, Feature Editors: Sarah Atkinson, Mary Kathryn Ross, and Anna West, Sports Editor: Mark Robinson, Exchange Manager: Randall Ariail , Advertising Managers: Julie Samet and Jill Statham, Business Manager: Alayna Bingham, Staff Writers: Ben Blackwood and Nikia Jones, Reporters: Cesar Alvarez, Jenny Ballen, Sarah Blackwood, Kelly Cirincione, Emily Duquette, Lisa Ellisor, Scott Fischer, Mark Gordon, Lindsey Gulya, Meganne Raines, Emily Schiller, Sarah Warner, and Whitney Wright Adviser: Linda Kidd. State guarantee that tire new private schools that would spring up to take advantage of this new market would pro vide a good education for the students? Last of all, the test results in previous trial voucher programs have been ambiguous. The money that the state would need to finance school vouchers won’t come from thin air: billions of dollars would be pulled from the public school sys tem. The students would attend new private schools at the cost of the public schools. Supporters believe that the voucher program would force the public schools to compete with the private ones and therefore improve. Where would public schools get the money to do that? The private schools would absorb all the ex cellent teachers who would get higher pay and the public school classrooms would get bigger as the number of teachers working for the public schools got smaller. Under the program, the private and parochial schools could choose which students could attend the school. It does not take much to realize that the private schools would not accept students with below average skills. Do elite, world renowned colleges and universities become prestigious because they accept lower than aver age students? Of course not. Why would a private school enroll anyone who was not among the brightest and best? Only the smartest children would go to the private schools while everyone else floundered around in the failing pub lic schools. This would create a two-tiered education system where the brightest and richest students receive the best education and the regular students don’t get the opportunity to excel. The sheer number of students on the waiting lists to get into private schools is going to attract a new mar ket. New private schools would spring up to take ad vantage of the money pouring in through vouchers. We cannot guarantee that all of the new schools will be pro viding the best education possible. For all we know, the new schools could be corrupt institutions not really con cerned in education, but in the money they are receiving from vouchers. The trial voucher programs operating in Wisconsin and Washington, DC have had unimpressive results; students tested have neither improved nor regressed. If the State of North Carolina is going to spend so much money on this plan, the results should be stupendous and not ambiguous. There is nothing we need less in North Carolina than an education plan that would spend billions of tax dollars on ambiguous test results and destitute public schools. Richard Petty misses checkered flag in pohtical race By Ben Blackwood Staff Writer Election day has come and gone, with few surprises. Only one race left me truly bitter, and that was the failure of this state’s citizens to band together and vote for the only candidate who truly represents the people: Richard Petty. As many of you may know, the King was defeated by Elaine Marshall in the race for Secretary of State in this great state of North Carolina. “Who cares?” you might ask. “You should,” 1 would then reply. "Richard Petty is without a doubt the most qualified candi date for any office in history. First of all, he has graduated from a prestigious institution of higher education (Randleman Senior High School). Secondly, he has extensive training in business (a six-week training course). Finally, he is a master of skills which are integral to the position of Secretary of State (driving a stock car and doing TV spots for Food Lion).” At this point you might remain unconvinced, and pester me further by asking “Didn’t Richard Petty recently get a citation for bumping a slow driver on the highway?” "Ha!” I would scoff. “That only supports my argument better! It’s a metaphor, simpleton. The people of this state are that stow driver, and Richard Petty is just the bumper we need to accel erate us in the right direction. He did it to prove a point!” Then, I would laugh. “Hmm ” you might say. “Don’t you think Elaine Marshall is more qualified?” “You’re not listening, are you?” I would moan. “This is a woman who has never had to pull on the steering wheel as she spins around the track at Rockingham or Talledega. This is a woman who probably doesn’t even change the oil in her car, let alone rebuild a transmission. This is a woman whe has spent her life in law school and in the court room as a practicing attorney. What does she know about holding a legislative position?” “Everything,” you might say.
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