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Volume 80 No. 1
Celebrities
in office
becoming
new trend
Schwarzenegger and Ventura
are just two of the celebrities
who have recently prepared to
run for public office.
By Brian Gould
Reporter
Politics no longer just appeals to law
yers and doctors; the number of celebri
ties running for office seems to be in
creasing.
Most recently, the recall election in
California has caused a firestorm of ce
lebrities to enter the race. Celebrities
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gary Coleman,
and Larry Flint are just a few of the more
than 150 people who seek victory in the
gubernatorial race.
California’s recall election is not the
first time celebrities have sought politi
cal offices. The most publicized elec
tion in recent years was the gubernato
rial election of Minnesota in which Jesse
Ventura, a former pro-wrestler, was
elected governor. According to
reason.com, Ventura’s popularity with
young voters stemmed from his casual
dress and reformed views that favored
children.
Celebrities are not only seeking po
litical positions in state and local gov
ernments. In 1980, Ronald Reagan, a
former actor, ran for the presidency and
. won. He was re-elected again in 1984
for a second term.
Continued on page 2
Grimsley High School
801 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, NC 27408
Friday, September 19, 2003
’03-’04 school year comes
with a modified schedule
Students and staff will see new
features . such as the
“collaberative period” this
school year.
By Hannah Wineburg
News Editor
The transition from summer vacation to
the ringing of school bells is currently pro
gressing, yet this year the traditional Grimsley
schedule includes a new twist: a “collabora
tive planning” period.
Implemented for the first time this year,
the collaborative planning program will in
volve students working in partnerships with
each other while teachers do the same within
their departments. The collaborative session
will occur during first period every Monday,
lasting fifty-seven minutes.
Principal Mr. Rob Gasparello insists “no
instmctional time is being missed.” In order
to compensate for the loss of first period on
Mondays, the class schedule for Tuesdays
through Fridays has been rearranged.
Beginning Tuesday mornings, first peri
ods will last seventy minutes instead of the
usual fifty-seven. Second through sixth peri
ods will be reduced to 55 minutes.
Mr. Gasparello borrowed the idea for the
collaborative schedule from Adelaide
Stevenson High School in Chicago, Illinois,
where he visited last spring. Adelaide
Stevenson, according to Mr. Gasparello, is
one of the top high schools in the nation.
Mr. Gasparello stated that the most suc
cessful high schools around the state and
country have some form of collaborative ac
tivity.
A '>f
li/T ^ • Leung photo
Ms. Cummings and Ms. Cea discuss an issue in the media center. Teachers wUl
use this year’s new collaborative period to work together vrith members of their
departments on topics like course objectives and concerns about students.
“By working together and sharing the best
practices, teachers become more effective in
working with students,” said Mr. Gasparello.
The collaborative period will allow stu
dents to come together as one smdent body
for programs like elections, pep rallies, and
performances by students. While the stu
dents team up, the teachers will have their
own departmental time to discuss strengths
and weaknesses of lesson plans, assignments,
exams, and concerns about students.
The collaborative planning model is new
for teachers as well as students.
Senior Ricky Nxumalo believes there are
good intentions behind the collaborative
schedule, yet the system may need some
tweaking.
“There is the possibility of pxtsitive out
come, but productivity between 300 to 400
high school students at one time is limited. In
short, the collaborative planning period’s ben
efit is outweighed by its burden,” Nxumalo
said.
Freshman Ronlee Bengal agrees with
Nxumalo’s concerns.
“I was excited and nervous to come to
GHS.. .but I don’t really like the collabora
tive periods,... and now we have to sit in our
first period classes for a longer time,” she said.
The first year of the collaborative sched
ule is on a trial basis. Mr. GaspaieUo’s enthu
siasm for the new plan may show tangible
results in time. His desire to help Grimsley
achieve its highest potential began with his
now famous saying “together we can.”
Mr. Gasparello continues to encourage
Grimsley smdents and staff to strive for suc
cess of this new initiative, despite a range of
doubtful feedback.
“Grimsley is an outstanding high school,
and we want to do everything we can to con
tinue to improve as we work to meet the needs
of aU students,” he said.
Recent humidity causes unforeseen trouble
Althouah Greensboro’s Rainfall was over a font helnw averaoe i:.: ;
Although Greensboro’s
four-year drought has ended
due to nearly ceaseless rain,
the humidity has brought
several problems of its own.
By Rachel Rodriguez
News Editor
Because of Greensboro’s record-
breaking amount of rain over the past few
months, the four-year drought has long
been forgotten. However, while this new
climate has replenished reservoirs, it has
brought on a new set of problems.
From 1998 to 2002, Greensboro en
dured a seemingly endless drought.
Rainfall was over a foot helow average
during this entire period, forcing Greens
boro to be one of 70 cities in North Caro
lina that imposed water restrictions.
However, since the beginning of 2003,
rain has been recurring frequently. In
July 2000, Greensboro received just 2.18
inches of rain. In July 2003, the city re
ceived 7.58 inches.
Grimsley is just one of 41 schools in
Guilford County to experience serious
problems with mold as a result of the al
most non-stop rain. Other high schools
having trouble with mold include
Andrews, Northeast, Northwest, and
Southwest. Problems in these schools
range from mold growth on windows and
ceilings to mold in air-conditioning sys
tems, a much more serious issue.
“When [the staff] came back to
Grimsley in the summer just before
school started, I came in the media cen
ter and there was a mushroom growing
in the carpet in a comer,” said Grimsley
media specialist Ms. Susan Cannady.
“People have come in and wiped down
the mold, but there is still too much hu
midity.”
The humidity has created many prob
lems for the media center. According to
Ms. Cannady, the copier has jammed
because of damp paper, and the paper in
the books is beginning to curl up. Also,
because of the four dehumidifiers and
two high-power fans used to keep the
humidity level down, many of the com
puters in the media center are unable to
be turned on because it would overload
the circuits.
While low amounts of mold are gen
erally not hazardous to most people,
higher levels can cause asthma, sinus
infections, and serious allergy problems.
The mold at Grimsley was found to be
non toxic; however, many students and
staff members have complained of
asthma or sinus problems. All schools
experiencing mold problems are now
either cleaned up or are in the process of
Continued on page 2
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Frisbee golf is new
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Page 11
News 1
Opinion 3
Features 5
Sports 11