Volume 82 No. 1
Grimsley High School
801 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, NC 27408
Friday, September 30, 2005
With stabbings and fights
plaguing school bus stops,
but new clubs promoting a
5 violence-free environment,
i school safety becomes an even
' greater concern of students,
parents, faculty, and staff
S^ool
see Page 2
II
For millions of motorists, gasoline price increase arrives at unwelcomed time
BY WILL BAKER
' Katrina crashed through the Gulf
with a path of destruction,
resulting in high gas prices through
out the nation. Katrina's wrath left
unimaginable chaos which included
nine shut down refineries along the
Gulf Coast, and disrupted pipelines
to the Midwest and East, which
halted 90 percent of the oil produc
tion in the Gulf of Mexico.
Because the hurricane knocked
refineries and pipeline links along
the Gulf Coast off line, the nation
saw its source for nearly one-third
of gas supplies become paralyzed.
Such a loss left the nation in a panic.
Gas prices soared, as people rushed
to fill their tanks in fear of severe
shortages, causing many stations to
run out of gas. Incidents in which
stations ran out of gas occurred in
Georgia, North Carolina, West Vir
ginia, Wisconsin, and Arizona.
As stations ran out of gas, others
responded by raising their prices as
well. Gasoline costs jumped an aver
age of 35 to 50 cents per gallon over
night from Wednesday, Aug. 31 to
Thursday, Sept. 1, to well over three
dollars per gallon. In extreme cases,
as stations in Georgia shut down,
prices at the pumps were reported as
high as six dollars per gallon.
"Before the hurricane, about forty
five dollars, and after about seventy
five dollars" said junior Joseph Parish
on the price of filling his vehicle.
With the rapid escalation in gas
prices, people became suspicious
of stations gouging their prices.
Although an increase was expected,
some people wondered if some sta
tions were perhaps charging too
much. On Sept. 1, the Energy de
partment reported over 5000 calls to
its price-gouging hotline. The states
with the most complaints included
North Carolina, Georgia, New York,
Texas,. Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Michigan, New Jersey, and Illinois.
"I think a lot of it has to do with
people panicking and the gas sta
tions taking advantage of that," said
senior Heidi Andringa.
On a local level, Greensboro felt
the effects of the hurricane through
the significant increase in gas prices.
The Sheetz located on Swing Rd.
jumped in a matter of minutes from
$2.99 per gallon to $3.29 per gallon
at 5:00 p.m. on August 31. Also be
tween those two days, the Gate sta
tion on Battleground rose from $2.73
to $3.13 per gallon overnight, and
then eventuall)^ to $3.53 per gallon.
As a result of the high prices of
gasoline, students here at Grimsley
are altering their lifestyles to fit
the situation.
"I go to the G&S mart located next
to Elizabeth's Pizza," said junior Wil
liam Chasse, "because the gas is usu
ally about twenty cents cheaper."
"I don't let my tank get below half-
full" said junior Collyn Murray.
"Carpool, and consolidation of
trips" said junior Margaret Rich
on how she is responding to
the situation.
Analysts expect relief as soon as
electricity is restored.
Ward photo
New assistant
principal offers
students advice
Mr. Robert Christina
BY HALEY PHILUPS
Reporter
New administrator Robert
Christina eagerly advises his
students: "The level of your
success will be measured by
your attitude!"
Christina exerts a positive
attitude as he describes his
new home as "a great school
with a tremendous tradition
and a super staff."
The new assistant principal
replaces previous administra
tor Marty Woody. Born in State College, Pa., Chris
tina has served education for 20 years. He earned
master's degrees in school administration and health
planning administration from Penn State and
UNCG, respectively.
Previously, Christina worked at Parkland High
School in Winston-Salem and both Cummings
and Western Alamance High Schools, both
in Burlington.
Though new to the staff, Christina is already
speculating about what he hopes to accomplish.
"I'd like to see if I could make an impact on low
ering the dropout rate and on closing the achieve
ment gap. We're trying to release progress reports
on ninth graders every two weeks and to encourage
alternative schooling for those who find it difficult
in traditional schools," said Christina.
Christina believes this campus is different from
others where he worked in the past because of its
tradition of high expectations academically and
athletically, the quality of the faculty, and the range
of courses offered on campus.
"Grimsley has a culture of high expectations for
everything from social norms to academic responsi
bility, to character education," said Christina.
Seven years in high school administration, he
enjoys interacting with students.
"I like the contact with the students, and I like to
be able to speak with them. I like to have a positive
impact," said Christina.
In his free time, he plays sports and works out.
"I like all sports," said CEiristina. "I've played foot
ball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey, and
I play in an adult soccer league on the weekends."
When bored, "I comb my hair," he said.
Hurricane Katrina kills
hundreds, destroys cities
BY BRIAN GOULD
Editor-in-Chief
As waters still recede in New
Qtl^ans and surrounding cities,
the damage is assessed and bod
ies counted. Death tolls have
reached a staggaring 10,000 as
sumed dead; however, the actual
body count is far less. As of the
week of Sept. 18, the number of
dead reached 970, much less than
the expected tens of thousands.
Death tolls are highest in Lou-
sina at 736 because of the direct
impact of Hurricane Katrina.
Mississippi follows with 219
dead. With officials still survey
ing the area for survivors, bodies,
and structural damage to build
ings, experts can only estimate
Louisana: 736
Mississippi; 218
Florida; 14
lotal: 970
■t '‘V-JLB,:
how long the clean up will take.
Some suggest months, others
predict years.
An estimated 100,00 people are
still living in shelters in New Or
leans and surrounding areas.
With many of the citizens of
the disaster area evacuated, the
clean up process continues and
evintually the rebuilding process
will begin.
Katrina Death Tolls
Homecoming
Who are the top 12 nominees
for Homecoming Court 2005.
» Features: Pages 4 «& 5
GHS vs. PHS
Check out past scores for the most
important game of the season.
» Sports: Page 8
Hurricane Katrina fundraiser
succeeds in aiding relief
American
Red Cross
internet photo
Above, citizens of New Orleans walk through waist-deep water to
escape the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.
BYMELLISABYRD
Reporter
Student Council fundraising to
aid hurricane Katrina victims be
gan Sept. 3 and continued through
Sept. 16. Students and teachers
placed donations in classroom
envelopes during lunchs and at
the beginning of classes.
Student Council Advisor Mr.
Grady Peace and Student Body
President Neagheen Homai-
far headed the relief committee
with volunteer help from vari
ous student clubs and
council members. Plans for Ka
trina assistance were modeled
after those of last year's Tsunami
aid. Student Council set a $12,
000 goal for the two-week pe
riod. Lowe's Home Improvement
Center will accept all donations
and promises to double the total
amount before sending funds to
the American Red Cross.
Principal Rob Gasparello encour
aged support from all students,
parents, and alumni. Katrina re
lief donations are tax-deductible.
The total sum collected in the two
weeks was $12,300. All proceeds
directly went to the Red Cross.
News 1
Opinion 3
Features 4
Sports 8