Volume 82 No. 5
Grimsley High School
801 Westover Terrace
Greensboro, NC 27408
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
- U
Moore photo
Above, English teacher Terrie Joplin places an IB
pin on junior Zach Burnett, signifying his diploma
candidacy just before the winter holidays.
IB ceremony
honors graduates,
diploma candidates
Last year s graduates received their official
International Baccalaureate diplomas at the
IB ceremony. Current seniors received their
IB chords, while juniors received pins.
BYKATEMALEKOFF
Reporter
r'lFwenty-two 2005 graduates returned to their alma
m^ter December 19, receiving their International
BaTcalaureate Diplornas. The ceremony also
recognized IB Diploma candidates “and
anticipated candidates.
Grimsley's String Quartet welcomed guests
into the auditorium, where IB Coordinator Bud
Harrelson opened the ceremony, introducing special
guests Ashly Morrison, School Board Rep. Marti
Sykes, and Instructional Improvement Officer Dr.
Barbara Zwadyk. Morrison was on hand to award
diplomas to her final class of IB students, having
served as the IB Coordinator from 2000-2005.
As the 38 anticipated diploma candidates of 2007
were called onto the stage, IB 11 English teacher
Terrie Joplin presented each member with a pin.
IB Philosophy and Theory of Knowledge teacher
Michael Courts gave the 27 IB diploma candidates
their graduation cords, signifying their involvement
in the program.
Junior Max VanDoren described the ceremony as
"awesome," but senior Lilly Wynn was more excited
about seeing the returning Class of 2005.
"It was great to see all the old seniors come back
because I hadn't seen hem since summer. A lot of
them helped me become more comfortable in IB my
junior year," said Wynn.
Senior Kailyn Tran realized she would be in the
Class of 05's place next year.
"Seeing the old seniors come back has made me
realize how soon I'll be doing the same thing...the
nostalgia is already setting in," said Tran.
Becoming an IB scholar is a lengthy process.
After showing interest in the program beginning
freshman year, particularly for students transferring
from other schools, one must maintain good grades
in honors classes and enroll in IB classes junior year.
IB students must take an extra class. Theory of
Knowledge, created to teach srudents, among other
topics, to question bases of knowledge and become
aware of subjective and ideological bases. After the
students write their Extended Essays, the papers are
sent to examiners at the International Baccalaureate
Organisation (IBO) to be assessed.
"The most challenging part of IB has been writing
the extended essay. I've never written anything like
those papers before, so I had no idea what the IBO
expected," said Tran.
Diploma candidates must participate in 150 hours
of CAS (Creative, Action, Service), which requires a
minimum of 50 hours of community service. The
remainder of the hours also can be spent in sports,
see Page 2
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Uhiirma, a iniiiiaturc /cbu, vLsitcil school grounds behind the Media Center on Jan. 5. 2006. Accompanied
by farm owners Citra and Matiira .Spradling, Dharma is learning to pull a cart in to help with Held work.
Organic farming trend
mooves into food stores
Local projects and husinc.sses promote healthy interaction between people and their
environments, such as farmers producing naturally grown vegetables to be sold at
farmers' markets and organic food stores.
BYl EIAKIRCAY
.News l-.ditor
Local communilv projects and
farm.s promote natural interaction
with Iheeiwironmonl, improving
the well being of both the land
and tlu' people who care for it.
.Although economic law and
the dc'-iro tor simplicity often
overshadow the benefits of
organic farming, many believe
that natural products are worth
the extra time and money.
"You oftt;n hear ftdks complain
about the cost ol organic food
and healthy food in general. I
like to use the 'pa\' nov\' or pay
later’ explanation, 'fou can
}'!ay now for healthy, tasty ukO
and enji’v eating it, knowing
that you are nourishing your
body, Ol \uu can eat whate\ei
you want and pay later at the
doctor’s office and the pharmacs
to 1 emedy the problems caused b\
a bad diet,’' said science teacher
Ben Barnard.
Ilesides the ph\ sjcal ad\ antages,
spiritual benefits are al.so involved
with growing one's own food,
"Most people pick one thing
and go fi.>r it, but there's a lot ot life
left (to live]. 1 was raised Catholic
but I’m not .sectarian. My thtuight
was that Cod wanted me to be
closer to nature and to rely on his
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fartneis® |hf
Spradling and his wife run
a small larm called Snow Creek
I'amily Organics, ’i’hey grow 30
different vegetables and ow n two
sheep, a dog, and two cows.
"L’tharma |our cow | is a
miniature /ebu. 1 le is the bull;
we bought a cow aiso. lie is
about four months old and will
grow to be up to 2.^0 pounds.
We will teach him how to pull a
cart and do wxjik, and we milk
the cow. We want to grow our
herd. We bought [them] on the
way to Charlotte at I’he I a/v 1 ire
Ranch," said Spradlin.g’s wife,
Citra, " Iho name 1 )harma means
the knowledge ot the way things
are. It is Sanskrit.'’
Tor the Spradlings, theii lives
are as environmentallv friendly
as possible.
"Weeding and cultivation
is all done by hand. We have
specialized hand tools; we have
a wheel hoe. We use the tractor
on particular crops like corn. We
do nivt grow a Kg ot corn because
it takes a lot of space considering
w hat it produces. It also depletes
the soil. We also iwe a K.h less
fuel for the crop.s we grow, '
said Spradling.
Efiort required for organic
farming may be double that
required for industrial farming, ^
but putting forth such extra effort,
damage to the environment
human health is cut in half.
:"tliYfllliidha:Jiafmin|)BiW
degrade the soil, decrease
biodiver.sitv, and pollute our
environment. Organic farming is
healthy for our environment and
the lood is miieh more nutritional
tor our bodies. Moreover, organic
farinin.g mimics natural cycles of
grinvlh, decay, and the lecycling
of wastes," .said Barnard.
.Although organic farms
began as small, private projivts,
thev have now grown and are
hosto-d in a varietv of lorafions.
Crc-ens[)oroDavSc ho(v| hasa large
permaculture garden. Students
maintain the garden. Professor
Charlie IleaJington of L’XCC
cteated the "edihle schoolyard".
Ihe MoiUessori school al.so
features a permai.ullure garden,
w huh is a project of Slow Pood
Piedmont i’riad.
Slow Food Piedmont I’riad
promotes the enjoyment and
growth of both organic foods and
organic markets that suppoi I the
hc’allh of the environment, fauna,
and consuming public. Although
the; organization is rather young,
the ideas it supports date back
hundreds of years.
"The Native Americans had
a system called the three sister
system, with beatis, corn and
squash. Beans produce a lot of
nitrogen and corn needs nitrogen,
W'hen you plant something in a
field and plant [another crop] in
it the next year they are able to
benefit from the various minerals
said Spradling.
Pollutants
lurk, warm
the globe
Cases released into the atmosphere trap heat
and create a warming cilcct on the Larth.
Making small changes can lessen emitted
polluiams and decrease unhealthy ejjects.
BY WILL BAKER
Reporter
Clobal warming remains an important issue and
shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Earth's climate is changing, but how and why it's
happening remains uncertain.
Caused by emissions of carbon dioxide and
other heat-trapping gases that are emitted primarily
by the burning of fossil fuels and the clearing of
forests, these global warming gases haunt our
atmosphere with their presence for decades and at
times, centuries.
"Clobal warming makes me feel guilty for driving
an SUV," said senior Shelby Westbrook
Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide
also contain heat and keep Earth's temperature
balanced. Human activities such as burning fossil
fuels and cuffing down forests have caused for the
concentration of these gases to increase, due to the
rapid production of them and the inability for plants
and oceans to soak them up at such high rates.
In the last century, the average temperature
worldwide rose by one degree Fahrenheit. In the
northern hemisphere, the spring ice thaw occurs
nine days earlier than it did 150 years ago, and the
fall freeze occurs ten days later.
The 1990s was the warmest decade since the 1800s,
when record-keeping began. The hottest years on
record are 1928, 2002, 2003, 2001, and 1997.
Alaska, Western Canada, and Eastern Russia
have average temperatures up as high as four to
seven degrees Fahrenheit in the last 50 years. The
United States' northernmost city, Barrow, Alaska,
has experienced average temperatures rising four
degrees Fahrenheit in only the last 30 years.
Over the past million years, the earth's climate
has undergone natural changes, however recently,
these changes are coming with more rapidity. ’These
rising temperatures greatly impact the Arctic ice.
Since 1978, Arctic sea ice has shrunk nine percent
per decade.
"Global climate change needs global action now.
'The alarm bells ought to be ringing in every capital of
the world" said the British Environmental Secretary,
John Cummer.
By the century's end, at least half of the Arctic's
sea ice will melt, and the Arctic region is in danger
of warming anywhere between seven and 13 degrees
Fahrenheit, as is projected by the Arctic Climate
Impact Assessment. Greenland has an ice sheet
that holds enough water to raise sea levels by about
23 feet, and at the rate the climate is warming, this
rise in sea level is a very real possibility in the far
future. Sea levels have risen on average four to
eight inches over the last decade, and according to
the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), sea levels are projected to
rise between four and 35 inches by this century's
end. A mere one and a half foot rise would cause a
coastline retreat of 150 feet, which would affect some
100 million people worldwide who live within three
feet of sea level.
U.S, Global Warmiog Gas Emissions
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Seasonal Melancholy
Seasonal Depression affects more than half a
million Americans. Do you have the symptoms?
» Features: Page 7
Super Bowl XL
One reporter examines the history of the
game and the top contenders for 2006.
» Sports: Page 10
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FEBBU&BY 5,2006
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