Creekview High School Commits to End Texting and Driving

In the United States, over 5,870 people died and about 515,000 people were injured in 2009 due to accidents from distracted drivers who text. Many students overlook the graveness of this subject. In an effort to raise awareness of the importance of this issue, Creekview’s Student Leadership Team organized a campaign to get the school on board with the new texting and driving law, recently placed on July 1st of this year and to make the students aware of the dangers from texting and driving.

The Student Leadership team invited Greg and Amy Heil to speak on behalf of their daughter, Victoria Heil, who tragically died texting and driving. Victoria was a senior at Woodstock High School, who was killed in an accident in 2008 after her jeep overturned on I-575. In addition, the Canton’s Sherriff’s Department was also present to discuss the consequences of texting and driving.

With the new texting and driving law enacted July 1, 2010, if any person at any age is caught texting while driving, they are subject to a $150 fine and one point off their driver’s license. Shocked faces filled the gymnasium as the students absorbed the severity and possible consequences of texting and driving.

During the lunch periods, the Student Leadership Team encouraged students to pledge their promise to not text and drive and keep the roads safe. After stamping their pledges with blue ink, Morgan M. (12), Ashton C. (12), and Jacqueline A. (12) proudly proclaimed saying, “We’ll form a pact because of the BFF pledge. The stickers we got will serve as a reminder as we see it on our windshield.” On this momentous day, Creekview students changed their lives and maybe someone else’s forever.

By: Maida Ahmad and Beatrice Torralba

Creekview Changes

Have you noticed?

Just like an I Spy game or the Where’s Waldo books, you have to look close to notice the changes, but they are definitely there.
Back and better than ever, the Media Center has students lined up waiting to take advantage of the exciting new changes. Some kids have already noticed the new, wide screen computers. It was those fabulous computers that helped Creekview’s media center earn an award. The coffee shop that was installed last year is also helping the media center get nation-wide recognition and county-wide envy.

Another severe change is the doing-away with detention that has been enacted this year. Now when you get a few tardies it’s straight to Saturday school. Students sum up their feelings for this change with one word, “Harsh.” But schools have been forced to make budget cuts, and getting rid of detention was an option the staff felt was a necessary to ensure that other programs were kept.

Have you noticed the cramped and crowded classes this year? If you look around you will probably notice a few faces are missing, that’s because a number of teachers moved away. A lack of teachers, an increase in students and a downfall in the economy are what caused the large classes, which now max out around 35 students. While some kids enjoy the crowded classes because they get to see more of their friends, others don’t like the fact that they have less one-on-one time with the teacher. Yet many are just thankful that Creekview has not had to use trailers. But for the time being everyone will just have to keep it together, after all, adjusting to changes is just another part of high school experience.

Yet the most surprising change this year has been the change in Freshman Friday. What was once thought of as a myth has now proved itself real. The first Friday of the school year presented a new problematic situation for Principal Bob Eddy. Upper classmen went around the halls “marking” freshmen with sharpies, sometimes going as far as pinning them down and drawing on their clothes and faces. A few freshmen even got dumped in trash cans and dumpsters. Principal Bob Eddy caught only a few students, those he did were punished. But he can not prevent kids from being kids, besides it is all just part of the high school experience, this being the part that makes Fridays a little more exciting.

John Kennedy puts it best when he says, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” High school is the part in our lives where everything is constantly changing, but dwelling on the negative will get you nowhere good . Change is inevitable, you cannot prevent it or predict it, but that’s why it is exciting.

By: Taylor Gates
(Thanks to Cherokeetribune.com for the photos.)

Too Hot to Handle

Intense summer heat has hit Georgia hard this year with continually soaring record breaking high temperatures hitting the 100 degree mark. Students at Creekview have been trying to find ways to stay cool and hydrated during these dangerous, scorching days.

Teams practicing outside for after school sports have to endure the sweltering afternoons. Football practice was even moved to the very early hours of the morning so players are kept cool.

“The mornings are the coolest part of the day right now, so we have to get up at 5:30 a.m. and practice until 7:45 a.m., but it makes it hard to stay awake throughout the school day,” stated Creekview junior, Joe H.

Band students are also taking on the heat. They practice outdoors two days a week for a total of five and a half hours. Many of the students have had signs of dehydration and were forced to sit on the sidelines for a break to drink water. Occasionally, sectionals are held by the discretion of the section leader. This means that space is limited and students of groups such as color guard are forced to practice outside. Due to the high temperatures, the band students now practice from 6-9 in the evening when the sunlight is not so direct.

Band member Jessica K. says, “It may seem hotter than it really is because we practice on the black concrete, but the heat does not stop us. The safety of the band members is our number one concern, so we go on water breaks quite often.”

Other issues with high temperatures include dress code and sitting outside in the courtyard. The two go hand in hand with the heat problem. Students may not sit outside in the blazing sun of the courtyard during lunch if they choose to wear jeans and long sleeved shirts. Therefore, many students have been breaking the dress code just to stay cool in the day.

Additionally, revenue for the café has been increasing due to the heat wave as well. The Lazy Bear Café has been crowded because students want the icy cold frappuccinos after walking through the steamy parking lot in the mornings or riding in a stuffy bus.
“I tend to go to the Lazy Bear Café at least three times a week to get a chilled drink. It cools me down in the morning classes,” stated Brooke J., senior.

Creekview students started school the first week of August, but some schools, such as those in Fulton County did not start school until Monday, August 23rd. Their high schools may have the benefit of not having to deal with the effects of the heat.

By: Katelyn Presnell