Senior - Giles High School

Spartoniane2012niWhat’s inside?Prom!Senior SuperlativesTalent Show!Chorale Tour!Senior Wills!Embarassing Moments!And tons more…or

Ciara Whitten and Brooks Haynieare crowned Senior Queen and Kingof Prom 2012.Kelsy Sylvester enjoys her last Promwith her close friend Marti Williams.Photo by Kelsy Sylvester.“We Found LoveIn A Hopeless Place”By Marti WilliamsJuniors and Senior cannot waitfor the end of the year simply because ofthe spectacular Prom activities. Asstudents began to arrive at Edwards Hallon the NRCC campus, the walk waylooked more like a red carpet than acollege entrance. Giles High studentsarrived adorned in tuxedos and gorgeousgowns making everyone look like royaltyon that Saturday night on May 5 th . Asyou stepped in the doorway, your eyeswere met by vibrant decorations ofmasquerade masks and bright fluorescentlights swirling about. With such amagical atmosphere it was hard not tofeel as if one was stuck inside awonderland. In addition to dancing thenight away, Giles students also enjoyed acatered dinner served an hour before thedance. However, the night didn’t stopthere! As the stroke of midnight drewcloser, students left the dance in order tomake it back in time for the next event ofthe busy night. After Prom, which was heldat King Johnson, had tons of activities tokeep everyone occupied! This year’s afterprom theme was Cinco De Mayo, a perfecttheme considering the date! Rooms of the oldKing Johnson high school were decorated inbright greens and reds along with many othervarious Mexican style décor pieces. Yet, theatmosphere wasn’t the only mesmerizingaspect that night, students could bouncearound in bouncy houses or play poker! Asif that wasn’t enough, Zumba was offeredaround 1 A.M. in order to keep everybodywide awake. Snacks were served in thecafeteria and entertainment was provided bynone other than the infamous Saltine Project.It looks as if this could have potentially beenthe best night of 2012!(Left) Juniors Bailee Brewster, MorganLinkous, and Taylor Johnson are excitedto spend t he evening among their friends!Photo by Morgan LinkousKyle Chafin and Beth Stumpreceive their crowns and the honorof being Prince and Princess ofProm 2012.Kacey Mann, Alexis Evans andStephanie Calderon prepare for anight of dancing! Photo by Alexis Cox.2Court pictures byMrs. MartinAll senior message information and superlativepictures have been recorded as accurately aspossible. The senior class voted for thesuperlatives and provided their own messages.These pages are for entertainment purposes onlyand should be treated accordingly.Spartonian StaffEditor: Marti WilliamsAssistant Editor: Kristin GillispieAmber ConleyAlley MeadowsBen DillonJevin ScottMint TantisuwannaTaylor JohnsonFaculty Advisor Mr. Michael Etzler

Off to Orlando! By Marti WilliamsEvery spring brings forth an exciting time during sixthperiod for those in the music hall. It is the time when theGHS Symphonic chorale begins to polish their musicalpieces for the adjudication they receive while on theirspring trip. This year the crew packed up and headed southto a warmer climate, which was none other than Orlando,Florida. While the group had their sights set on aproductive performance they still managed a little bit ofplaytime. During the five day trip they enjoyed the WaltDisney Theme Parks such as Magic Kingdom, AnimalKingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios as well asUniversal Studios where they would later receive the resultsof their performance. In addition to their adjudicatedperformance, the Symphonic Chorale was given the distincthonor of singing a thirty minute performance for the Epcotpark. Their song selection included wide varieties fromclassical to jazz and seemed to be widely enjoyed by theaudience of the park. Also the chorale was inducted into the“Ears for Arts” foundation, an association that is select tothose who have entertained on a Walt Disney Stage. Thisfoundation is set up to encourage the arts, in any form, which is the basis that keeps Walt Disney alive. After a more than successfulperformance, our band of singers set out to enjoy the rest of what Epcot had to offer, including a spectacular show entitled “Illusions”held right on the Epcot lake. The following morning, after waking early and donning their uniforms, the entire crew traveled to St.Cloud High School to give one of the best performances the group hadever given. Both the Chorale and Choral Ensemble delivered superiorperformances that landed them high excellent ratings along with asecond place trophy for the Chorale and a first place trophy to theChoral Ensemble. In addition to these placings, Giles High received the“Espirit de Corps” trophy for their outstanding musical cooperation andexceptional teamwork. To many of the chorale members, this past triphas been the most exceptional yet, all thanks to the hardwork andconstant dedication of the group leader Mr. Larry Marion. Without anydoubt the chorale would not be what it is today without his guidanceand steady hand. Thank you so much, Mr. M and you will be superblymissed.Eighth graders Becca Reeves, Eli Millirons, JevinScott, and Rachel Ingram make their way aroundthe Epcot park on their very first Chorale Tour.I will miss the opportunity toperform with the students thatI have always called "mine".–Mr. Marionwhile everyone is sad to see him leave, we all know he will enjoy his welldeserved retirement. After many years of priceless guidance to his students hefinally has time to pursue another passion of his; being a grandfather. With twoincredible grandchildren in his life this is quite understandable. Mr. Marion tellsus, “I have most enjoyed being involved with many, many activities here and therelationships that I have been so fortunate to have built with so many students andfellow workers here!” Thank you Mr. Marion, for all that you have taught us, notonly in music, but in life in general. May you always have a song inside your heart.Chorale officers Emily Galliher, Brittany Agee, Kyle Chafin,Tanner Martin, and Ben Allamong stand on the Universal Studiosstage to accept the awards given after both the Chorale andChoral Ensemble gave an incredible performance.It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to YesterdayBy Marti WilliamsFor over three decades the music hall has been delighted by thepresence of a wonderful teacher and colleague. It is with a heavy heartand tear filled eyes that we say goodbye to Mr. Larry Marion who hasworked diligently and made his legacy known through out all of GilesCounty. During his time here he has taught drama, guitar, choir, women’s chorusand symphonic chorale. In addition to his classes he has sponsored the dramaprogram, SODA and the Ambassador program. All of Mr. Marion’s hardwork anddedication to his many students is just one portion of why he will be sorely missed.His fun loving personality andunderstanding disposition makeshim a special part of Giles, and3

Gateway to St. Louis By Kristin GillispieThe GHS band traveled to St. Louis, Missouri for their 2012band trip! The band left for their trip on April 17 th Tuesdaynight and journeyed their way back on April 22 nd . The bandenjoyed their time by visiting the arch, jumping at the SkyZone, hanging out at Dave & Buster’s and watching the St.Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium. Other thanthe fun and games of the trip the band received first in theircategory for their performance, also getting an excellent ratingand a score of 83. Good job guys!GHS band underneath the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.Jonathan Ribbe and Isaac Wall playing at Dave & Buster’s!Sophomores Haley Morris and Parker Fields alongwith eighth grader Alea Evans enjoy their time atthe Cardinals baseball game.Seniors Aaron Bane, Jordan Walkup, Trevor Shrader,Devin Rice, Aaron Stubbs, Avery Mahaney, Jacob Gilmer,Zeb Wall, Cassidy Ayers, Matthew Williams, and AlexEaton enjoy the black light mini-golf.The band getting ready to perform for the competition.**Pictures courtesy of band director Natalie Fuentes.

FBLA members that placed either 1 st or 2 nd in theirregional competitions advanced to state. Giles High Schoolhad 12 students who traveled with Mrs. Young and Mr.Johnson to Reston Virginia. They departed on Thursday,April 12 th . It was about a six and a half hour drive on aschool bus. Once the students arrived in Reston, the groupquickly unloaded and took a bus to the metro station wherethey would then take the metro to travel in Washington D.C.to do some sightseeing. On Friday, Campaigning began forRegional Vice president and Giles FBLA member JazzonSymns because he was running for FBLA State VicePresident At-Large. Some students tested that day but oncedone they filtered into the campaigning schedule. Studentscampaigned by handing out popcorn, (Popcorn machinedonated by G.H.S band, FBLA Thanks You!), candy, water,pencils, pens, and flyers. Campaigning ceased at 6 p.m.Saturday started out bright and early! All students had to beready by 6:45 a.m. Students were assigned to stand outside ofthe main doors leading into where the candidates would bemaking their speeches that day to check for proper FBLAattire. The opening session began at 8:30 a.m. and speechesquickly followed. The rest of the testing took place on Saturday morning along with voting at 11:45 a.m. Students were free to visitshops and restaurants located near the hotel as long as they used the buddy system. The closing session was Saturday night and awardswere distributed. Mrs. Young, New River Region Advisor, and Jazzon Symns, New River Region President, were recognized onstage along with other regional advisors. Giles had five winners on the state level. Winners Gina Modica and Thomas Brown willtravel to San Antonio, Texas along with Advisor Mrs. Young and State Reporter Jazzon Symns, to the FBLA National LeadershipConference in June.Winners!(Front) FBLA sponsor Mrs. Young, Alexis Evans (Who’s who inFBLA award) Tiffany Cook (Client Service;5 th place) JacobGilmer (Cyber Security;3 rd place) FBLA sponsor Mr. Johnson(Back) Thomas Brown (Computer Problem Solving;1 st place)Gina Modica (Accounting II;1 st place).Students Miranda Flack, Taylor Johnson, Tiffany Cook,Sam Myers, Jazzon Symns, and Gina Modica do somesite seeing while in Washington D.C.5

The Festival of NationsBy Alley MeadowsAs part as an educational field trip, Mrs. O’Quinn tookseveral students involved in either foreign language classesor clubs to Dollywood’s Festival of Nations! Thecelebration started on March 24 th and will end on April30 th . The Festival of Nations presents amazingentertainment from all around the world. During this monthlong celebration, people come to Dollywood to celebratefood, music, dance and art. The festival features severalvery talented performers to ensure a day of fun atDollywood!Aidan Williams, Diamond Meadows, Hannah Mitchell and Luke Munseyarrive at Dollywood’s Festival of Nations!Sophomores (front) Chelsey Martin ShannonFerguson (back) Aidan Williams, Luke Munsey,Hannah Mitchell, Diamond Meadows, AmeliaWhittaker, and Suzanne Whittaker stand in front of agiant eagle that serves as advertisement for a new ridecalled “The Wild Eagle” that is coming this summer!Amelia Whittaker and Shannon Ferguson take a break fromwatching the performances to ride the Ferris wheel!Go Spartans!Compliments ofPASTOR BRADAND TAMMIE SCOTT“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set anexample for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”(1 Timothy 4:12)6

GHS Got Talent! By Kristin GillispieLights! Camera! Action! On Friday night March 9 th fifteen acts tookthe auditorium stage hoping to be victorious at Giles High School’sfirst talent show which was sponsored by the band and new banddirector Natalie Fuentes. Acts were ranging from singing, dancing, toplaying instruments. As for behind the scenes action, band members were helping theacts get ready. They had teachers as judges, and even two announcers to lead the showwhom were, seniors; Cassidy Ayers and Avery Mahaney. Not only were weentertained by the wonderful acts, but during intermission the GHS drum lineperformed. While the judges were deliberating, the GHS Jazz Band performed the “Family Guy” theme song and “Jungle Boogie”. Asfor prizes 1 st place winner received $75; 2 nd received $50, and 3 rd received $25. Speaking of winners 3 rd place went to Brittany Agee,who sang “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri; 2 nd went to Marti Williams, who danced to “Rolling in The Deep” by Adele; and asfor 1 st place went to Gina Modica who played “Cristofori’s Dream” by David Lanzon piano. Overall the talent show was a success, and many look forward to another“I thought it was great,” saysSophomore Parker Fields.one next year!Announcer Cassidy Ayers gives 1 stplace winner Gina Modica $75.GHS Drum line membersAaron Stubbs and Isaac Wallentertain the audience duringintermission.Mint Tantisuwanna and JamChuttitam sang and playedinstruments.Murdock Link and Jordan Walkupwho played the drums were the firstact to take the stage.Announcers Avery Mahaney andCassidy Ayers thank Natalie Fuentesfor everything she has does to makethe talent show possible.SecondplacewinnerMartiWilliamsdances to“Rolling inThe Deep”by Adele.Third place winner BrittanyAgee sings “A Thousand Years”by Christina Perri.7

Favorite Color?BlueFavorite Teacher?Ms. JohnsonJob?47% yes53% noPlay schoolsports?72% yes 27 % noFavorite Food?PizzaFavorite hang out place?Friend’s houseBraces duringhigh school?37% yes 62% noDo you have aboyfriend/girlfriend?54% yes 45% noBest song ReleasedYoung, Wild, and FreeWho has made an impacton your life?Parent/ Family MemberCellphone?98% yes2% noGlasses during highschool?49% yes 51% noWhat’s most important?FamilyParticipate insports?72 % Yes 27% NoMost popular sports?BasketballTrackFootballWhere does yourmoney go?GasFacebook/Twitter?88% Yes 12% NoApple or Android?51% Apple49% Android

Twitter/Facebook perweek?11 hoursStudying perweek?5 hoursBest Movie ReleasedHangover IIPracticing/playingsports per week?7.8 hoursWith your friendsper week?18 hoursBest TV ShowFamily GuyBest Video GameModern Warfare 3Talking on thephone/texting perweek?39.5 hoursWithboyfriend/girlfriendper week?24.3 hoursBest Youtube VideoParenting for theTroubled TeenListening tomusic per week?21.4 hoursWork per week?9 hoursGaming PerWeek?2.7 hoursTime in churchper week?1.7 hours9

Favorite High SchoolMemories!Birttany Agee:Working in theconcession stand forChorale duringfootball season. Italways was a way tobond with Chorale members and feellike I belonged.Jordan Walkup: Model UN 2011Trevor Dudding: Winning District inbaseball and making it to regions myjunior yearCole Martin: All the good times withthe baseball teams over the yearsCierra Collins: I won’t have oneuntil I graduate!Amanda Dunn: Going to the promHayley Wilburn: Hanging out withfriendsTyler Collins: Winning the DistrictChampionship in Baseball + FootballBeing the First student to beat CooneyRatcliffe + Coach Jones at a game of21. Making 1st team all district inFootballKarisha Summers: Would be layingon the hood of my car in the parkinglot with Aaron Bane reading a spellbook and walking on the top of theschool with Brooks and Tyler!Jake Munsey: being rewarded withAll-State Honors in Cross CountryAfton Lane: Growing up andexperiencing life with my best friend;and every moment spend with truefriends and my family. Oh, andanother favorite would be graduationand BEACHWEEK!!Brandon Bandy: Alisha HudsonSara Givens: Meeting my bestfriend, Kelsy Sylvester and all the funI had with Emily Galliher, MartiWilliams and Kelsy Sylvester onChorale Tour.Alex Shelor: Everything about AlexisEvans, all the band trips, cheerleadingbus rides and football games, singingon the tennis bus with Emily Galliher,and meeting all the amazing friends Ihave made.Abi Stafford: Cheerleading and mystunt groupSavanah Bane: Spending time withall my friends, getting my license, andprom 2011.Gabrielle Stiff: Governor’s Schoolbus ridesTrevor Shrader: District bandAlexis Evans: Definitely my 9thgrade homecoming dance withMichael Perdue… (Even though Ididn’t get to go to New York). AftonLane and I skipped a band competitionto be able to go. Also, going tobaseball games.Trey Freeman: 8th Grade tellingStuart Sublett that there was a bee inhis hair and watching him freak outabout it because he said he wasallergic to themCody Vaught: Beating Radford towin the district championship infootballBrad Kessinger: Beating Radford forDistrict Championship in football, andCoach Williams getting sprayed by thesprinklers twice and trying to run fromit.Jeff Smith: All of the really coolpeople I’ve built relationships with,and Corion Cornette and ZachBowman cracking colored pencilsacross theirhead!Tyler Nelson:Winning thedistrictchampionshipgame againstRadford infootball. Wegoin’ down inhistory!!Omar: …I went driving with Coryand Daniel the day I got mylearners…I was driving in an openmeadow with 1 tree in the middle ofnowhere… we almost died.Mykala Ingram:Cheering at footballgames with myfriends and greattimes in distancelearning but the bestwill be graduation Margee Ragsdale: Making collagesand t-shirts for Alexis Evans Goingon roller coasters with Afton Laneduring Spanish trip. Having fun onvolleyball and basketball busses,Marianna and our nickname jokesAmber Caldwell: my 5 years ofrunning cross country and bondingwith my team along the way

Favorite High SchoolMemories!Stephen Morris: My favorite HighSchool Memory is my first day atGiles my sophomore year.Taylor Williams: Prom my junioryear.Montana Kessinger: playing withHenry & Teddy in Mrs. Dudding’sclass.Krysta Whittaker: just being withmy friends and knowing all theteachers that work at GHS.Brooks Haynie:District Championship atRadford.Chris Dalton: PlayingFootballBecca Price: Tripping Afton duringgym class and making her face plantin front of a hot guy.Josh Harless: Distance LearningKyle Munsey: Hanging with friendsand laughterCasey Perkins: Having class withMrs. LeeSavannah Honaker: Cheering forthe Radford football game my senioryearTiffany Burton: Favorite high schoolmemory is when I met my best friendVictoria Lane Thorne. To this day weare still best friends. That is the bestmemory I will keep till I go.Maya Williams: Hiding in the busesto scare Bubba and Bradley after anaway football game; volleyballseason

Sara Givens: Losing my flip flopwhen I was walking up the steps.Everybody behind me had to stop…Brandon Bandy: Dylan RaymondTyler Collins: Walking into bandclass on my first day of school 8 thgrade year, thinking it was one of myother classes. Needless to say, theband people laughed at me.Jake Munsey: When MatthewWorrell and I got in trouble in the hallfor PDACiara Whitten: I was at volleyballcamp at Wake Forest, I had a little“accident” \Victoria Thorne: Falling up thestairs.Tiffany Burton: My mostembarrassing moment is when I wasgoing to class andI guess I was in ahurry and I fellup the steps.Maya Williams:Tripping up thesteps when Itransferred toGiles myfreshman year.Savannah Honaker: Too many toname! Ha!Emily Galliher: Splitting my pants inthe parking lot after school.Sam Steele: Losing to Glenvar.Natasha Crusie: My mostembarrassing moment would probablygetting a pie to my face in my play forMs. Radford’s class. It was horribleand I smelled like bad milkfor the rest of the daythanks to Brooks.Jessie Boggess: When Ms.Matlock made fun of mytwitch in front of the wholebus in 8 th grade. (Shedidn’t know I really hadone.)Hayley Wilburn: Probmy dog pooping on thegym floor! Haha!Tyler Nelson:Shaking a bottle ofmilk during lunch,thinking it wasclosed, and thehaving the full bottle spill all down myshirt and pants.Kaitlyn Katz: Mr. White pulling thechair out from under me, back in frontof everyone, back in 8 th grade.Michael Corion Cornette: I don’tget embarrassed.Jeff Smith:Every timemy phonewould gettaken.Tiffany Houck: In 8 th grade I sat infront of Latonya and Toni in Englishthey though it was funny to putsomething on my back. When I askMrs. Johnson what is was she yelled atme.Mckinna Gautier: Getting my haircaught in a door.Alisha Hudson: When I sat down inthe broken chair in Animal Care andthe chair falling out from under me.Omar Hernandez: In 8 th grade CoryShupe pushed me down the steps nearthe cafeteria…it hurt…and everyonelaughed at me.Brittany Agee: Tripping up thestairs…Jordan Walkup: First day of 8 thgrade track when I ran to the trackstarting line and everyone laughedbecause they thought I was trying torun the trackbackwards.Cierra Collins:Was when Itripped goingup the stairsafter class.Karisha Summers: Would be whenmy car (voicebox) makes those loudobnoxious noises in the parking lot!Afton Lane: All I can say is TechCenter picnic 2011…Alex Shelor: Having to read anextremely awkward story out loud inMs. Radford’s class and having thewhole class laugh at me.Abi Stafford: Falling down the stairsand taking Amie with me becausewere just not as good as ChelseaStafford. Or the time I flipped thetable over at the Mexican restaurantand fell in the floor.Savanah Bane: When my phonewent off in a class of mostly upperclassmen.Brad Kessinger: When I was asleepduring class and passed gas.Cody Vaught: Falling down walkingto football field during the first gameof my senior year.Alexis Evans: The very first day ofschool in the 8 th grade, I walked intothe boy’s bathroom. Once I saw aurinal, I ran straight out. Also I fell UPthe stairs on more than one occasion…Trey Freeman: Freshman year,stepping off the school bus in themorning infront of thehigh schooland trippingover thesecond stepon to thepavement.Embarrassing and painful!

Cassidy Ayers: Falling down thesteps to the lunch room and having toget wheeled away because I broke myankle.Aaron Bane: Getting picked last forliterally everything in gym class.Megan Fisher: Wake Forestvolleyball camp…Lyndsey Jackson: Getting into a caraccident and not being able to fix myhair, so needless to say I looked prettyrough for a couple of weeks.Avery Mahaney: I always manage tospill something.Matthew Williams: That one time in8 th grade…enough said.Amber Caldwell:Multiple times offalling down thestairs!Stephen Morris: I don’treally have one.Kendra Austin: Beingcalled “Kendro”Aaron Stubbs: The time Ibroke Mr.White’sconducting stick and had tobuy a new one.Montana Kessinger:Passing out in the hallway.Candace Rose Gordon: I waswalking up the stairs in 8 th gradeand Eric Whitlow grabbed theback of my foot and I fell downthe stairs and took another kiddown with me.Bubba Workman: On nerdday, when I ripped my pants,while trying to show on in front of mygovernment class.Kyle Munsey: Falling up thestairs…..Fawntain Myers: When I fellwalking up the steps.Mykala Ingram: I’ve fallen up thestairs more than a couple times in thelast 5 years but it always makes meblush and so does sitting in gum whichI’ve done every year.Dustin McVey: Dating bobble headTaylor Williams: Senior year incosmo, dropping wax in Mrs.Bootheseye the first time I started waxingeyebrows.Chris Dalton: NoneMatthew Worrell: When Iripped my shorts in the hall.Olivia Vaught: All the stupidthings I have gotten in troublefor the past five years.Taylor Dudding: Every singleday in Ms.Radford’s class shefinds some way to embarrass me.Samantha Snidow: Losing one ofmy flip flops while going up the stairsand looking for it and then lookingdown and it is in front of me.MargeeRagsdale: Falling up the stars andhaving to dance to Michael Jacksonduring volleyball practice.Gwen Ribbe: …Way too many tochose from…Probably all of 8 th gradeTuesday Alley: The time Ms.Radfordpulled me into the hall for aconference.Dylan McVey: I came into schoolone morning, and went to step overthe ropes, in front of the doors, andtripped. Everyone stopped what theywere doing and started clapping.13

I Will Never Forget YouBy Mint TantisuwannaHave you ever had a teacher who you’ll never forget? Have you ever had a teacher who teaches you more than just what is inthe book? I have. Teachers play an important role in our lives. Inspiring teachers can leave everlasting impressions in our mind.Ideal teachers lead to a successful nation. I believe every one of us has had a teacher we will never forget. Here are some of theGiles High School teachers who have been inspirational and memorable to GHS seniors 2012. Let’s find out who they are!Dustin Davis – To: Mr. WhiteI will never forget when we told AlexEaton to pick a number for dinner at theState Audition. Thanks for introducingme to music and also for everythingelse you’ve taught and helped me with.Why is he your favorite teacher?Dustin: He has been very inspiring tome and has taught me many lessonsthat I can apply to every day life. Hemade learning and class fun. Plus, Inever had to receive the infamous“White Stare.”Tiffany Cook – To: Ms.CunninghamI will never forget my first day ofschool as a student, and your first dayas a teacher. We had a misscommunication and ever since thenyou’ve been my favorite teacher/friend.Why is she your favorite teacher?Tiffany: She has always been there forme and helped me in many ways.Being around her is always fun, but shecan also make me crack down andfocus on my grades.Aaron Bane – To: Ms. FuentesGood luck with the marching Spartans!Keep being our moral compass andcreating a positive atmosphere at Giles.Also, I’ll never forget you and yourimpact here at Giles!Why is she your favorite teacher?Aaron: She inspires me and isrelatable. She has been a positiveinfluence on the band and is a breath offresh air to Giles High Schoolmarching Spartans!Cassidy Ayers – To: Mrs. JohnsonThank you for all the work you didwith drama and for making my junioryear of English fun.Why is she your favorite teacher?Cassidy: Mrs. Johnson does anamazing job making her lessons funand enjoyable. She turns a boringlesson into one that gets people excited.Jeff Smith – To: Coach ‘Tank’ EvansThanks coach for bringing up silentlibrary. We will never forget that one.Too bad for Logan.Why is he your favorite teacher?Jeff: He is a very good instructor. Wespend a lot of time over four periods,and he is able to relate to us.Josh Harless – To: Mrs. GreenI want to tell her I will miss her andour 3 rd period class and I will makesure to come back and visit!Why is she your favorite teacher?Josh: Ms. Green is my favorite teacherbecause she was really one of the onlyteachers I got along with really well.She is always willing to help me outno matter what the situation is.14

Margee Ragsdale – To: Mr. WeddleI have enjoyed getting to know him forthe past five years whether it is in hisclass for two years or being in Ambassadors/SODA.Keep being the awesometeacher/person that you are andbeing a puma… LIKE A PUMA!! Why is he your favorite teacher?Margee: Mr. Weddle and I began ourcareers at Giles High School together.I did not know a lot of my 8 th gradeteachers, especially him. He was somuch fun and I looked forward to hisclass every day. He made his classesso much fun and so comfortable fornew students in high school.Afton Lane – To: Mrs. MartinI would like to thank Mrs. Martin fortruly being a nice, caring teacher.Before I leave GHS, I want her to knowhow much I appreciate her for helpingme realize that there are teachers whoreally care for not only the grades youare getting, but for you as a person aswell.Why is she your favorite teacher?Afton: Not only does she teach verywell, she also truly cares for herstudents. She always sets highexpectations for her students andensures that she prepares lessons thatenable them to reach their full potential.Outside of classes, Mrs. Martin is a funperson to be around and is friendly asalways.Brittany Agee – To: Mr. MarionI will never forget the wonderfulmemories that we have. I’m so gratefulthat you took me under your wingwhen I first moved to Giles. I will missyou and the Chorale. It’s the best partof my high school experience. Ipromise to continue singing my heartout, I love you Gpop!Why is he your favorite teacher?Brittany: When I first came to Giles,he immediately welcomed me withopen arms. He has been my mentor,friend, director and teacher, for fouryears. He always knows what to saywhen I’m feeling blue and encouragesme to my best. He does so much forthe Women’s Chorus, Chorale, andChoral Ensemble. I feel blessed tohave been a part of these groups.15

Thanks America By Mint TantisuwannaMy Host Family, the VickersJam Chunyanut Chutitam from Thailand:After I’ve been here for a year as an exchangestudent, I’ve learned many things about Americanculture, language, school and friends. I love howAmerica looks clean and peaceful. Thailand hasmore pollution, caused by cars and motorcycles.Also, roads are full of traffic jam. Before I camehere, I can’t cook at all. Now I learn how to cook bymyself. As an exchange student, it taught me how tobe independent and how to adapt to the newenvironment. Another thing is the language; myEnglish improved so much compared from the firstday I got here.School’s society here has several differences. Ilearned to try new and different activities theyoffered. Another favorite thing of mine is theenvironment and the nature. No wonder why oldpeople are strong and still healthy. Looking forwardto the fresh air to breathe and the beautiful natureevery morning makes me feel happy to live here.Plus, I like how the seasons change. White snow ofwinter, orange and yellow leaves of fall, greengrasses of spring and summer makes me enjoylooking through my bedroom window all year long!Lastly, I got lots of experience from being hereand I really like it. It’s the best year in my life. Icompare my exchange year like a happy moment, itwent by fast and it won’t come back again, but I stillhave great unforgettable memories.I cannot believethat my year in theUnited States is almostat an end. I think I wasfortunate to have beenplaced in GilesCounty, Virginia. Inmy opinion, to comeacross the world as anexchange student is noteasy. What if I havebeen placed in a place where people are not welcoming? What if I havebeen placed with a family that isn’t as good as what I have now? Will Isurvive the whole year? Giles County not only has beautiful scenery and awonderful small-town atmosphere, but also friendly people that have mademy stay worthwhile. I’ve met several people that have changed my life andchanged my view of America. Some view Americans as materialistic andshallow- focused on hunting down the newest gadget and stuffing theircarts full of “stuff” they don’t necessarily need on days such as BlackFriday. I have found, however, that Americans truly are caring andgenuine. For instance, the other day I went to the Christiansburg mall with Taylor Johnson. Westopped by the food court to get a drink, and I unintentionally left my Ipod on the table. I didn’trealize until I’d been gone from the mall for half an hour. On the way back to the mall, I tried toreassure myself it was still there. I told Taylor that Americans are honest, so probably someonehad turned it in. If this had happened in Thailand, my IPod probably would have been gone! Shetold me with an un-assuring look “No, not always! Sorry Mint.” When we returned to mall, thesecurity guard told us that no one had turned it in. Everyone was looking at us freaking out as Iwas on the point of tears. Before the security guard was going to call the cops, the dairy queencashier realized that someone had turned my IPod in. This is just one of the many experiences thathave shown me that Americans ingeneral are honest.Speaking about my life as anexchange student, it’s not easy.Jennifer Rother from Germany:I’ve learned a lot about the culture, USA andVirginia. I’ve learned the differences in schoolsystem, styles of clothing, history, politics, and howyou plan your future. I’ve studied rules about theroad and how to drive from driver’s education.People here respect each other no matter what theirskin color is, what country they come from, and howthey dress like. Its different how there is pledge ofallegiance every morning; we don’t have it inGermany. Before I came here, I have no idea whatthe national anthem of America is. Now I can singit! Compared to the first day I got here, I becamemore independent. Moreover, I learn new words andunderstand more English. My favorite class here inGiles High School is Art 1. This year has made adifference in my life, I promise I’ll come back andvisit some day. To sum up, thanks America for allthe experiences I’ve had through out the year and allthe memories will never be forgotten. Plus, softballsaren’t soft.Traveling by myself, being in places I’ve never been in before without myfamily, and facing culture shock can be tough. I’ve learned to be moreresponsible. I’ve learned that I can be a capable and independent personwhen I have to be. I’ve learned to cook, do laundry, make my bed, washmy shoes, take care of the dog, and defeat my morning enemy, the alarmclock. This experience has taught me that I am somehow able to handlemost of the things that come my way.I’ve realized that most Americans have no idea where in the worldThailand is located. However, before I got here, I had no idea whereVirginia was located either. Furthermore, being in Virginia has taught methe differences between Northern and Southern accents. After watching themovie “The Help,” I realized that not everyone in America talks the sameway! In Giles County, I’ve heard phrases such as “y’all” and “aint”. Forexample, I went on an exchangestudents’ trip to New York. One ofthe European exchange studentsasked me what state I am staying in.“You sound like you’re from thesouth; are you from Texas?” shewondered. I guess I have started tosound like I was a true Southerner.Giles, thanks for the memories.Although I will soon be miles awayAlley Meadows and me.Taylor Johnson and me.again, there will always be a specialplace in my heart for the people ofGiles County, Virginia.

AttendancePolicy:Y U No Fair?By Ben Dillon17

MarkAlbertKarishaSummers18

Chelsie StaffordSam SteeleWorst DriverMargee RagsdaleSENIORS2012LifeOfThePartyBubba WorkmanChelsieStaffordBest DriverAlexEatonMYKALAINGRAMTYLERNELSONBLEEMargeeRagsdaleAlexEatonJake Munsey and Megan FisherSTADER20

BIGGEST FLIRT21

Tyler CollinsBiggest CaseOf SenioritisBreCarr2012Karisha SummersMostUniqueAaronBaneBiggest Stressor22AlexEatonMargeeRagsdaleBrad KessingerandSavannah Honaker

Elena Anderson and Tuesday AlleyBiggestBookwormJacob DowdyMostOpinionatedKarisha Summers and Josh HarlessMost InvolvedMostAthleticJosh Harless andGabrielle StiffJake Munsey and Margee Ragsdale24Brad Kessinger, LyndseyJackson, and Zack Keaton

What would YOU change about GilesHigh School…?Dustin Davis: Better ChairsTuesday Alley: 8 th graders and their drama ina middle schoolMargee Ragsdale: Better lunches, more courses offeredAaron Stubbs: I would add more than only 5 minutes inbetween classesMykala Ingram: Make every individual feel like they areequal to everyoneKendra Austin: The foodDylan Ondell: LunchGwen Ribbe: Paint the walls!Alex Eaton: FoodKaitlyn Katz: Lunch!Lyndsey Jackson: Everything!Cassidy Ayers: Phones in betweenclassesAaron Bane: Bring your cat to schooldayMegan Fisher: Lunches and lunchpricesAvery Mahaney: I would like to see people allowed to eatand drink in class.Amber Caldwell: Lunches!Taylor Dudding: The lunches, they need some serious work.Matt Williams: Improve the school lunches, have moresenior benefits, allow the school to have more money, allowband students to go to the band room in the morning.Krysta Whittaker: Nothing, it’s a great school!Matthew Worrell: school lunchJosh Harless: Rules for school dances and lunch.Micheal Lester: School lunchesBecca Price: The foodChris Dalton: School food and better teachers!Travis Martin: Better school lunchesDustin McVey: Change the SOL/ no student left behind law.Montana Kessinger: More class varietyDylan McVey: Better school lunchesVictoria Thorne: Some of the rulesAlisha Hudson: No, I’m leaving! Good luck!Maya Williams: There is not enough paper in the world…Tiffany Burton: Hours and rules.Savannah Honaker: Nothing. I’m out of here! Good luckunderclassmen! Zeb Wall: The cost of a parking permit.Trevor Dudding: Having cell phones in between classes.Cole Martin: A lot.Amanda Dunn: Nothing!Hayley Wilburn: Lunches!Jessie Boggess: Lunches!!!Emily Galliher: Lunch!Ciara Whitten: Have meatloaf and brownies three times aweek, served by aliens. Natosha Cruise: Granted Giles High isn’t the best of thebest, it will always be better than my old school.Casey Perkins: The foodBubba Workman: The lunch menu would be Meatloaf –Monday, Taco-Tuesday, Wing-Wednesday, Turkey-Thursday,Fajita Friday. And salad bar everyday! NO MORE PIZZA ONFRIDAYS!!Brad Kessinger: For teachers to be less strict on smallerthings and more strict on the bigger incidents.Sara Givens: School lunches… yuck!Ashley Flory: Lunches!!Afton Lane: The rules for dances, an 8 th grader can go withsomeone 5 years older than them ; I can’t go withsomeone two years older than me.Alex Shelor: more courses offered, better lunches.Trey Freeman: Senior rules should not be asstrict, and seniors should be able to take weightlifting!

What would YOU change about GilesHigh (cont.)…Cody Vaught: For teachers to be less strictBrittany Agee: Healthier food options!(I know it’s improving but it has a longway) and to have chorale not seen asjust an elective… It’s one of the mostimportant life skills ever!Alexis Evans: more courses offered, better lunches.Kaitlyn Katz: Lunch!Tyler Nelson: It would be easier to answer if it asked what Iwouldn’t change, I would change almost everything…Corion Cornette: LunchJeff Smith: More freedom!Tiffany Houck: NOTHING! :)Alisha Hudson: No, I’mleaving! Good luck!Omar Hernandez: Theteachers… it would have been neat if my coolest friends hadstayed in school. I’d also change some of the people I don’tlike and the cafeteria food.Jake Munsey: I don’t know where to begin, so I won’t.Karisha Summers: I would give a voice to every student’sword against a teacher, and better lunch food.Brandon Bandy: LunchStuart Sublett: School lunchesTyler Collins: Students should be able to check out for lunch.Kelsy Sylvester: The quality of lunches.Sara Givens: School lunches… yuck!Gabrielle Stiff: More courses offered andbetter lunches.Hunter Cardwell: more time between classes

In 10 years I want to be…Savannah Bane: Married, still livingin Giles County, and working as aregistered nurseSara Givens:Married with kids,working as an RN atRadford HospitalBrandon Bandy: Seeing the worldTyler Collins: A sports therapist withmy own practice while living inMorgantown, WVJake Munsey: Comfortable in ateaching career, married to MeganFisher with one kid and another on thewayKelsy Sylvester: Successful in mycareer, married with kidsKarisha Summers: Done withcollege and pursuing a career insubstance abuse counseling and livingfar away from hereDylan Ondell: Want to be asuccessful game designer or movieanimatorMykala Ingram: In ten years I wantto be married andstarting my career asa psychiatrist in ahospital in NorthernVirginia.Aaron Stubbs: Outof college, makingmoney, and living in FloridaMargee Ragsdale: In graduate schoolfor a career, married, and have kids. Iwant to have a nice house and livingsome place warm.Tuesday Alley: Successful and happyDustin Davis: Married, starting afamily, and working for the statepolice or the FBI.Zeb Wall: Finished up with collegeand living on my ownTrevor Dudding: Hired as anelectrical engineer, living life to thefullest, and enjoying every memory ImakeCole Martin: Living largeAmanda Dunn:Working in aveterinarian’s officewith animalsCiara Whitten: I wantto be successful with agreat job and a great family.Natasha Cruise: In 10 years I plan onbeing married to my darling tta-ha andbeing 6 years into my teaching career.Emily Martin: Married to a famousgolferSam Steele: On my island, inside ofmy mansion, by my pool, counting mymoney, and stock optionsEmily Galliher: To be a teacher at anelementary schoolSavannah Honaker: Married andpursuing my career as a speechtherapistMaya Williams: A wealthypediatrician living somewhere with awarm climateTiffany Burton: Having a goodpaying job, get a car, have my ownplace living with my boyfriendVictoria Thorne:Married to myamazing boyfriendand have a family ofmy own and a houseof my ownStuart Sublett: Anywhere but hereHunter Cardwell: A successfulmachinist with a nice house, a family,a new dodge truckTrevor Shrader: A music teacher ora music professor in collegeGabrielle Stiff: Working in politicsKaitlyn Kats: Either being an algebrateacher or working in a salon forRedken. I also want a familyTyler Nelson: Successful, marriedand a fatherMichael Corion Cornette: AliveJeff Smith: A well respected chefTiffany Houck: With thelove of my life, living mylife day by day ♥Mckinna Gautier:Married with two kidsAlisha Hudson: Running my owncattle and horse operations, producingsome of the best quarter horsesOmar Hernandez: Out of college(GRADUATED) I’d be pretty cool if Ihad a parrot and a freaking job. As fora girlfriend I’d like to have one ofthose when I’m older. My life wouldbe complete if I could freaking drive.Cierra Collins: Married with twochildrenJordon Walkup: Inmusic production ofcomposition somewherein the stateAlexis Evans: Happily married withone or two kids (hopefully 1 boy and 1girl), with a good paying job in thehealth field, and living in a log houseTrey Freeman: Owning my own realestate business out of VirginiaCody Vaught: Out of college with ajobAlex Shelor: Married with two kids ,with a great job that I love doingAfton Lane: Im not sure but I knowwhatever I am doing and wherever Iam I will always be smiling and faraway from here.Ericka Cottle: Happy and living asuccessful life

In 10 years I want to be…Matthew Williams:Not here… somewhereI can be very successfuland have a lot of moneyAshley Flory: Living ata beach, possibly married with ayorkieBrad Kessinger: Out of college witha good job and looking to settle downand start a familyAmber Caldwell: Successful with agood paying job married with childrenTaylor Dudding: Famous…Duh?Krysta Whittaker: Working from avan for the indegent and shutins forcosmetologyOlivia Vaught: Happily living withJames Johnston, hopefully not in FortBranch, also having a good jobmaking big bucksStephen Morris: I want to be comingout of the army with the skills met toget a suitable job so that I can start afamily.Candace Gordon: In a steady job &married, maybeGwen Ribbe: In Maryland, doingsomething I love, maybe nursing,married with a kid or twoDylan Mcvey: Working as amechanic, with a big house, wife, andkidsSamantha Snidow: Already marriedto Brandon Lawson, living in abeautiful house in Georgia andhaving the best time withBrandon as husband and wife.Montana Kessinger: Married withkids, a nice job, nice house& reliablefuture. But if none of this happens, Ijust want to be happyLyndsey Jackson: Hopefully have agreat job and marriedAvery Mahaney: Successful, nomatter where I amBrittany Agee: Married withpossibly two kids. I also would love tobe in a career I love and able tosupport my familyAlex Eaton: Successful & HappyMegan Fisher: Married with a steadyjob and hopefully driving a dodgechargerAaron Bane: Teaching A-LevelLiterature or art in the UKJosh Harless:Working in themedical fieldBecca Price: Livingon my own with myhusband and mycareer already startedChris Dalton: Living the good lifeTaylor Williams: Have my ownfamily and making fat cashTravis Martin: AtCelaneseDustin Mcvey:Married to MykalaIngram and goingclose to retirement inten more yearsBubba Workman: Teaching andliving my life, making the best of whatis placed before me.Casey Perkins: AutomotiveTechnicianKyle Munsey: A storm chaser29

30SeniorWills…Sara Givens: I leave my parking spotto Cody Moler, I also leave him thejoy of being a Senior.Branden Bandy: I will leave Mrs.Layton Dudding sanity to continuemaking the lovely Giles FFA Chapterprosper.Tyler Collins: I wantto leave John Teats myFoot ball number (#42).I want to leave Cody Rhodes my greatcatching ability. I want to leave JessieFarmer the position of being Mr.Johnson’s favorite student.Jake Munsey: My only will andtestament is to leave Logan Merrix mycommitment and my dedication forTrack and Field, and whatever thatmay entitle.Kelsy Sylvester: ToJohnathan Ash, I leavemy locker. I leave myparking spot to Marti Williams.Karisha Summers: To EmileeCardin, I leave the power of actuallyunderstanding math, and I leave all thestupid people to Jakey Hudson. Ohhyeah… I leave my parking spot to anydriver who wants to make a spot!

SeniorWills…Emily Galliher: Nothing!Savannah Honaker: I leaveeverything to my sissy, MackenziHonaker!Tiffany Burton: I’ll leave my lockerto someone that deserves it, leave mybooks to people that actually wannastudy them.Victoria Thorne: I leave my lockerto those less fortunate. I leave myteachers to those who are forced toattend school, my books to those whodesire them, and the steps to thosewho have the energy to walk up ordown them.Montana Kessinger: I leaveeverything to whoever wants it…good luck.Dylan McVey: I leave my locker andmy lunch table to KyleBreeding, my best friendlittle brother.Aaron Stubbs: To Chris Agud: Ileave my Bible. To Jacob Stubbs: Ileave the #19 soccer jersey.Lyndsey Jackson: Kacey Mann –parking spot Brook Lavinder & KaceyMann – all the great memories weshared during track and cross country.Avery Mahaney: I leave my love ofmusic to Amber Stump.Gwen Ribbe: To Jonathan, I leavethe “joy” of having a little brother inschool with you. To both Jonathan andChristopher: have fun having to ridethe bus to school or go to school withMom + being a teacher’s kid. :PCandace Rose Gordon: Everythingcan go to Shayne.

Senior Wills…Amber Caldwell: Even though he isonly in kindergarten, I leaveeverything to my little brother Caseyand hope that he has successful yearsat Giles.Margee Ragsdale: I leave MarinnaDowdy my puma skills and NoellNeice my sense of humor.Tuesday Alley: Evan Williams: ourMACC team; Amelia Epling, KaitlynHarless and Amber Bradley –LLAMAS!Mykala Ingram: I leaveall my great cheermemories to Allie Perkins.To Mary Shupe I leave theadvice that high school issupposed to be fun not stressful sohave fun. To my little sister Rachel, Ileave all the great friends I’ve made,the awesome teachers I’ve had, and allthe great times at GHS.Sam Steele: I leave my little to nosoccer skills to John Shelor and JakeSpiegal.Hunter Cardwell: I leave my toolbox in Machine Shop to ShaneMidkiff.Brittany Agee: I leave my locker #1and unconditional love to my beau,Murdock. Also, I will give BeccaReeves my confidence, to RachelIngram; my recycling ideas, toMarti; the magic of love, toHannah Long; my flarp and laughter,to my lunch buddies our awesomeconversations, and to the chorale, Ileave behind my motivation and lovefor music. To Jacob Gann, pleasewatch over Murdock and Josh whileI’m in college. Thanks! Alex Eaton: I leave first chairsaxophone to Evan Williams.Matthew Williams: I give mysection chair in band to Fred Stump,use it well.Megan Fisher: I leave MaggieBoggess, Marinna Dowdy, and BethStump my hard work, dedication,leadership, and love of the sport. Ileave Micheala Ratcliffe my attitude. I leave Noell Niece and Afton Scottall the fun times and laughs and Ileave Noell Niece locker number 28 inthe team locker room.Aaron Bane: Everything to Fudgeand Liz because you CAN’T STOPME.Bubba Workman: I leave mycaptain position to any one who stepsup and earns it. I leave my centerposition to who ever works hardbetween Donnie and Big Jon. I alsoleave Trey Workman legacy on GilesHigh School considering I am the lastone.Matthew Worrell: I leave behind mytrack disks to Wes Griggs and J-BobFarmer.Dustin McVey: I leave my gingernessto all red heads coming to GHS

Evan Williams servesup a good hit duringpractice before a match.Senior Alex Eatonprepares to returnthe ball back to theother side of thecourt.Varsity Boys Tennis By Marti WilliamsBy the time March rolls around in the school year, manystudents are buzzing about the next sports season. For thosewho became part of the Giles Varsity Boys Tennis team theirseason began on March 12 th with a match betweenChristiansburg. Overall the boys proved to be a bit rusty intheir tennis technique as the majority lost their matches, butthey prevailed the following week in a match against Narrowswhere they schooled the Greenwaves. Each player came off thecourt victorious, as Evan Williams won 8-5 and Carson Squibb,Alex Eaton and Isaac Wall won 8-0 with Zeb Wall sealing thedeal with an 8-2 win. With such a rainy season, matches werebeing rescheduled left and right, but the boys didn’t let thatdeter them from victory. Their next win would be over Narrowsagain with another landslide victory. In the weeks to come theywould lose twice to George Wythe and Radford along with welldeserved win over Dayspring Christian Academy that carried ascore of 9-0. The teams record by the end of the season turnedout to be 3-7, a record to be proud of! Way to go guys on aterrific season!Seth Gautier plays netwhile practicingChristiansburg, but quickly regained momentumin the next match by beating Christiansburg on theirhome turf with a match score of 5-4. Continuingtheir winning streak they would defeat Narrowsdoubles.twice, each time carrying a score of 9-0 followed by a two landslide wins overGeorge Wythe. Their next opponent would be the Floyd Buffalos, a match thatwould present a little bit of a challenge for our ladies, but in the end they wereable to pull out yet another victory with a score of 5 to 4. In the weeks to come they would findthemselves playing Floyd once more, but this time would gain their second loss of the season. However,this didn’t bother our Spartans for they came back strong and gained victories over Auburn, East Mont.and Glenvar! Their next match, against Radford, provided them with their third loss for the season, butwith a remarkable season like this, three losses is hardly anything to be ashamed of. The Lady SpartansTennis team has played spectacularly with a record to prove it. Way to go girls, and keep up the goodwork!(Left) JuniorNina Johnsonpractices herreturn shotsbefore theirnext match ofthe season.Varsity BoysTennis 2012Evan WilliamsTrevor ShraderZeb WallCarson SquibbSeth GautierIsaac WallAlex EatonSteven ScottZack Croy(Right)AshleyEstep worksat servingup the ballduringpractice.Senior Trevor Shraderwatches diligently aftersending the ball back overthe net.Varsity Girls TennisBy Marti WilliamsWhen describing the Varsity Girl’sTennis team season this year, the wordsuccessful seems to be an understatement.Even though the stormy weather did its bestto bring the ladies’ spirits spiraling down,nothing seemed to be able to rain on theirparade. The girlsstarted off theirseason a bitshaky with a lossof 4-5 toAmber Stumpswatches her serve soaracross the net inpractice.Varsity GirlsTennis 2012Nina JohnsonAlex ShelorEmily GalliherTony ColliniAshley EstepKelsey HoltAmber Stump33

Senior Jake Munsey makes a move to pass tworival runners during a 1600 (mile).track and fielders obviously had the right talent and drive to achieve great thingsthis season, nothing could change the fact that spring means rain, and hope as theymight that meet days wouldn’t get stormed out, coaches and athletes found theirluck wanting. Varsity track was only able to get one other meet under their beltbefore the All American Relays, but the team managed to make the most of it. Inan abnormally chilly competition at Floyd on April 11 th , Giles managed to slogthrough the freezing weather to secure a somewhat unexpected first place, whichonly boosted our athletes’ confidence.The following Saturday saw the much-anticipated All American Relays takeplace at Radford, and it was evident this would be a defining meet for Varsity.Speeding to State By Ben DillonIn the first Varsity Track meet of the year on March 28 th , no one could’veguessed how well Giles would perform. With attending teams from Floyd andRadford, who have usually checked the success of our track team in past seasons,it was up in the air as to who would claim the meet. However, even though abaton was dropped by a Giles relay team and even though the meet waseventually called just before the last event (a 3200) due to lightning, the finalscore was clear: Giles Varsity Boys had won the meet by a landslide.With such a successfuldebut, hopes were high thatthis track season would seeGiles through to the Statemeet, and possibly becomeSingle A champion.Nevertheless, though ourSenior Matthew Worrell flings a discus duringthe throwing events of a Giles meet.With about 20 formidable single and double A schools attending, the odds seemed low for Giles to maintain its winning streak. A losshere also meant that track would have to concede to Varsity Boys soccer as the so-far only undefeated spring season team. Yet theresults of the All American Relays proved what track could accomplish: Varsity Boys placed first in the entire competition, andVarsity Girls pulled off a decent 5 th place ranking.After the Relays, Giles Boys Varsity track went on to win a meet at Glenvar the next Wednesday, but their continuing winningstreak was finally checked on the Friday of that same week, at the huge Floyd County Buffalo invitational on April 27 th . However,most on the team considered this meet a win for Giles, for though the invitational featured more than 20 schools from across Virginia(including a few triple A schools) Giles Boys managed to get 2 nd place overall.The record of Giles up to this point in the track season has been so stellar that few don’t expect to see the varsity team make aState appearance. But why is it that this year has been so successful compared torecent track seasons, which saw only a select number of Giles athletes make it toState, instead of the team as a whole?In this sprinting event, two Giles athletes A.J. Ebright (far left) and Nick Sparr(third from left) attempt to take the lead in their heat.Sophomore Leslie Meadows speeds ahead witha baton during a relay race.

Senior Jake Munsey, who in his highschool career has become arguably the bestlong distance runner Giles now has to offer(next to his brother Luke), shared hisopinion as to why Varsity track has risen sohigh. “We’ve had this success because of abunch of experienced guys we kept fromlast year. Our hurdlers have also added abig part to the points we rack up.” Soaccording to Jake, the success of the teamis due to retaining skilled athletes from theprevious season, like throwers TreyFreeman (shot-put) and Wes Griggs (discus).And of course anyone who’s seen Giles’ sprinting and hurdle team will realizewho’s responsible for the most accumulation of points in a meet, as Jake mentioned. IanMann, Michael Lester, A.J. Ebright and Dustin Boggess are some recognizable andhighly talented speed athletes on the team, who help gain the bulk of the points with theirhurdle and relay events.But even though the hurdle team is a major factor in Varsity’s success, it takes theparticipation and drive of everyone in their own event for Giles to place first. As headtrack coach Mark Hubbard commented, “It takes a little bit of everything. Speed’s a bigfactor, but to win you need all the parts of a track team-throwers, jumpers, sprinters, longdistance…if one part fails, we all fail.” Hence to make it to State, Varsity track needseveryone on the teamto do their part.(Top right) Junior Wes Griggs demonstrates a decent form as hecasts a discus in a Giles home meet. (Right) Senior Trey Freemanprepares to heave a shot in warm-ups for a meet. Trey is likely thebest shotput thrower on his team35

The Real Football Team By Ben DillonIf you know anything about the culture of Giles, you probably would never think of associatingthe sport of soccer with GHS. Yet surprisingly, Giles’ Varsity Boys soccer program has produced oneof the most successful teams of the pastspring season. It seems almostincredible, but this year our VarsityBoys team could be making schoolhistory.For the past several years at Giles,the relatively recent soccer programhasn’t exactly achieved the same levelof interest or success that more popularsports like football or track have. In fact,it seems pretty obvious that those whodo participate in Giles soccer view it asa secondary or even tertiary sport ofAn elated Varsity Boys soccer team celebrates after their choice, as most of the participatingamazing 7-0 win against Christainsburg.athletes are adamant footballers.Consequently, the view of the program for some time has been of “football players playingsoccer” or “hillbilly soccer,” as some neighbouring county teams like to jest. But this year all that haschanged for Varsity soccer, due majorly to a new crack team of athletes who are actually committedto the sport. The team is packed with talent, with some notable players like up-and-coming freshmanmidfielder Stuart Myers, the unbreakable defender Hunter Mathias, lightning-fast striker BradKessinger and of course striker Matthew Keaton, one of the best scorers on the team and who is in theupper State rankings, just to name a few.But while a committed and talented team is a good start to having a successful season, soundleadership is really the key to going far. Though sound leadership is given by Coach Randy Roe offthe pitch, attend just oneVarsity Boys game and itbecomes obvious where theleadership on the pitch comesStriker Matt Keaton maneuvers around two Christiansburgdefenders, giving himself a good shot at the goal.#2 Capt. Brad Kessinger#3 Jeffrey Smith#4 Cody Blankenship#5 Jake Spiegel#6 Jacob Morris#7 John Shelor#8 Cody Collins#9 Brandon Harless#10 Capt. Matt Keaton#11 Sam Steele#12 Carson Journell#13 Capt. Zack Keaton#14 Capt. Hunter Mathias#15 Logan Smith#16 Chris Agud#17 Joseph Lucas#18 Brandon Bandy#19 Aaron Stubbs#20 Stuart Myers#21 Garrett Lee#24 Devin Elliot#25 Jacob Frazier#27 Jonathon JennelleGK Jenson DoffinHead Coach: Randy RoeAsst. Coaches:Neil Schmidt, Scott KeatonManager: Miller Collinsfrom: veteran soccer player and team captain Zack Keaton. It’sclear that Zack, a senior, has a talent for the sport, having playedsoccer religiously for most of his life, yet his real asset lies in hisability to take charge of the team and understand every situationon the field. Perhaps it is mostly because of Zack that the teamhas gone so far, winning every game but one to date, each by alandslide. Though according to him, “Our ability to cometogether and work hard is why we’ve been so successful.”The season itself started out with high hopes, and a recordnumber of about 30 athletes showed up to participate in try-outs, proving how popular the program has grown. The team maintained ahigh level of ability, retaining a good number of starters from last season in addition to many new athletes that look to be veritablegame changers, like the lithe and experienced sophomore midfielder Jake Spiegel. The team also welcomed a new keeper, freshmanJenson Doffin, who has proven to be a good investment with his considerable number of saves during the season.However, even though his teammates contribute great overall skill, Zack isn’t too bold to not recognize a few weaknesses. “Ourfirst touch, or the ability to receive a ball, and our trouble with communication are our weaknesses,” he commented, while his brotherMatt, also a captain, says the team’s main weakness is “our lack ofcreativity.”With this dedicated team of choice athletes, coached by Randy Roeand expertly led by Zack Keaton, the Varsity Boys program has gone on toforge an amazing season. “It was very important for us to come out strongin our first scrimmage against State power Blacksburg,” Zack reflected.“After playing for an hour, the score was 1-0 (them). That felt like avictory to us.” And after playing the first two real games with opponentChristiansburg High School, any doubts about the team’s ability werequickly put to rest, with a final score of 3-1 the first match and anunbelievable 7-0 score after the second, which as Zack put it “was our bestplayed game of the year.”Striker Brad Kessinger prepares to give a longthrow-in over the head of a Christiansburg player.

Captain Zack Keaton, a midfielder this year, getsready for an indirect kick.season, neither track nor soccer had lost an event, and the bets were on as to who wouldbe the first defeated. Nevertheless, in their defining game against the soccer giant, Gileswas unable to rally to defeat Radford, finishing with a bitter score of 0-2. But accordingto Hunter Mathias, the loss wasn’t all that bitter. “I love how after Radford, we all,players and coaches, joined together as one family, stepping it up and giving the nextpractices and games all we had,” he commented.So hope has not been shattered for the Varsity Boys team, and expectations ofmaking it to State are still high, as the team has only lost two games out of the season,even if both were against their most important opponent. With the district and regiontournaments in the near future, this season might very well see Varsity Boys soccer go thefarthest ever in Giles sports history. Zack Keaton summed up the team’s prospects: “Wedefinitely prove a legitimate challenge. We have a good team…we have the ability tomake a long playoff run. Nothing will be given to us, we have to go out there and take it.”Next, the team went on to win a series of games against Fort Chiswelland Narrows respectively, facing some challenge from Chiswell, but at onepoint smashing Narrows with an 8-0 victory. In a historic follow-up matchagainst Floyd, Matt Keaton surprised fans with a calculated hat-trick(scoring three times in one game), and another amazing 8-0 win wassecured.However, it was apparent that most of these games weren’t regardedby the players as important as the upcoming match against the team’sbiggest rival, Radford. “I speak on behalf of my team when I express howtired we are of the Bobcats. Beat Radford. That is our first goal. Anythingafter that is a bonus,” Zackadamantly expressed. In fact,by this point in the springYou only need to look at theseincredible results from a Giles-Christiansburg game to see what theVarsity Boys team is capable of.37

Let’s Go Girls!By Mint TantisuwannaI would like to say that this team hasbeen a pleasure to coach. They aregreat girls who have given everythingthey have to the team and it is startingto show in the results of the games. Weare getting better and better and I thinkthe future of Giles High School girls’soccer is very bright. I could not haveasked for anything else and as a coach Iappreciate that more than anything.Their hard work, dedication, andcommitment to learning the game ofsoccer has paid dividends for them inthe way they play and how they arenow able to compete in district gameson a consistent basis.–Coach Eric RupertGirls’ Varsity Soccer has hadawe-some start this year. The try outs,practices and games they have facedthis year have made them a strongerand closer team. Our brand new GilesHigh school girls’ varsity soccercoach, Eric Rupert, had experiencescoaching travel teams. Though this ishis first year coaching high schoolstudents, he is very proud of the Spartans girls. “I am very proud when I seehard work which is being rewarded and these girls are listening to everythingwe tell them and then using it in the games and it is paying off for them. It isfun to coach when you have players who soak up knowledge and want toknow more.” For instance, one of their most excellent games is the awaymatch between Giles Spartans and Fort Chiswell Pioneers. Courtney Estepscored six goals, Olivia Steele scored another 2 goals and Hannah Mitchellmade two saves in net to record the shutout for Giles. The whole school gotexcited and was really proud of their fantastic job.2012ROSTERCaptainBriana Massaro #7Captain Jessie Farmer #6Tarah Myers #13Josalyn Buchanan #12Emily Harrell #5Atiya Harris #9Danielle Vaught #1Olivia Steele #3Sarina Sanders #17Devin Moore #8Afton Scott #11Courtney Estep #2Victoria Agud #10Savannah Fletcher #4Taylor Perkins #14Jessica Branks #19Beth Stump GoalieHannah Mitchell Back-up #16Information from Coach Rupert andpictures from Courtney Estep and DevinMooreEric RupertKylie GalyenPaul ShortKassie RichardsonCoachAssist. CoachAssist. CoachManager38

Rafe Hagee makes his way down the soccer field.RosterJacob Stubbs 7Jonathan Ribbe 15Brody Dunford 2Tanner Martin 14Justin Smith 13Wyatt Link 3Dylan Stout 5Rafe Hagee 17Brett Whitlow 10Gary Suroski 0Hannah Johnson 20Holly Fontaine 9Douglas Good 8Justin Davis 18Wesley Meredith 11Madie Atkins 21Johnathan Johnson 22Shaun Lawrence 23Coaches:Scott KeatonGrady SpiegelGo for TheGoal!By Kristin GillispieThe fastest growing sportin the world is right here atGiles. Soccer! The soccerteam practices everyday tocontinue their hard workand effort, so they canprepare for the games thatapproach them. Theycertainly do deliver whenthey play their games! Theteam started off the seasonwith two ties both againstJustin Smith uses his defensive skillsto get the ball from the GeorgeWythe player.Christiansburg. The second time they played Christiansburg theytraveled, the match concluded with a tie of 2-2. Freshman Dylan Stoutscored the first goal of the game, while the other was from the opposing team. Our athletes sufferedtwo losses, but that didn’t get them down. The team traveled to Pulaski County and brought back awin of 4-1. Next they traveled to George Wythe and suffered a loss. Sophomore Jacob Stubbs says“Being on a team means to always work together. We try to achieve this everyday at practice so wecan play our best.” The team certainly does play their best! Graham soon traveled into our neck ofthe woods; Giles once again added a win of 6-3. Brett Whitlow scored four goals; other goals wereadded by Sophomore Jacob Stubbs and 8 th grader Holly Fontaine. The team traveled to Grahamand brought home a victory of 9-1. The Spartans ended the season by traveling to Radford, andbringing home a win of 2-0! The soccer team had a very good season this year; we can only lookforward to what talent willbe brought to the field forthe JV Soccer team nextyear!Jonathan Ribbe drives the ball down the soccer field whileother fellow teammates follow.Coach Scott Keaton gives the team a pep talk during thegame against George Wythe.39

Tyler Nelson pitches the ball to begin thegame against Christiansburg.Cole Martin gets ready to bat during thegame against Christiansburg.RosterMark Albert 12Tyler Collins 20Trevor Dudding 18Cole Martin 5Tyler Nelson 11Dylan Raymond 21Gage Smith 8Bubba Workman 23Taylor Dudding 3Eli Bradley 19Josh Doffin 13Lucas Stevers 25Dillon Graham 6Batter Up!By Kristin GillispieWith the cold weather slowlyfading away we are finallyspringing into some warmerweather. One sure sign thatspring is here is that baseballseason has finally approached.New coach Craig Johnson hassurely started off wellcoaching our Spartans. OurVarsity boys started out theseason traveling toChristiansburg and bringing home avictory of 12-10. The Spartans thenhosted a game against Craig County;Giles once again had another win of 7-1.The team suffered their first loss whenthey hosted Blacksburg with 4-8, but thatdidn’t get our boys down! The teamcontinued gaining wins against CraigCounty, James Monroe and Narrows.The team once again faced Blacksburgand brought back home a win of 7-2. Ourboys traveled to Radford in hopes ofbringing home another victory in theirhands, which they proudly did! Our boysdefeated Radford with a score of 14-8.The team stayed at home the followingweek for their game against East Mont.and Giles stood their ground and received a win of 7-2. Our boys traveled to Auburnand brought home a win of 11-8. The team then hosted Glenvar and won with the scoreof 8-3. The baseballteam has doneextremely well thisseason. Even with anew coach the boyshave proved no matterwhat, they willsucceed. We lookforward to what talentwill be brought nextseason.Goodjobboys!Dylan Raymond prepares to bat during thegame against Christiansburg.40Varsity Baseball team (front row) assistant coach JaredBrown, Mark Albert, Eli Bradley, Bubba Workman, ColeMartin, Tyler Collins, (second row) head coach CraigJohnson, Taylor Dudding, Tyler Nelson, Dylan Raymond,Trevor Dudding, Lucas Stevers, Gage Smith, Tyler Perdue(JV), Josh Doffin, manager Jazzon Symns, assistant coachSammy Adkins.

The team receives an inspirational speech from Coach Chris Neicebefore a game against Blacksburg.JV BaseballBy Jevin Scott“Take me out to the ball game, take me out to thecrowd!” is what many Spartan Baseball fans chimeas the JV Baseball Spartans dash through the basesso fast that fans can only see a red blur. Consistingof 19 players and holding a record of 8:6, theSpartans run circles, or rather, diamonds aroundother competing teams.The team has been working hard practicing onthe field as well as in batting cages, but the mostvaluable practice is during the actual game wherethe practice is realistic as possible and adrenaline ispumping. Players dash quickly to catch pop-flies inthe outfield and throw is back to first base for adouble play.Baseball is truly America’s Passtime as long asthese amazing players continue to entertain theirfans. I was truly astounded by how many fans wentto one of the games I attended. The stands werefilled and many fans brought their own fold-upchairs. A few people leaned agains the fence or saton the ground. They were so excited about watching their sons, grandsons, or brothers play their favorite sport and their cheers filledthe air everytime a player from either team hit the ball.The coaches always do a great job directing the games and bettering the players. Before a game the players toss baseballs backand forth in the outfield, take a few swings each in the batting cage, and practice fielding. One of the coaches hits the ball to eachplayer and position in the field and they act as though there are truly players rounding the bases. Then they throw the ball back tohome plate to a waiting team member so the coach can hit it again.The JV Spartans intensely play the outfield, catching several pop flies per game. Fans stand andscream for the outfielders up to the very moment they hear the ball strike their leather glove.Meanwhile, the in-fielders crouch waiting for the ball to come sailing their way. Swing and a miss,swing and a miss. Our pitchers throw lightning fast pitches directly into the awaiting batter’s strikezone too fast for him to even see.CRACK! Another hit for the Spartans asthey race across the bases. Running fast as theypossibly can trying to make it towards homeplate, the opposing team is trapped in a daze ofpure disbelief at the Spartans’ incredible speed.By the time the ball is recovered, every playerhas made it back home and the next batter isalready in the box.The outstanding skill of our team this yearhas provided a fun and entertaining season. I amcertain that the players, along with the coaches,enjoyed themselves thoroughly. It is thesportsmanship and fun of the game that willhopefully drive these fantastic ball players toplay once again next year. As far as I knownone of the other teams our spartans playedCharlie Stevens catchesthe first pop fly in thegame againstBlacksburgwere unsportsman-like, but I know that a rudeteam can ruin one’s love of any sport, not justbaseball. I hope these players will continue tolove baseball throughout their entire lives.JV BASEBALL 2012Pitcher for the JV Spartans, Tyler Perdue,intimidatingly winds up.41

Varsity SoftballBy Alley MeadowsWith a relatively older team of 4 seniors, 5 juniors, 2 sophomores and 1 freshman, theladies tried their best to come out on top. Their season record was 6-13and their coaches BobbyBuchanan, Ralph Harless and Jack Kellison worked very hard on keeping them focused.Captains Jessie Boggess, Megan Fisher, and Tiffany Cook stated, “It was kind of like themilitary, we broke them down, and then built them up!”RosterHayley WilburnMarinna DowdyTiffany CookMegan FisherMakayla CookJessie BoggessMegan OndellKaitlyn SteversAmber BradleyMicheala RatcliffeJennifer BradleyDamien JonesJunior Marinna Dowdy pitches to a batteron the opposing team.Hayley Wilburn prepares to bat at agame against James Monroe.First baseman Damien Jones catchesthe ball to make a play during thewarm up drills.Hind catcher Jessie Boggess prepares forthe pitch.Megan Fisher tries to keepwarm during a drill before thegame.

Jennifer RotherVictoria BelcherBy Amber ConleyThis year the J.V. Lady Spartans started out the season a littlerough by losing the first game. The ladies were only behind 4 runsbut that didn’t stop them. The team consists of mostly 8 th graders whoare new to the high school sports. The girls always played theirhardest and hoped to win district champs. With a come back the ladieswon three games beating Narrows once with a score of (16-8) andFort Chiswell twice with scores of (10-7) and (19-8) , making theirtotal (3-13-0) 3 wins, 13 losses, and 0 ties. We all hope they can pullRosterCasey Atkins 1Ashley Thornhill 2Rachael Flory 4Noell Neice 5Jennifer Rother 7Victoria Belcher 8Brandi Martin 9Marissa Rubas 10Jamie Gann 11Katlyn Burton 12Cheyenne Whittaker 13Caty Shillinger 14Dorothy Mitchell 16Head Coach: Stacy Cunninghamthis one out before their seasonends! Lets Go Lady SpartansRachaelFloryAshley ThornhillFreshman AshleyThornhill gets ready topitch, hoping to get astrike!Picture below( left to right):Ashley Thornhill, RachaelFlory, Victoria Belcher, JamieGann, Dorothy Mitchell,Marissa Rubas, and JenniferRother during practiceDorothy Mitchell7 th and 8 th Grade Track:Making History!By Taylor JohnsonThis year the eighth grade track definitely madetheir season one to remember! A large number ofathletes came out this season which made it easy to spread them out over the variousevents in which track consists. Working hard all season both the girls and boys team ended up NRVDistrict Champions. Also, two amazing athletes Brian Mann and Kiersten Shrader were able to comeaway breaking District and School records. Brian Mann brokethe District Records in the 200 meters, 400 meters and long andtriple jump while Kiersten Shrader broke the District Long JumpRecord and the Giles High School 8th Grade Long Jump record.Both teams winning NRV Districts is an accomplishment thathas never been done by any Giles 8th Grade Track Team sinceMark Hubbard has been the coach.Track Pictures Courtesyof Bendy Shrader.43

44This image, found on Ancient Greekpottery, dates to 500 BCE!Yo it up!By Jevin ScottA few students here at Giles High School, such as Matthew Gautier, ThomasRobbins, Anthony Estep, and I, have become interested in the legendary art of yo-yoing!Yo-yos were at their peak of popularity in the 1920s through the 1950s even though yoyoshad been around for hundreds of years. The earliest evidence of yo-yos dates back to500 BCE. Yo-yos are believed to originate from the Philippines where there have evenbeen debates that they were used as weapons!There are several different kinds of yo-yos and yo-yo tricks. Looping is performingtricks while keeping the yo-yo in constant motion going up and down the string ratherthan sleeping. Two handed looping is said to be the hardest style for beginners to master.Sleeping is keeping the yo-yo spinning while remaining at the end of its uncoiled string.Sleeping is the basis for many yo-yo tricks such as ‘walk the dog’ and other string tricks.Another type of yo-yoing, known as the “off-string” technique, is a bit rare but alsoentertaining. The yo-yo string is not tied to the axle, and the yo-yo is launched into the air.The player then attempts to catch it again on the string. There is one more type of majoryo-yo style known as “Free-Hand”. While performing this style the string is not even tiedto the player’s hand! Rather, it ends in a counterweight which is thrown from hand to handand is used as another element to tricks.There are actually world-wide yo-yo competitions with several different contest divisions! The divisions are 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A,AP, CB, 1S, and 2S. In a 1A contest the player uses a single sleeping yo-yo to perform string tricks. 2A is possibly the mostentertaining contest to watch, because the player uses two yo-yos at the same time to perform looping tricks and often includesacrobatics in the routine. 3A is somewhat like the 1A division except the player uses two yo-yossimultaneously rather than one. 4A is the contest in which players use an off-string yo-yo toperform tricks. 5A contestants use a free-hand yo-yo to amaze the judges and the crowd. AP ispractically the free-style competition of yo-yoing in which players can use any style of yo-yos ortricks. The CB division is only held in the world competition and requires players to performtricks with every style yo-yo. 1S requires the competitors to perform 25 sleeping string tricksand are only allowed to miss one. Quite the challenge! However, 2S requires the players tocomplete 25 looping tricks and are also only permitted to mess up once.Now that some light has been shed on the subject, we can get back to the impact yo-yos arehaving here at Giles. Although there may be other people picking up the hobby, I have noticedthat most of them are tenth graders. The idea to ‘bring back’ yo-yos was formed by AnthonyEstep and I in Rich Creek one Saturday afternoon after we bought two yo-yos from the localRite-Aid. We shared memories of our first yo-yos and such. Soon, we had a plan and got yo-yosfor a few of our friends and started bringing them to school and practicing tricks.Usually we only perform looping tricks, because at the moment we only have access to cheap and easily broken modified-styleyo-yos. “Around the World” and “The Windmill” are a couple favorites of our smallgroup. We hope to someday obtain professional Modified or even Butterfly yo-yosand take our tricks to the next level. But for now, we can make do and still have quitea bit of fun with what we have.I asked Anthony Estep a few questions about yo-yoing such as what he mostenjoys about yo-yoing, his favorite trick, and what the most frustrating thing aboutyo-yoing is. He replied “Well I guess my favorite thing with yo-yos is that feelingwhen the yo-yo comes back and hits your hand after you pulled off a trick, I love it. Ilike Around the World it is probably my favorite trick and it was the first trick Ilearned. The absolute worst thing is when your yo-yo breaks, your string snaps, oryou got some major spaghetti strings (when your yo-yo string gets twisted andbecomes difficult to use or roll up).” I also asked him if he thought yo-yos wouldbecome popular here at Giles. “I sure hope so! It’d be really cool if everyone had ayo-yo just as long as no one gets hit in the face or anything. They are cheap and youcan get one like anywhere.”Personally my favorite thing about yo-yos is being able to do tricks which otherpeople here can’t. That way it is easy to amuse other students. I like to just sleep theyo-yo as a trick because a few people here haven’t even seen it done. I agree withThomas Robbins demonstrates a simpletrick to the newest yo-yoist in our group,Matthew Gautier.Anthony that having your yo-yo break is TERRIBLE, especially if it is your onlyone. On this year’s symphonic chorale trip to Disney, I met a master yo-yoist in one ofthe parks who wowed me with a quick range of tricks all perfectly chained together. Itinspired me to continue learning tricks. I really would love to get a Duncan yo-yo.Duncan is pretty much the expert’s company when it comes to yo-yo merchandise.

Rubik’s Madness By Ben DillonYou may have to see it to believe it, but it’s true: Rubik’s cubes are back in style. At least that’s the case for many of Giles’ upperclassmen, who since late last semester seem to have become infatuated with those notorious multicoloured mind traps blasted backfrom the 1980s.Like many at our school, I can’t go through more than half a school day without seeingsome poor fellow struggling to solve a Rubik’s cube while totally oblivious to a teacher’sinstructions to cease his unproductive attempts and get back to work. At the same timehowever, I can find myself mesmerized by one of the few expert cube solvers at our school,and thus get the idea to write this article on cubing, which my audience is still hopefullyinterested in if they haven’t flipped to another story already.As it happened, being acquainted with an expert cube solver myself, I was able to get somejuicy insight into the relatively recent phenomenon of “cubing” at Giles. The cuber that Iinterviewed is Brian “Wes” Griggs, arguably the best Rubik’s cube solver at Giles, and the kidwho was responsible for its comeback at the school. Wesfirst got interested in Rubik’s cubes while on the internet,an entity I understand most teenagers like to frequent whenbored.“A friend in Kentucky told me about Rubik’s cubeswhile we were Skyping, and when he showed me one beingJunior Kearsley Dillon propelsthrough the algorithms of a3x3Rubik’s cube. Kearsley is one ofseveral students at Giles, mostlyupper classmen, who became hookedon the “art”, as Kearsley calls it, ofRubik’s cube solving.solved, I was blown away,” explained Wes while he was atthat moment solving a cube himself. After that experience,Wes was hooked on Rubik’s cubes, and immediately wentto buy one to try his hand at solving it.Never at school without his trusty 3x3 dimensionpuzzle block, Wes eventually became a Rubik’s cube speedsolver as he worked endlessly in cracking them. “I think myfastest time in solving [a 3x3] has been about 20 seconds,” Wes remarked. I don’t think you have to bea Rubik’s cube expert to know that’s a remarkably fast time.As far as puzzle solving goes, it’s hard to find someone as passionate about restoring order fromchaos as Wes. “It’s people’s reactions the first time I show them solving one. They’re thrilled. That’swhat I love about solving them,” Wescommented when I asked what he likedbest about the cube fever. And Wes can’thelp but seem a little less modest when hedescribes why the Rubik’s cube hasgained such sudden popularity at Giles.Wes explained it’s basically because of him bringing his Rubik’s cubes toschool and showing how to solve them that cubing has caught on so much,especially, it seems, among upperclassmen like juniors and seniors. “It’sbasically because I started doing it,” Wes simply put it. Still, I wondered thateven though Rubik’s cubes appear to be back in style, would they eventually lose popularity as theyhave done in the past because of the obvious difficulty most people experience trying to solve them?And that brought up another question: is it really that difficult to solve a basic Rubik’s cube? Do youtruly have to be “smart?” For explanations, Wes was of course the cuber to ask.“Yes, [you do have to be smart],” he replied. “I don’t think enough people at school have thepatience or the right wits to solve a Rubik’s cube.” However, I wasn’t entirely sure on Wes’ ultimatumon cubing. Since I myself am obviously an extremely intelligent and resourceful individual, Iconsidered it odd that I am so hopeless solving a Rubik’s cube (the only explanation I can see for this isthat I’m too smart for the cube). Still, I thought there had to be some trick to solving them, and indeedIn order to correctly solve aRubik’s cube, you have to knowthe right algorithms, or steps.Pictured is Kearsley Dillondemonstrating the right procedurein solving a 3x3 cube.Edge pieceshave 2 colors.Center pieces have onecolor.Wes Griggs is an expert at solvingRubik’s cubes of many dimensions,and is responsible for the 80s puzzle’scomeback at Giles. He is shown herewith a solved five by five dimensioncube.Corner pieces have 3colors.There are sixcube faces.there was.According to Wes, to solve a Rubik’s cube, you have to know the right algorithms, which arebasically steps to solving the puzzle. To figure out the algorithms, it’s best if you know the Rubik’scube’s structure and parts (check out the cube diagram to see a Rubik’s cube’s segments). Apparently,once you have these algorithms memorized, solving a basic 3x3 cube is a cinch. “It really just takes a lotof practice and eventually you’ll solve it by muscle memory. Or you go by the algorithms each time,”Wes explained. But however one manages to solve one, Wes still doesn’t foresee Rubik’s cubescatching on much with the rest of the student body by the end of the year.Nevertheless, he has certainly made an impact with his remarkable puzzle solving. Take junior Kearsley Dillon for example, who hasbecome hooked on Rubik’s cubes ever since he saw Wes Griggs solve one in 50 seconds. “It blew my mind,” he commented. Kearsley is justone of several other students who became cube crazed earlier in the school year after having seen Griggs’ puzzle solving prowess. Just likeWes, Kearsley and others had to get their hands on a Rubik’s cube, and before long that 80s pastime that seemed all but diminished was backin style, if for but a while. If my readers have found themselves suddenly interested in Rubik’s cubes after reading this (thus giving thisarticle a shred of legitimacy) I would suggest you to log on to rubiks.com, a site dedicated to the ‘art’ of Rubik’s cubes that includes tips forsolving them and features a wide variety of cubes you can purchase online.

SAE Recognized TeachersCraig Johnson a JanuaryCrystal Boggess FebruaryJanice Gautier MarchMark Jones April46Erin Burton May

“It’s something unpredictable, but in the end is right.I hope you had the time of your life.” - Greenday