News at The 'Drews
Nneka Anukwuem, Staff Writer
Andrews Wins State Championships
The T.Wingate Andrews band recently won State Championships on November 2, 2014 in Durham, North Carolina. Thanks to early preperation, they were able to win the championships for their school and make many proud of their achievements.
“When we came in we knew that we wanted to win, but we also knew that there was a possibility that we would not. We had to keep a positive attitude and realize that even if we lost, we still had to keep a smile on our faces. As a band, I believe that we were very confident in our abilities. We knew that we wanted to win and we worked really hard to achieve our goals.” Said India Bynum, a member of the TWA band.
The band winning championships adds to the long list of championships TWA has won over the past couple of years. These include Women’s Basketball, Battle of the Books, Varsity Football, Track, and Wrestling.
The bands victories include 1st place Drum major, 1st place in Flag, 2nd place in Dance, 1st place in Music, 1st place in Marching, 1st place in General effects, 1st place in Drum line, and 1st place Overall Class 2A.
The competition was held at the Durham County Stadium and tickets were sold for $12 at the gate. TWA provided students and parents with transportation to the stadium to see their child perform. The competition began at 3:00 in the afternoon, while the gates opened at 2 P.M.
School Spirit at Andrews
Teachers at T. Wingate Andrews recently participated in an AVID door competition that took place throughout the end of October and early November. The competition was meant to raise awareness about various colleges and universites to high school students by decorating their doors with the colors, mascots, and information of various colleges.
Teachers were required to have mascots, school colors, GPAs, SAT/ACT scores, majors, and etracurricular activities presented on their doors. Throughtout November, students were presented with the facts and information of universites such as UNCG, Virginia Tech, ECU, and Appalachian State.
The competion was organized by the AVID program here at Andrews, whose main goal is to lead students to a greater academic achievements in school. The idea to create decorative door was a way for them to make students interested in getting a good education in order to prepare them for their futures by engading in a light hearted competiton amongst their teachers.
Ms. Aguilera, ended up winning the competion by decorating her door in the colors of Elmson college, while Ben Robinson came in second place with Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, newcomer Mr. Joyner came in thrd place with UNC Chapel Hill. Many teachers even enlisted the help of their students to decorate their doors in the most unique fashions.
The winners of the competition were announced on November 3, 2014 in a staff meeting. The admin made up the group who would decide the winners and losers of this battle amongst the teachers of Andrews.
Thanksgiving
On the fourth week of November, people all over the United States will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. While it is celebrated by thousand of people every year, many don’t know why the holiday is celebrated. When most think of Thanksgiving, the first thing that comes to mind is Indians, Pilgrims, and Turkey.
Although these things have now become synonymous with our beloved holiday, most people don’t know about the original story of Thanksgiving. The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in 1621. This feast lasted three days, and it was attended by 90 Native Americans, according to pilgrimhallmuseum.org.
American football is one of the many traditions in American culture that is commonly associated with Thanksgiving Day. President Abraham Lincoln first declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, and the earliest Thanksgiving Day football games began only a few years later, according to history.com.
Many restaurants and grocery stores offer cooked meals that include everything for a Thanksgiving Day feast. Ordering pizza and going to fast food chains has become a popular thing in the United States. More and more families decide to go out to eat instead of preparing meals for their families. According to thestir.cafemom.com, many people cite their dislike of their relative, not wanting to do the dishes, and not having to cook as reasons for them deciding to go out to eat rather than eating from home.