Shark athletes depend on him. Coaches rely on him. Students learn from him. Now, after working mostly behind the scenes, teacher and athletic trainer William Krauss has been recognized as the 2011-12 St. James teacher of the year.

Every year, the faculty, students, and parents of St. James nominate and vote on the teacher of the year. This is the highest honor that a teacher can receive on a school level;

Krauss is one of a handful in Horry County to receive this award.

Now Krauss will compete with the other school teachers of the year for the title of Horry County teacher of the year.

To say that Coach Krauss does “a lot” is an understatement. From the minute Krauss walks though the front doors to the time he turns off his classroom lights, he works his fingers to the bone.

It’s a good thing he has lots of supplies and knowledge about how to wrap injuries as he teaches sports medicine class at St. James. This

course shows students how to treat injuries and improve health care.

During sporting events, Krauss is always standing by to lend a helping hand in case an athlete is injured or if another coach needs assistance. He also supports and offers help to his students that would like an internship. The sports medicine class is one of the most interactive and real world electives offered at the school.

When students take sports medicine, they are encouraged to work on the sidelines during actual sporting events. Students help

athletes by giving them water and making sure they stretch properly. Krauss gives out extra credit for any student willing to go that extra mile.

Caroline Ross, St. James teacher of the year for 2010-11 believes that Krauss was most deserving of the honor. On top of Krauss’ responsibilities at our school, he always found time to assist Mrs. Ross when she coached the girls’ volleyball team.

“In order to make a good teacher, one must be caring, patient, and keep students engaged in their work. I think Coach Krauss will represent

the school very well as teacher of the year, being that he has all those qualities,” said Mrs. Ross.

Krauss was shocked when he discovered he was Teacher of the Year. “It was nice to be nominated, but I never thought I would actually win. I was definitely surprised, but honored,” said Krauss.

Whether he is teaching sports medicine, working with the athletic teams, or giving guidance to students with internships, Krauss puts forth his best effort to make sure the St. James Sharks are safe, healthy, and accomplish their goals.

NEWS St. James is offering a robotics program for the first time in school history. Find out more on page 2.

OPINION What’s up with ‘hood rats’ and ISS? Read our opinion on students who think it’s cool to misbehave on page 4.

ENTERTAINMENT Art students create some fabulous pieces to share around the school. See some of them on page 7.

SPORTS Senior softball catcher Erin Brown signed a scholarship to play at UNCW. See photos on page 10.

2

The Newspaper of St. James High School

December 2011

www.sharkattackonline.com

Murrells Inlet, South Carolinashark attack

Chelsea Murray

staff reporterclass of 2013

Krauss wraps up St. James teacher of the year

4 7 10

A high school can be defined by many things in its student body. The school depends on both an administration that cares and students who want their community to thrive.

At St. James High School, the Army JROTC sets an positive example and has a huge influence on the student body as a whole.

The ROTC division of St. James is a large one and hosts many events throughout the year. Most recently, the JROTC held a Veterans Day ceremony in November, which featured music, guest speakers and proceedings that honored many veterans who were present or overseas.

St. James ROTC also has the strong, competitive spirit that each soldier in the United States Army will one day need.

They are active participants in sporting events at our school, where the color guard presents the nation’s colors to be honored and march in accordance with military standards.

One very successful group within JROTC is F.A.N.C.Y., which is the rifle division. The student members of F.A.N.C.Y. and other

drill groups put together routines that display every skill from formation with a small group to presenting of arms in a number of

different ways.At. St. James, there are three

companies or groups of ROTC army cadets, and they are divided

by which class block they have. There is also the system of rank within each company and the school as a whole.

The three blocks or companies are Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie, which reflects the army’s form of communicating and so forth.

The St. James JROTC is growing rapidly.

“We are actually working toward becoming a brigade, which is the next step above a battalion,” said senior Jesse Scott, who is the St. James JROTC Cadet Command Sergeant Major.

“It is really great to see the program grow, and our group almost double in size. It is just phenomenal.”

This is a huge step for the program because that means there are now around or over 250 cadets throughout the school.

Students are encouraged to support the JROTC at upcoming drills competitions and follow their excellent examples of good student behavior.

They bring respect and pride to our campus, and they may one day bring safety to our families and freedoms.

St. James is one of three high schools in the district that will participate in the 2012 FIRST Robotics Competition in Charleston this spring.

For those who are interested, students will have the opportunity to learn skills such as computer programming, electrical wiring, welding and drafting.

The project is spearheaded by St. James science teacher Mr. John Davenport.

A group of other faculty members from many diverse disciplines have volunteered their time as well.

Mr. Davenport is excited about

the concept and lights up when asked about it.

“I am not a robot. I’m sorry, that does not compute,” he said. “SkyNet has become self-aware.”

So, playing along with the robot talk, I broke through his internal defense system and teased his hard drive for the details.

“The robot will be somewhere between 2-3 feet wide, with a varying height,” says Davenport, sparks and lasers shooting out of his eyes as he spoke. (Well, not really but adds to the mental image.)

The robot will be competing in a game of Logo Motion, a game of robotic speed and endurance.

The playing pieces are inner tubes shaped like the components of the FIRST logo, a company

that designs innovative programs that build science and technology skills. The main objective of the game is to place the tubes on racks to gain points.

These robots are not designed to battle each other.

“No, no fighting robots, strictly peace-loving robots,” Mr. Davenport said.

He has helped build optical-line-following robots and has a background in electronics, flying, and radio control aircraft, so the St. James team has a very capable leader.

Students whose minds are completely blown apart by this crazy, sci-fi fiesta, and who may be interested in participating, please contact Mr. Davenport, Mrs. Johnson, or Mr. Pennell.

The St. James JROTC Color Guard prepares for the Veterans Day ceremony. Staff photo by Jake Wentz

St. James JROTC sets the right exampleJake WentzEditor in ChEifClass of 2012

shark news2 December 2011

Robotics program invades schoolMatt Martel

tv EditorClass of 2012

This spring, St. James students will build huge robots and compete with them for this first time in school history. Photo courtesy of FIRST Robotics

Junior Caleb Duggan is one of the biggest names in St. James ath-letic history. Throughout his career, he has played multiple sports: bas-ketball, baseball, football, track, and golf.

Caleb is an all-around athlete who all coaches would want on their team. He is most renowned for his prowess on the basketball court.

Last winter, the Sharks basket-ball team had a tough end of the year with a loss to Darlington High School. But the Sharks ended up ranked in the top 50 in the state. And in perspective, many things were strong about that season, and Duggan was one of them.

St. James his a resilient basket-ball program behind Coach Monty

Carr. Coach Carr was awarded re-gional basketball coach of the year last season.

Caleb has been with coach Carr and the Sharks basketball team since his first day of high school.

For the past two years, Caleb has put up some brilliant num-bers with, 265 total points, 33 total 3-pointers, 42 free throws made, and 69 total rebounds. He averaged 10.6 points per game last year and had career nights against Carvers Bay and Overhills high schools, with 17 points.

Caleb also plays in the AAU, which is an offseason basketball league for high school athletes. He plays for the Carolina Prospects.

The shining Shark has also earned

national recognition, including be-ing named national player of the week.

In one game, he single handedly got to the line 20 times and scored 31 points against Dillon.

In the upcom-ing basketball sea-

son, Caleb looks to set records and break records set by Marshall Mc-Clary and other past Sharks.

Caleb needs only 154 points to break Marshall’s all-time scoring record, and 17 3-pointers to surpass Marshall’s total.

The good news for Sharks fans is that Caleb is only a junior. The com-petition better look out for the next two years as Caleb leads the Sharks into a new basketball season this winter.

Duggan rises to meet expectationsGaGe Davis

staff reporterclass of 2013

St. James Senior Yessence Lewis seems to be everywhere from sports to clubs to classrooms, as she plays a leading role in a wide range of on-campus activities.

Yessence is president of the Student Council and Student Body. To be the president is a huge responsibility and would be overwhelming for many people, but not Yessence.

“I just do the best I can to make the school better for everyone,” she said. “I love working hard to get everything done in a timely matter, and I am always open to everyone’s ideas.”

She is also the parliamentarian of HOSA, an organization that enhances the delivery of compassionate, quality health care by providing opportunities for knowledge, skill and leadership development of all health sciences technology education students, therefore, helping students meet the needs of the health care community.

She is also active in National

Honor Society, which has extemsive requierments. The criteria are a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher unweighted, or a cumulative GPA of

4.0 or higher weighted, no referrals for the 12 months prior to induction and none during membership period. Inductees must also demonstrate

leadership, good character, and community involvement. These qualities fit Yessense perfectly.

But Yessence doesn’t stop there.

She is on the School Improvement Council. She is involved in the International Club. The purpose of the club is to promote global awareness and understanding. Students meet monthly to plan activities. Some of the activities that the club has been involved in are a yearly visit to National Health Care to visit with the residents and sing Christmas carols and dining at various local restaurants.

Yessence is also the captain of the cheerleading squad. She has been a cheerleader for five years. Dealing with sports as well as school activities can be a big challenge, but Yessence maintains all her activities and sports with great grades.

Beyond all of the involvement and accolades, Yessense is above all a good friend to many St. James students, from freshmen to fellow seniors.

Sophomore Haley Vaughn considers Yessence to be “a very dependable friend who can be trusted with all her situations.”

“Yessence has been a great friend and very open to my concerns,” said Haley.

Ja’Quez HeminGway

staff reporterclass of 2014

Yessence Lewis leads St. James student community

Yessence was crowned homecoming queen earlier this year. She also celebrated her Shark senior night with her parents on the same night. During the homecoming festivities, she sat atop a hot rod and was on the float. Staff photo by Jake Wentz

The shining Shark has also earned national

recognition, including being named national

player of the week.

shark features 3sharkattackonline.com

Caleb Duggan jumps up to get off a short against Gergetown defenders in last season’s game. Photo courtesy of sjh.horrycountyschools.net

shark opinion 4 December 2011

Blame the ‘hood rats’ or parents?

The first day of school is always fun. I remember when I was a kid I used to be so excited for the first day with all the shopping I did with my parents and all the really nifty new school supplies I got for that one day.

But as the years go by, I have real-ized that one special day isn’t so nifty anymore. Starting in middle school, I got into my new classes only to find out things like I have homework on the first day.

But the worst part is that the “spe-cial” first day is inevitably ruined by someone. And that someone is al-ways some kid in class who thinks he’s the coolest, hottest kid on the block and disrespects teachers be-cause “friends” laugh.

I’m not sure how most students feel about that particular kid, but starting high school I figured most of them would grow up by now and stop acting like “hood rats.”

Why are they called “hood rats?” It’s because the kids who act like that are often dressed and walking around the way most rappers look

in their music videos. Not that the rappers look bad, but the purpose in their music is not for some kids to start walking and acting the way they do.

“I don’t think it’s cute or hot when a guy dresses and acts like that, or even a girl. It’s not someone I would want to take home for my mom to meet, especially as a boyfriend,” said junior Shelley Rogers.

The sad part is that most of these high school “hood rats” end up not going very far in life. Students need to grow up when half of their friends mature and realize colleges won’t just let someone in to cause trouble on their campus. Colleges certainly aren’t going to let in students who can’t handle their grades properly. College is a privilege for mature stu-dents, not for “hood rats” who do

nothing but cause trouble. “I would be really mad if someone

like that ended up in one of my class-es,” said senior Yasmin Escamirosa. “That’s all high school dumb stuff, not for you to take into college where someone actually wants to learn.”

Too many students have not ma-tured and become better people in high school. If you walk around St. James for one day, you realize these

“hood rats” still do exist. They are often in ISS or chillin’ outside their classes bragging about how they got kicked out and maybe even showing off their referrals.

What would parents think about having a kid with so few manners and respect? I think they would be really disappointed, but isn’t it their fault their kids are acting like that?

I’ve seen new parents not know how to properly handle their child-hoods. That’s understandable… is it not? But raising kids with manners is parents’ responsibility, and they are to blame for not teaching their “hood rats” morals in life.

Overall, disrespecting anyone isn’t morally right. To embarrass teachers in front of the whole class isn’t right either. Yes, these “hood rats” need some kind of a reality check; but so do the parents for letting them walk out of their house like that when it’s in their responsibility to teach them how to act in public.

Sadly, often the only people who know how to act in public are clas-sified as overachievers. But really, being an overachiever is so much better than being a ridiculous “hood rat.”

Shelly Quintany

Business Managerclass of 2015

ISS: In School Shenanigans

If you’re sitting in ISS, it’s obviously for a reason, whether it be for fighting, talking back to a teacher, or simply being tardy a lot. You did something wrong. You broke the rules, went against the administration, you decided to be the “cool” kid in the class by making a scene and getting a referral.

It’s the biggest pain in the neck when I receive my 4th tardy for a class and have to go to ISS for a block. Then I’m in a class full of immature kids who love to be rebellious to make a name for themselves.

Getting in trouble and being a little tough guy (or girl) toward the teacher won’t get you noticed. Trust me, the upperclassmen won’t think it’s cool, and nobody is going to care at all because you’re a “hood rat,”

plain and simple.“ISS is a bad way to discipline

students because they just mess with the teacher and torture her,” said senior Cloe Duntz.

I had ISS a few weeks ago, due to excessive tardies, I was in the room with nothing but freshmen delinquents throwing paper and being obnoxious. Within the first 15 minutes, I was ready to put one of their little peanut heads through the computer monitor.

Keep in mind, I too used to be a little rebel, so I know what its like to be in ISS all the time, but I’ve learned that lesson, so take notes.

Throwing things at the teacher, calling her stupid names, and making her have a panic attack isn’t impressive.

It’s disrepectful and childish. Some students pick on teachers because they’re too scared to stand up to someone of their own age or

stature.When you think you’re making

a name for yourself, try to think of something a little better than messing with your elders. Quit compensating for your lack of self-esteem or other issues you may have, find a better hobby other than constantly getting in trouble.

“If more students put forth as much effort to do good and act accordingly as they put in thinking of new ways to harass the teachers, then the need for ISS would be eliminated,” said art teacher Mrs. Beth Mitchell.

So the next time you want to take a trip down to the old ISS room to catch up on some shenanigans, here’s a tip: if you want to get your name out there, try out for a sport or other extracurricular activity instead of trying another teacher’s nerves.

You’re far more annoying than you think.

Jacob WilSon

staff reporterclass of 2012

Senior Courtney Gelinas hangs her head in shame as campus security escorts her to the ISS room. Staff photo by Jacob Wilson

Sophomores Anthony Lyons and Ty Cannon have a confrintation in school, showing what not to do. Staff photo by Shely Quintana

shark opinion 5sharkattackonline.com

Jake Wentzeditor in chief

Josh Royceonline editor

Justin Webbshowcase editor

Shelly Quintanabusiness manager

Mary ElliotCody DeanMatt Martel

broadcast crew

Krystle BallatoreGage Davis

Maddy HeavenerJaQuez Hemingway

Kaylei KnappChelsea MurryJacob Wilsonstaff writers

Jerry Moorefaculty sponsor

The Shark Attack staff attempts to inform and entertain the student body of St. James High School. All opinion columns reflect the opinion of the individual columnist. Letters to the editor, story ideas and advertising inquiries may be e-mailed to jmoore004@horrycountyschools.net. Letters must be signed to be considered for publication. The Shark Attack has the right to refuse advertising that is deemed inappropriate; advertisements do not necessarily reflect opinion of the staff.

The Official Newspaper of St. James High School

Volume VIII, Issue IIIDecember 2011

St. James High School10800 Highway 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

Contact: jmoore004@horrycountyschools.net

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I’m sure we’ve all heard about the incident at Penn State involving Coach Jerry Sandusky allegedly molesting a 10-year-old boy in a shower on campus. Actually, the former Penn State defensive coordinator has been accused of many acts of sexual misconduct against young boys over a period of 15 years. And there may be more victims who come forward now that this case has gone public.

Though it is an uncomfortable subject, sexual abuse of children is a serious problem, and it needs to be addressed forcefully. I’m sure that there are students who come to St. James that have been through sexual abuse in their life. I can’t say I’ve been in a situation like that, so I don’t pretend to know how it feels.

However, there a few things I need to get off of my chest about this situation.

How can you live with yourself after witnessing somebody raping a child, and not mention anything to the police? I’m not talking about Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary specifically. I’m talking in general. If you ever hear an account of a grown man harming a child, not saying something is an inhumane

act; I don’t care who you are or what kind of situation somebody is in. Sometimes not saying something is as bad as actually committing the crime.

This may also be yet another case of people with prestigious power avoiding trouble without a slap on the wrist, at least for a long time. The head coach of Penn State, Joe Paterno, has been discharged from his job for failing to deal with this situation when he found out about it. But he hasn’t been arrested for any crimes, and he is not the focus of any criminal investigation.

Shouldn’t he be charged with not saying anything to police? He reportedly mentioned the situation to the athletic director but not the authorities. What help is it going to do if you tell your boss, who doesn’t have to mention anything if they don’t feel the need to? That’s not right; everybody close to the situation failed notified police, only notified their friends, apparently trying to keep this horrible secret from leaking out.

Were the secrets kept because every coach who was involved in the situation didn’t want anybody to know that everybody had taken some part in it?

My guess is that the reason nobody mentioned anything was to maintain the reputation of all of the

coaches and Penn State itself, but there’s eventually a point where the reputation of the staff and the school itself should be thrown out of the window for the safety of children. \

This is disgusting, and justice needs to be brought to every single one of the coaches that played a role in enabling Sandusky, even if it was just by failing to mention anything to the police.

I don’t feel bad for any of the coaches who lost their jobs, and certainly not for Sandusky himself. He needs to be put in jail for the rest of his life, where real hardened criminals that have killed should be able to get a hold of him. (Pedophiles and child molesters are often beaten or killed in prison and are usually placed in protective custody, but should Sandusky get the same treatment?)

St. James history teacher Mr. Jordan Smalls agrees. “It’s disgusting and sad. I think people knew about the situation but didn’t mention anything, and all of them deserve what’s in store for them.”

What makes this whole ordeal even worse is that Sandusky actually worked closely with children, which makes it seem like his motives were just to get access to them. He started his charity called Second Mile in 1977, and was first accused of sexual abuse in 1994 and 1998. He retired

from Penn State in 1999, but he still had access and was frequently seen on campus until just before his arrest.

In 2000, Sandusky was seen walking “hand-in-hand with a young boy walking out of the locker room.” In 2002, Sandusky was seen by McQueary, then a graduate assistant, participating in a lewd act with a young boy whom he estimated was around the age of 10. McQueary allegedly told head coach Joe Paterno, who passed along the information to school administrators but not police.

In 2006, the grand jury report describes a scene when the head coach of a high school wrestling team walked in on Sandusky and another boy lying on their sides in physical contact, face to face on a mat in the crammed locker room of the high school. There are many more accusations, most of them too graphic to describe here.

In conclusion, there is enough evidence to prove that Sandusky is in fact a pedophile, but the legal process will have to run its course. Sandusky should face life in prison, and everyone who knew anything about it should lose their jobs at a minimum.

“I wish I would have done more,” Paterno said, but it’s a little too late to do anything now.

What we should learn from Penn StateJustin Webb

showcase editorclass of 2013

Former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky (left) has been accused of abuse. Head coach Joe Paterno (right) was fired over the scandal. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

The St. James band has tradition-ally been a successful, award-winning program. But the Pride of St. James has stepped up its game even more this year with the help of Mr. Chuck Capps.

Mr. Capps is new to St. James this year and works well with his band stu-dents, always giving them higher goals to be better than the best.

On Oct. 8, the band placed 1st in colorguard, drumline, music, general effect, marching and maneuvering and overall in the class. They were at Harts-ville High school during this competi-tion, competing against bands more then twice its size.

Then, competing against the largest band class in Aynor this fall, the band placed 2nd in drum major, 1st in col-orguard, percussion, marching, general effect, music and Class AAA.

They also won Grand Champions of the whole competition with 93.25 out of 100 on Oct. 15.

The following weekend, the band placed 6th out of 16 at Lower-State Marching Championships.

The busy schedule didn’t stop there, as the band competed on Oct. 29, fin-ishing in 12th place. But again, St. James was the smallest band in the entire competition.

The Pride of St. James wrapped up its competitive season on Nov. 5 with another great performance at Loris High School. St. James placed 1st place in Drum Major, 2nd place in Color-guard, 2nd place in Percussion, 2nd place music (by. 10), 2nd place General Effect (by. 10), 1st place marching and 1st place overall in Class AAA, winning

the grand championship for the entire competition.

“I’m happy that I was apart of a great season because it’s my last year and I ac-complished what I wanted to do, which was beat Socastee and go to state,” said senior band member Brian Grounds.

This year, the band set a school record for St. James by winning two grand championships in one season.

Under the leadership of Mr. Capps and a strong nucleus of returning musi-cians, the future sounds exciting for the Pride of St. James.

shark entertainment6 december 2011

Maryanna Elliott

Broadcast crewclass of 2012

Pride of St. James caps successful fall

(Above) Robert Shepley plays during a halftime performance this fall.(Right) Becky Krivanek and Ethan Griggs perform. Staff photos by Jake Wentz

New band director Mr. Chuck Capps directs the band before it performs during this year’s Homecoming festivities. Staff photo by Jake Wentz

Junior Corey Douglas sets the beat for the Pride of St. James marching band. Staff photo by Jake Wentz

At St. James, students all throughout the building express themselves through art every day. There are many different levels of art classes offered at school.

For example, a freshman will most likely be taking an Art 1 class, whereas a senior might be in a painting class or even an advanced ceramics class. Even though only one fine arts credit is needed to graduate high school, many students continue taking art classes because it is a good way to express emotion and relieve stress.

Senior Lakyn Goodcuff said, “Pottery helps me free my mind, express myself, and relax. I would have never known I was so talented.

Art is also created by St. James students out of the classroom. National Art Honor Society is

sponsored here at the school by Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. McBride. St. James students and art teachers conduct activities using their art skills such as making bowls for the “souper bowl,” which benefits the Special Olympics of South Carolina, participating in the Cups for a Cure project, and the making of the Christmas ornaments for the Nutcracker Fair.

Every morning at 9:50 a.m., Mrs. Mitchell’s classroom transforms into a magical and tranquil room here at St. James High School. During this time, students can collect themselves. When students enter the classroom, their mind becomes relaxed and at ease.

Even though students do not realize it, when they are creating a piece of art work, it is an assignment, but the “work” is relieving stress. When working on a project is the classroom, students seem to become deeply absorbed in their

work. They use their creativity and imagination to create masterpieces.

“It is a privilege to see students transform their thoughts, fears, and emotion into tangible 3-Dimension objects. Each day I am awed by their creativity, and impressed by their ability to solve design issues in order to create functional pottery and balanced, though-proving sculptures,” said ceramics teacher Mrs. Mitchell.

Often, students from Mrs. Mitchell’s class create gifts for other people. They say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, I say, “A piece of artwork is worth a million!”

The feeling of creating a piece of artwork and giving it to someone who is important is indescribable. Art is a way to express one’s feelings and emotions. For the St. James community, it is a productive way to communicate with someone without speaking at all. Lakyn Goodcuff shows off her creative pottery skills. Staff photo by Krystle Ballatore

“A man paints with his brains and not with his hands” -Michelangelo

Krystle Ballatore

staff reporterclass of 2012

shark entertainment 7sharkattackonline.com

Mrs. Mitchell’s Art 4, advanced ceramics class, makes Christmas ornaments for the Nutcracker Fair. Staff photo by Krystle Ballatore Mrs. Mitchell loads students’ pottery into the kiln. Staff photo by Krystle Ballatore

1. La Dispute (Wildlife) – La Dis-pute’s sophomore album “Wildlife” is hardly a musical record as much as it is an emotional experience. It’s a concept record that covers controversial and dramatic themes, but does it successful-ly by breaking clichés. The music ranges from fast punk based beats, to slow in-die sections, to heavy breakdown parts. In closing, this record is near perfection. Other artists, regardless of genre, seri-ously need to take note here; this is truly an album that no one could forget.

shark entertainment8 December 2011

15. The Devil Wears Prada (Dead Throne) – Breaking away from their last releases’ melodic vibes, The Devil Wears Prada found yet another groundbreak-ing sound on “Dead Throne.” Using a more straight forward metalcore sound, they put out a refreshing hardcore re-cord that still brings the heavy.

14. Touché Amore (Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me) – Be-ing a part of the “new wave” hardcore scene, punk dwellers Touché Amore revived the old school punk sound, but gave it a whole new take with a big fo-cus on instrumentals this time around. But it’s the wonderful vocals and lyrics that make this a far more than average release.

13. Primus (Green Naugahyde) – With a long break between their last release and now, genre breakers Primus emerged from their silence with a re-cord that brings them back to their “hey days.” Instrumentally, they’ve found their perfect balance of unique keys and structures, while lyrically; they are more Primus than ever.

12. August Burns Red (Leveler) – August Burns Red came through strong this year with “Leveler,” an album that pushes past their usual heavy side. The songs are more diverse this time around, but are still as sporadic and entertaining as always.

11. I Am Abomination (Passion of the Heist) – A seven song EP being one of the best albums of the year? Makes sense considering I Am Abomination knows how to keep things incredibly interesting with a concept about aliens and crazy guitar riffs that hold up to any classic rock record. It’s a refreshing heavy sound that is sure to stick around.

10. Dir En Grey (Dum Spiro Spero) – Japanese metal group Dir En Grey came back with a whole new force be-hind their music this year. They delved into their heavier side and pushed out “Dum Spiro Spero,” a groundbreaking metalcore record with shrieking vocals and odd time signatures. Essentially, this record makes other heavy bands lose their “brutality.”

9. Red Hot Chili Peppers (I’m With You) – This long awaited release really helped redefine the Chili Peppers. With new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, their sound has expanded greatly. Different use of instruments and genres really add flare to their signature style, but Antho-ny Kiedis still keeps things funky with his wonderful voice.

8. Panic! At The Disco (Vices and Virtues) - Having lost half of their members, Panic! came back incredibly strong. Mixing both the pop and indie rock greatness they’ve mastered in re-cent years, “Vices and Virtues” holds a perfect blend of everything they’ve done in the past and then some.

7. Decoder (Self Titled) - Made up of mostly ex-Oceana members, Decoder did more than push the boundaries of what “hardcore” can be. Using their brand of ambient rock with emotionally driven vocals, this is a strong debut re-cord that will hold up for years to come.

6. Jack’s Mannequin (People and Things) - Filled with enough catchy hooks to keep you humming these pia-no ballads for months to come, “People and Things” is a wonderful step forward and helped to show a much more emo-tional side to the group.

5. Manchester Orchestra (Simple Math) – Indie rockers Manchester Or-chestra kept their jam rock style, but added a calmer and more intricate sound to their newest release “Simple Math.” With the wonderful vocal prow-ess of Andy Hull and the impressive musical chops these guys have, it’s no wonder they’re slowly climbing their way to be one of the bigger names in rock music.

4. The Dear Hunter (The Color Spectrum) – A collection of 36 songs laid across 9 EP’s, each of a different col-or. Starting with black and ending with white, each EP itself holds an entirely different genre. Covering classic rock greatness on red and acoustic heaven on the white and green EPs. The Dear Hunter has created a mood for each col-or as they based it along the spectrum, while also creating a marvelous spec-trum of their music as well.

3. A Lot Like Birds (Conversation Piece) – This album plays out like an emotional rollercoaster at times. Hav-ing ex-Dance Gavin Dance member Kurt Travis take over clean vocals really helped get a much softer sound at times, but Cory Lockwood’s rough screams quickly bring out a sporadic and clever heavy vibe. It’s a long and diverse record that gives hardcore music an entirely new playground to experiment in.

2. Transit (Listen and Forgive) – Boston based pop-punk group Transit redefined their sound entirely, and came out with a record that touches divine bliss. A very relaxed record compared to their past punk releases, “Listen and Forgive” threw out rough vocals and in-stead had a far greater focus on the mu-sical aspect this time around. The guitar work is clean and wonderfully bright, while the lyrics and vocals take every-thing a huge step forward.

2011 albums of the year Josh Royce

online editorclass of 2012

fun and games 9sharkattackonline.com

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On Nov. 11, St. James senior Erin Brown signed a scholarship to play collegiate softball at UNC-Wilmington. Erin, an All-Region and All-State catcher for the Sharks, was also selected as a Triple Crown All-American and played in the All-American game in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on Oct. 21. Photos courtesy of St. James Athletics Department

Brown signs softball scholarship with UNCWshark sports10 December 2011

The St. James step team performs at a pep rally in November. The step team has grown and improved this year with the leadership of senior captain Janice Moody (left) and sponsor Tiffany Vargo. Staff photos by Jake Wentz

Step teamsteps up

Editor’s note: This is a continuation of the saga, which began in November issue of Shark Attack.

After a long warm “just friends” embrace with Mr. Moore, a dark figure approached me from the corner of my eye. I quickly turned, then shrieked in horror when I realized it was a tall powerful wizard.

I panicked and began frantically feeling around in my pockets for any weapon I could find, found one, and then threw the fistful of sand that I keep in my pockets at all times into the dark wizard’s eyes, hoping to stun him long enough to allow me to remove his jeweled glands, thus killing him and reducing his grandchildren to pillars of salt.

But upon chucking sand into my attacker’s eyes, I realized it was not a wizard at all, but the wizard-like Douglass Bentley “Jake” Wentz.

Jake has been Mr. Moore’s 2nd in command as long as I can remember, and unlike what most people would think, I was not at all regretting tossing sand into his eyes, for I did not think of this as a bad first impression, but more like a fair warning to “Jake” to never tread on me.

He vigorously rubbed his eyes and struggled to stand, reaching up with his sandy hand blindly for my assistance. I kicked it away.

“Get up,” I said defiantly. “There is no nursing your wounds in professional journalism.”

He finally arose after a 30-second wobbly battle with gravity. He stood up straight, adjusted his sweater vest, wiped away his tears and then in a way both proper yet oddly seductive, looked at me with his ravaged, veiney red eyes and said, “Good evening new buddy! My name is Jake Wentz, and I help Mr. Moore kinda run things around here, if you have any questions at all, pleassse, don’t hesitate to ask!” he said with a smile.

His “don’t hesitate to ask” was so disgustingly friendly and sincere

that it sent shivers down my thighs. I turned away from him without so much as a full body massage and began walking toward the first computer I saw.

It was an old gal, a Kowasaki Model double 9000 sciencing computer device, or a Blue Windowed Rug-Tugger as me and the guys back at the computer store called ‘em. I could not help but notice she was dangerously low on fossil fuel, so, being the kind-hearted man I am, I removed

my oil flask and poured every last drop into the Rug-Tugger’s fuel-siphoning grid.

And just like that, wouldn’t ya know it, the grizzled crust incased machine began pumping out exhaust fumes from the tailor board like it was just upgraded to factory level grind-master yesterday. Soon, the pyro wheels started spinning and the mercury inloader became green, and the old contraption was ready to be used again!

I sat down on the dry pile of

hay that I had pulled over to the computer and waited patiently as the screen began to glow and the service engine smelted the cobalt needed. Now all that I had to do was open Microsoft Word and start typing up this month’s headline. And there I was, former zero and nerd Cody Dean, sitting down in journalism just waiting for my thoughts to bloom on the keyboard. Yep. Any second now …

I was awakened by the smell of smoke that was caused by one of

the computer’s sparks hitting my hay stack. I looked up at the screen and saw nothing. I hadn’t typed a thing. And I was asleep for 43 earth minutes. I had writer’s block, a writer’s worst enemy, besides strikes and bears.

But I couldn’t just stay there like some Wayne and take it, no, I fired up the Internet module on the side of the Rug-Tugger and searched vigilantly for some sort of cure. But unfortunately all I could find were recipes for prune juice and several links I still regret clicking to this day. (Trust me, you die a little inside every time you flash back to the horrible realization that people can do some things.)

All hope was lost, until I tried just one more website.

But then all of my hope was lost again when I realized it was just another inappropriate site.

Frustrated, I open-palm slapped the computer, which caused the screen to flicker and a shower of sparks to rain down on my body, resulting in my famous “b*@*h scream,” as my peers call it.

But it was my piercing, high-pitched, cat-like shriek that dislodged some sort of hair in the cogs, and my trusty old vibrating monstrosity created something beautiful, for right before my eyes, a website was born.

Hearing my harpy call caused the class and Mr. Moore to run to me in hopes that I was mortally wounded, and then to disappointedly gaze at me when they realized I was in peak physical condition.

Then they too saw the new website staring back at them, and they too released their bowels. Looking in bewilderment, Mr. Moore asked nervously, “What do we call it?” and a timid Jake added, “La la la I’m a girl!”

I looked at the screen, then back at them, then back at the screen and spoke, “We will call him ‘sharkattackonline.com,’ and he is the new media outlet around here.”

The class roared with approval and began to dance around me and my charred hay-seat in a way reminiscent of the infamous Rangoouzo tribe of South America.

Finally I felt like I belonged somewhere.

The 2nd chapter in the thrilling ‘The Finger Never Lies’ sagaCody SiberiouS dean

broadcast crewclass of 2012

shark humor 11sharkattackonline.com

photo frenzy12 December 2011

Powder puff 2011

(Above) The girls wait in anticipation and are anxious to get back on the feild. Erin Brown, senior quarterback, helped make the first touchdown in the last two years of Powder Puff. The touchdown play was “pretty great, a diving catch, and a great way to start off the game,” said Erin.

(Right) The senior Powder Puff cheerlead-ers pose for the camera as they gear up for their big half-time proformance. They put on a hilarious show.

(Above center) Spectators are used to this scene on the sidelines, but normally it would be tall guy and a huge blocker chewing on their mouth gaurds instead of these lovely Shark ladies. It is fimiliar none the less.

(Below) The junior cheerleaders stand with pride. Midgame, after cheering competitivly back and forth, the senior squad calls for a dance off between both groups of gender-confused Sharks.

puts on the show

(Left) The Powder Fuff cheerleaders give the girls their support. They gathered on the sidlines right before senior Erin Brown threw the blazing touchdown to rock the juniors. This was the first time in the last few years of Powder Puff that a team has made it into the endzone. Anticipation runs high by the field.