Year: 2014
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Macklemore snubbed at Grammys
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were snubbed with only seven Grammy nominations. Seven nominations tied the dynamic duo with Justin Timberlake for second most nominations — Jay-Z topped off with nine — but that still…
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Why Ellen Page rocks
How many out and influential celebrity lesbian role models do young LGBTQ people have? Anyone come to mind other than Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Latifah or Jodie Foster? By coming out at 26, Ellen Page…
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Leesville Basketball stuns Jordan to advance in playoffs
Brandon Staves, Leesville senior and basketball team captain, just “wanted to play one more day.” Monday, he accomplished that goal one more time. Staves exploded for 13 points in the second half as the 21st-seeded…
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Leesville Basketball defeats Wakefield, concludes regular season
An explosive second-half jump led the Leesville Men’s Varsity Basketball team convincingly over Wakefield on Friday, Feb. 21, as the Pride clinched third place in the Cap-8 Conference. Leesville scored 15 of the first…
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Preview For 2014 Pride Baseball
Guy Civitello, head coach of the Leesville Road varsity baseball team, is looking forward to a successful yet challenge-filled 2014 baseball season. “This year the expectations are higher and we are certainly looking to…
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Can you compete with technology?
As a human with limited ability, I was critical of technology and its increasing influence on our lives. I thought about how obsessed kids at school are with their their iPhones. I thought about…
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Mr. Price joins Leesville staff
Mr. Matthew Price is the new administrator for students with last names starting with A-D. He replaced Mr. Duvall, and his first day was February 3. Prior to his time at Leesville, Price’s career…
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Pridefest Kick Off
Thursday, Jan 9, was the kickoff to Leesville’s new event, Pridefest 5.0. Students met in the dance theater after school to dance and party in honor of the official commencement of Pridefest. The actual…
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Oscars Preview
The Oscars will take place on Mar. 2, 2014. A full preview of the major storylines is below: Predictions Best Picture: Gravity/12 Years a Slave/American Hustle Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyer’s Club) Best…
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Leesville speech and debate debuts at Enloe tournament
On February 9, at 8:30 a.m. Leesville’s very own speech and debate team descended onto Enloe High School for its debut competition. The tournament hosted a variety of events, with Leesville students competing in…
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Does TV brainwash kids?
Puppets, a notepad, blood cake and organs; otherwise known as key components of the viral video “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared”. The number two Google result when looking up “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared”…
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Do millennials deserve to be spoiled?
Yesterday, my mother called and told me and my sister to hurry home because she had a gift for us. It was our third Birth Week gift, so we excitedly drove home to open…
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Is technology making us dumber?
Is this generation smarter than the last? It’s hard to imagine a life without computers. This generation is privy to vast amounts of information available at our fingertips; nearly any question we have can…
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Is Rachel really the Biggest Loser?
As the final episode of Biggest Loser’s fifteenth season came to a close, I was left feeling exceptionally disappointed in the winner Rachel Frederickson. She started the season at 260 pounds. She gave up…
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Pridefest 5.0 update
Get ready Leesville! PrideFest is the exciting new update to Winterfest. It is a casual week full of interactive activities each day, including a concert, basketball games, a flash mob, Mr. Leesville contest and…
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The Goldfinch is a triumph
It took me a few days after finishing Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch to decide I was, in fact, going to write a review. And once I had decided, I knew it would be one…
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Les Mis exceeds expectations
NC Theatre’s current production of Les Misérables was exceptional, especially considering the immensity of the musical. Les Misérables, set during the French Revolution, is the epic story of Jean Valjean, a reformed convict, and…
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Leesville Says ‘Bon Courage’ to the french department
Madame West, head of Leesville’s French department, has big plans for this year’s Wake County French Festival, on Wednesday, March 19. The competition, held at Moore Square Magnet Middle School, calls for enrichment in…
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Does Hoffman’s OD Deserve Empathy?
Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment in New York City on Sunday, February 2, 2014. It is suspected that this 46-year-old Oscar-winning actor had overdosed on drugs. Hoffman was known for…
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GOT7 proves their lyrics to be true in debut video
2013 seemed quite bleak for Korean record label JYP. With minor performances and few artist debuts, one of the Big Three record labels seemed to be stepping out of the spotlight. However, JYP promised…
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Osage triumphs
Tracy Lett’s August: Osage County, the Pullitzer award-winning play, may have translated to the screen victoriously, but every aspect was not a victory. Set in Osage County, Oklahoma, August: Osage County is the macabre story…
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Singing Valentines: Love songs are in the air
On February 13, Leesville chorus students will grace classrooms with their love themed tunes. Singing Valentines are back for their yearly appearance. Singing Valentines include a song to a student/teacher of your choosing, as…
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Leesville’s Brain Game shows promise
WRAL’s Brain Game features smart students putting their knowledge to the test. High schools, including Leesville, compete on Saturdays at 11:30 am on this local, high school version of Jeopardy. The game consists of…
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New stoplight the answer to a safer Leesville?
The push to create a safe driving and walking environment for the students and parents of Leesville first started years ago with the implementation of a four-way stop at O’Neal Road and Killarney Hope…
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New traffic light stirs up controversy
The decision to put in a set of traffic lights at the intersection of Leesville Road and Fairbanks Road has finally been made. The installation of the new stop lights began earlier this year.…
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LRHS rocks the open house
On Thurs, Jan. 23, Leesville Road High School held an open house for the second semester. All of the parents of LRHS students were able to walk through their children’s schedules to meet their…
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Leesville Basketball cruises past Enloe
Jumpstarted by a decisive start and balanced scoring attack, the Leesville Men’s basketball team defeated Enloe 74-58 on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The Pride (5-4, 9-10) jumped out to a 14-2 lead in the game’s…
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Leesville produces a good “Mean Girl”
Taking on such an iconic millennial movie could prove to be a task that would leave most falling flat. However, the Leesville Mainstage class took on the job with excitement — delivering a great…
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Duvall leaves Leesville for Hunter
To any Leesville student, new or old, Mr. Duvall is instantly recognizable. The administrator joined the Leesville family in 2009 as our assistant principal. Duvall left during the winter break to serve as the…
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Leesville Basketball holds off Heritage, 58-50
Editor’s Note: Before the snow hit and cancelled school for the remainder of the week, Leesville Men’s Varsity Basketball faced off against Heritage on Monday night. The recap follows. Alex Hunter, Leesville freshman guard,…
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Lady Pride blowout Heritage, 62-26
Editor’s Note: Before the snow hit and cancelled school for the remainder of the week, Leesville Women’s Varsity Basketball faced off against Heritage on Monday night. The recap follows. The Lady Pride came out…
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Wake County paralyzed by snow
With most of Wake County hunkered down in anticipation of a 3-6 inch snowstorm Tuesday night, the official 1.4 inches of powdery snow which blanketed the Triangle came as a disappointment to many. However,…
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The “N” Word: Has Its Meaning Changed?
NOTE: Coming from a teenage African American male, I can only give you my perspective. I have heard various opinions, and I respect them all. I ask you do the same for mine. There…
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What role do brands play in shoe buying for guys?
Nike continues to rule the shoe industry. Then comes everything else: Jordan, Sperry, Adidas, Converse and Vans, among others. It is not unusual for guys to pay over $100, or $200, or even more,…
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Our Grammy Predictions
http://www.grammy.com/nominees Best New Artist–James Blake Out of names such as Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, Kacey Musgraves and Ed Sheeran, it seems highly unlikely a generic-sounding James Blake would win. However, my mind keeps going back…
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I’ll Title This Article Later…
After coming back from Winter Break, nobody wants to deal with actual school work. So, while procrastinating on my officer duties for GSA and daydreaming about all the homework I’m not going to do,…
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Models aren’t truly models
I recently watched the infamous ‘Victoria Secret Fashion Show’ and I realized that I had a simultaneous love and hate for the show. The outfits were absolutely stunning, and the musical performers were amazing.…
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Sleep deprivation can be fatal
Walking through the halls of America’s high schools, one might think sleep apparel to be all the rage. Indeed–while this fashion is all too common–it is not simply to be trendy, but to advertise…
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Senior Spotlight: Chris Zappia’s last season
Being an athlete is a strenuous, triumphant, enduring, and life changing experience. Athletes battle on the field and try to prove themselves worthy of honor; athletes look for the long awaiting championship rather than…
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Williamson wins the world
“I am the most talented American in America; it’s a verifiable fact, people,” Williamson said at the opening of his 6:00 p.m. New Years Eve comedy show at Goodnight’s Comedy Bar. As a longtime…
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The Piano Man is Back
Billy Joel is back on tour for the first time in three years. In December Billy Joel announced his franchise at Madison Square Garden. Joel will play monthly shows at Madison Square Garden as…
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Grades do more harm than good
For many students, including myself, a grade is much more than just a number. It represents what opportunity we have in the real world and where we rank among our peers. Students are pressured…
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Winter Jam 2014 kicks off in Raleigh
On Friday, January 3, the PNC Arena kicked off the one of the biggest tours in the nation, Winter Jam. In terms of attendance, the Christianity-based tour has been #1 in the world for…
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Downton Abbey returns
The fourth season of Downton Abbey began Sunday, January 5 — leaving eagerly awaiting fans feeling bittersweet. The absence of the British drama left a hole in dedicated fans weekly Sunday night routine, however…
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Five seconds
There is a 23 times more chance of being in a car accident if the driver is texting and driving. Never texting and driving is something everyone hears almost everyday of their lives. But…
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Sherlock is coming Holmes
After two years of hiatus, the season three premiere of Sherlock, titled “The Empty Hearse”, aired in the UK on January 1 and will premiere on January 19 in the US. The premiere was…
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Megyn Kelly disappoints penguins everywhere
Slate culture blogger Aisha Harris posted a holiday-themed essay December 10, discussing her childhood struggle with race during Christmas. The problem: While she and her African-American family celebrated a black Santa, society bombarded a…
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Snapchat gets hacked
On Tuesday, December 31, an anonymous group of hackers leaked approximately 4.6 million Snapchat usernames and phone numbers onto the internet. Snapchat is a free app available for iPhone and Android that allows users…
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Senior exemptions: good for some, unfortunate for others
As Leesville students start reviewing and preparing for exams, some students are getting ready for break. There are quite a few advantages to being a senior, but without doubt, finals exemption is the best.…
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American Hustle bamboozles box office
David O. Russel’s brilliant take on the ABSCAM Affair of the 70’s, “American Hustle” tells the story of con artist duo Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) as they are forced…