The official student newspaper of Mountain Brook High School.

1. The Sword & Shield
→TEDx comes to the junior high, page 3
→Birmingham’s best parks, page 6
→MBHS baseball falls in first round of playoffs, page 10
→“Insurgent”: movie or book? page 14
→Avery Johnson brings a spotlight to Alabama basketball, page 15
INSIDE
Vol. XLIX No. 6 Mountain Brook High School May 1, 2015
Now Available
Online
News: 2-5 Features: 6-9 Sports: 10-12 Reviews: 13-14 Opinions: 15-16
BY SCOTT LEPLEY
Staff Writer
Both boys and girls varsity tennis teams fin-
ished in the top two at the state tournament this
season. The boys won their first state champion-
ship since 2010, having lost the previous four to
Vestavia, and the girls finished second. The boys
championship is the 50th in Mountain Brook
Tennis history and the first in class 7A.
The boys team, captained by seniors Sam
Lidikay and Will Hargrove, finished the regular
season at an undefeated 9-0 and dominated sec-
tionals winning 26 matches and dropping only
one. The boys claimed all six singles spots and
#1 and #2 doubles in a commanding victory.
At the state tournament, the boys claimed
their first championship since 2010 in a dom-
inating performance. The team won all three
doubles finals and four of the six singles fi-
nals. Lidikay and junior Yates Jackson won at
#1 doubles, sophomores Peter Hartman and
David Faulkner won at the #2 doubles and
capped off an undefeated season and Hargrove
and sophomore Paul Jones won the #3 doubles
finals. Hartman, Jackson, Faulkner and Jones
all won their singles positions as well. The boys
won with a dominating score of 74 points while
Spain Park and Huntsville tied for second at 35
points.
Hargrove said, “Of any team that I have been
a part of, this has defi-
nitely been the best.
The dedication and
positive chemistry that
everybody has showed
pays off.”
The girls team,
captained by seniors
Lil Kilgore and Elinor
Anthony, finished the
regular season 8-0. At
sectionals, the girls
finished second behind
Vestavia edging out
Spain Park for the final
spot in the state play-
offs thanks to singles
wins by Cele Sullivan
and Elinor Anthony
at the #5 and #6 spots
and sophomores Ellie
Polk and Sarah Cooper
at the #2 doubles spot.
The girls were narrowly edged out by Hunts-
ville in the state tournament and finished sec-
ond overall. Sophomores Sullivan and Polk won
their singles positions at the #4 and # 5 spots
and the #2 doubles team of Polk and Cooper
also won, but the team lost by a score of 61 to 57
to Huntsville.
Kilgore said, “We had a great season. We
lost a lot of great players from last year and still
managed to come within a few points of a state
championship.”
Coach Susan Farlow said, “Both teams this
year had top to bottom some of the best talent
that we’ve had on a team. We lost both the girls
and boys number one players last year and to
still be at the top shows their hard work. Every-
body worked well together as a team, and we
were rewarded with great placements at state.”
Mountain Brook boys win first 7A tennis
championship
Photo courtesy of Benny Eaves
Mountain Brook boys hoist the first 7A tennis state championship trophy.
By MARGARET HEATH
Features Editor
Two years ago, seniors Natalie
Jones, Thatcher Rickertsen, Vince
Bolus, Richard Rice, Lindsey
Kirk, Charlie Steinmetz and Reese
Williams embarked on a project to
assist medical science in the pro-
duction of pharmaceuticals. The of-
ficial name of the project was “How
to Maximize Protein Growth in a
Micro-Gravity Environment,” and
the outcome, increasing the speed
at which crystals grow, could have
a huge effect on the production of
future medicines.
The project at UAB was head-
ed by Lawrence DeLucas, O.D.,
Ph.D., who taught students the
basics about protein growth and
how to create crystals in general.
Although Mountain Brook teacher
sponsors, Mrs. Misty King and
Dr. Sue Davis, guided the process,
most of the work was done by the
students. According to Davis, the
teachers were “to have a limited
input” which required “the students
[to work] hard and [ask] excellent
questions.”
Two years might seem lengthy
for a project involving high school
students, but the time was an inte-
gral part of the experiment.
According to Bolus, “[the team]
sent two proteins into space in the
hopes they would crystallize.” The
proteins needed to be launched
into space before the project could
really take shape, and the timing
posed problems. Davis says, “space
flights [were cancelled] due to
weather and/or mechanical diffi-
culties.”
Once the proteins were finally
in space, the students still had to
create a final presentation for the
competition. This competition,
held at Jefferson State Communi-
ty College, brought together the
ten teams DeLucas had recruited
from area high schools. Each team
presented their findings, with a
Is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s space crystals
Please see “Crystals”
Continued on page 2 for more
information about the program.
Photo courtesy of Mrs. Misty King
Seniors Natalie Jones, Lindsey Kirk, Vince Bolus, Charlie Steinmetz, Thatcher Rickert-
sen, Richard Rice and Reese Williams proudly show off their poster at the competition
held at Jeff State.

2. Letter from the editors
The Sword & Shield
Co-Editor-in-Chief: Claire Davis
Co-Editor-in-Chief: John Sisson
Managing Editor: Chandler Gory
Art & Photography Editor: Mathilde Sharman
News Editor: Madeline Mitchell
Sports Editor: Alec Lewis
Features Editor: Margaret Heath
Opinions Editor: Coke Matthews
Reviews Editor: Natalie Jones
Business Manager: Sarah Beth Daniel
Staff Writers
Sponsors: Ms. Catherine Lowe and Mr. Peter Perez
Letters to the Editors Policy
The Sword & Shield welcomes Letters to the Editors from its readers. We re-
serve the right to edit any letters for grammar, length, or libel; however, the
meaning will be preserved. Whenever possible, changes made with a letter will
be discussed with the author prior to publication. All letters must be signed, but
names may be withheld upon request. Email letters to gosands@gmail.com.
The Sword & Shield
Mountain Brook High School
3650 Bethune Drive
Mountain Brook, AL 35223
Telephone: (205) 414-3800
Fax: (205) 969-8113
Printing made possible by
Alabama Web Press
1793 Eva Road
Cullman, AL 35055
Telephone: (256) 734-5104
Summer is in the air. Temperatures are
rising, and everyone is itching to get out
of school. Seniors, in a few months you
will be spreading out across the country to
begin the next chapter of your lives. Enjoy
every second that you have left, especially
the big events like Relay for Life, Prom and
graduation.
With the end of the school year comes
the end of several sports. Boys tennis
won the first 7A state title while the girls
notched a solid runner up finish. Read
more about these teams on page 1. Unfor-
tunately, the baseball team fell to Thomp-
son in three games in the first round of the
state playoffs after an incredible regular
season. To read more, go to page 10.
While sports are winding down, other
activities for Relay for Life are just heating
up. The MBHS Color Run is new this year
and so is the PowerBuff dodgeball tourna-
ment. To learn more about these activities,
go to pages 3 and 7.
If you’re having a bad day, there is only
one cure: read page 9. I promise your day
will be turned around. Trust me on this.
Well, this is the end of the road. Claire
and I will be parting in a few months
as she stays in Birmingham to attend
Samford and I head up to Annapolis. You
will be in good hands next year as Coke
Matthews and Mathilde Sharman take
over as the new Co-Editors-in-Chief.
Hopefully, their Letters from the Editors
will be a little better than ours. Stay classy
Mountain Brook.
Thanks for reading,
Claire and John
Thomas Cooney
Will Davis
Carter Ennis
Casey Fan
Scott Lepley
Leigh Lewis
Caroline Lowe
Jonathan McWane
Lily Smith
Brooke Tucker
2news
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
scholarship being awarded to the
top team. Bolus said “four judges
walked around and interrogated us
about our data after observing our
poster and notes.”
A highlight of the judging por-
tion of the competition, according
to Rice, was getting to meet Rich-
ard Garriot, the entrepreneur who
was the first man to fund his own
trip into space.
Although Mountain Brook did
not come in first place, an honor
that went to Tarrant High School,
the Mountain Brook students still
had fun working on the project
together. Jones says, “It was really
exciting to see the team that won
first place because they were all
so excited [about winning], and
everyone else was just excited about
the project.”
Some of us cannot even re-
member what we had for dinner
last night, but these seniors will
definitely remember the last two
years. As Bolus says, “[the project]
matured me as a group member as
well as an amateur scientist.”
Crystals, continued from
front page
Photo courtesy of Mrs. Misty King
This test tube contains some of the crystal experiments grown by our students for UAB.
Photo courtesy of Mrs. Misty King
These crystals were part of an experiment to determine better ways to create vaccines.

3. 3news
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
By MADELINE MITCHELL
News Editor
On Sunday April 19, Crestline showed its col-
ors in a fundraiser to benefit Relay for Life. That
morning, around 200 runners gathered for the
first annual Run for Relay, a 5K race in which
race volunteers shower participants with various
shades of dye powder, resulting in a colorful
array of runners.
The race began as senior Michael White’s
idea for a project in his English class. White
had originally planned to hold a 5K race called
Running Water to fund the construction of wells
in third-world countries. Around the same time,
the SGA Executive Council, known as the Super
Seven, was looking to organize a community
project and, after hearing about White’s idea,
asked him to join forces to create this unique
fundraiser.
Though his project originally had a differ-
ent purpose, White says, “Since Relay is such a
big deal here, [using the race to benefit Relay]
would be a better way to get students involved.
I could either do Running Water and just have
random runners, or I
could do it for Relay
and have participants
from the high school
and the community.
The race was a lot of
fun because everyone
knew each other and
everyone is passionate
about what the race was
for.”
Volunteers from Key
Club, Interact Club and
SGA threw dye and
helped run the event,
which used around 200
pounds of powder dye
to color participants.
Despite the rainy
start to the race, the
event ultimately raised $5,600 for Relay for Life.
As for the future of the race, Girls Vice Pres-
ident Ellie Naff says, “We really would like the
race to continue in the future. We’re hoping to
pass it along to next year’s SGA leaders.”
SGA Treasurer Katie Reiss believes the race
could likely become a lasting fundraiser. “I’m
excited about the future that this race will have
for Relay for Life.”
MBHS color run paints Mountain Brook purple
Photo by Coke Matthews
Volunteers and runners alike got covered in dye at the first MBHS Color Run.
By NATALIE JONES
Reviews Editor
With summer right around the corner,
Mountain Brook Junior High School students
involved in the MBJH TED-ed Club aim to in-
spire others through the upcoming TEDx event
scheduled for May 11, 2015, at MBJH.
The club and all TEDxYouth@MBJH events,
operated under license from TED, are inde-
pendently organized and supported solely
through sponsors and private contributions. The
central focus of the TEDxYouth@MBHS pro-
gram is service oriented, intended to foster the
sharing of student passions and ideas.
Reflecting this central goal, students cho-
sen to speak at the upcoming TEDx talk were
instructed to select their topics based on sub-
jects that have sparked their interest or concern.
With the freedom to pursue individual interests,
MBJH students chose quite a wide range of
topics spanning from wetland conservation to
the art of storytelling and the problem of food
deserts.
Current eighth-grader Claire Kimberlin
choose the topic of food deserts for her TEDx
talk describes her experience on a summer
mission trip.
“I got interested in foods deserts this past
summer on a mission trip with my youth group.
The trip was actually here in Birmingham
through an organization called Youth People
Paint Birmingham, and it was just crazy to see
how many people lived in food deserts and were
affected by food deserts. The experience touched
me, and I realized that it was something I really
cared about and could create my talk on,” said
Kimberlin.
Emily Bebenek, a current seventh-grader at
MBJH, also shares her personal experience at
The Humane Society and how that led to her
TEDx talk on animal rights awareness.
“Once I started volunteering through the
Humane Teen Club, I started thinking about an-
imals a lot more. The animals were so cute, and I
noticed how animals feel emotions like humans
do just in different ways. I decided I wanted to
become involved with animal rights awareness.
People don’t really talk about animals’ feelings
as much. People don’t always put as much focus
on animals’ rights,” said Bebenek.
Despite the unique variety of discussion
topics, the common thread between the night’s
conversations is from the common desire to
inspire change, awareness or passion.
Along with these student speakers, other
students will participate in the event through
musical performances. With these performanc-
es, ninth-graders Mary Louise Howland and
Avrham Robinson will assist in helping run the
event by serving as the MC’s for the night.
“We’ll be introducing all the talks and giving
a little bit of insight into what each one is about.
I think having opportunities like this that allow
me to practice my public speaking skills are im-
portant because they better prepare me for the
future,” said Robinson.
Whether participating as a speaker, perform-
er or even audience member, all seem to agree
that the night will indeed be an experience filled
with lots of learning, sharing and growing from
the passions and talents of others.
MBJH students pursuing passions through
TEDxYOUTH@MBHS
Photo courtesy of Red Mountain Theater Company
Ninth grader Avrham Robinson looks forward to speaking
in front of an audience during the upcoming MBJHYouthT-
EDx event. He will be serving as one of the MCs.

4. 4news
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
ADHD abuse in Mountain Brook: the dangers
By THOMAS COONEY and
MATHILDE SHARMAN
Staff Writer and Art & Photography
Editor
While the percentage of stu-
dents in American diagnosed with
ADHD and treated with medica-
tion is difficult to determine, up to
11 percent of students in America
have been told at some point that
they have ADHD. Some Mountain
Brook students without a prescrip-
tion or a diagnosis are also taking
ADHD medication, and this abuse
could set a dangerous trend.
There are many dangers asso-
ciated with the illegal use of ADD
medication. Dr. Dale Wisely, a
clinical psychologist who is Student
Services Director for Mountain
Brook Schools said, “If students
exchange medication on campus
they are violating not only school
rules, but are going to be facing
criminal charges. As a community
and school district, we cannot be
lenient about distributing con-
trolled substances in our schools.”
ADD and ADHD medications
like Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta,
Vyvanse and all the generic equiv-
alents are classified as Schedule II
controlled substances, alongside
drugs like, crack, cocaine and mor-
phine.
There are some health risks asso-
ciated with abusing ADHD med-
ication. Abusers can experience
rapid mood changes, loss of appe-
tite, agitation, fatigue, headaches,
and stomachaches. When it comes
to using someone else’s ADHD
medicine, students may question
the significance, asking themselves
if it’s really so wrong--are the risks
really that big?
When asked about the dis-
missive attitude toward abuse of
ADHD medication, Dr. Wisely
explained that there are significant
risks involved. “It’s a serious crime
for a student to possess someone
else’s medication. It’s a crime to sell
or give your medication to some-
one else. You can get into really
significant legal trouble.”
Dr. Wisely explained the danger
of addiction. “The medications that
are used to treat ADHD are almost
all stimulants. Stimulants help peo-
ple focus, but these are powerful
drugs. Addiction is not at all likely
in people who have ADHD who
take the medication as directed.
But people who don’t have ADHD
and use someone else’s medication
might find themselves on the way
to addiction. Addiction is abso-
lutely possible in people who abuse
these drugs by taking them without
medical clearance and supervision.”
So you take it for something else,
and then another thing and before
you know it, you’re hooked. The
human nature part of us, that part
that loves to eat one more piece of
German chocolate cake, gives into
addiction.
If it works once and you enjoy
it, many people are going to use it
again. Each use raises the risks. Dr.
Wisely explained the theory behind
the risk involved in medication
abuse. “Some people, truthfully,
might be able to take unprescribed
stimulant medication to study once
or twice and get away with it. But a
substantial number will do it again,
and then again, and that will be the
start of an addictive process. No
one can know in advance whether
they will be prone to addiction to
the drugs,” explains Dr. Wisely.
So to students who question if
taking their friend’s ADHD is a
problem, yes, addiction and major
legal risk present a problem. “And
for someone without ADHD who
takes the medication to study, they
run the risk of having side effects
to the medication, which would
make them feel bad enough that
they couldn’t really focus to study
anyway,” adds Dr. Wisely.
Some students may question if
ADHD even exists—if it's not just
the result of the ever increasing
high standards of our society.
“One thing that complicates
this is there’s no test for ADHD. It’s
always about collecting data to see
if the data points to ADHD, and a
student and her parents working
with a doctor who understands the
disorder, ” explains Dr. Wisely, who
is also frustrated by the way some
dismiss the disorder.
“The most common misconception
of ADHD is that it’s just a moti-
vation problem. That ought to be
the last thing we believe about a
struggling student. There’s no cure
for “unmotivated” or “lazy.” People
do well when they can, and if they
aren’t doing well, there’s probably
something wrong,” says Dr. Wisely.
Dr. Wisely admitted that overdi-
agnosis, especially in an affluent
community like Mountain Brook,
is certainly an issue. “I think it’s
probably overdiagnosed in middle
class and upper middle class com-
munities with higher expectations
and more resources. When nine or
ten percent of school age kids are
being diagnosed, it’s pretty hard to
justify numbers that high,” explains
Dr. Wisely.
In addition to the legitimacy of
the disorder, some question if their
friend, who is just as intelligent as
they are, doesn’t somehow have
the upper hand by having access
to medication. But when students
pose questions like this aren’t un-
derstanding the science. “The legit-
imate use of medication isn’t giving
someone advantage, it’s managing a
deficit. Their brain is not as capa-
ble of focus, not as persistent, is
more easily distracted. Medication
levels the playing field,” explains Dr.
Wisely.
Photo courtesy of wikimedia.com
ADHD and ADD medication is an abused substance amongst high school stu-
dents, who don’t always understand the risks.

5. 5News
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
By MARGARET HEATH
Features Editor
For 96 hours in April, Mountain Brook High School became a hotspot
of sin and debauchery. Teens ran amuck doing things that horrified their
parents and disturbed the faculty.
No, the senior prank did not occur early this year. All the faux drink-
ing, smoking and immorality was part of the spring musical, Grease!
The cast looked completely at ease portraying 1950’s teens because each
member had been working for weeks beforehand to make the show as
perfect as possible. Senior ensemble member Harper Alexander said of
the weeks leading up to the production, “Even though it was a lot of hard
work and very stressful at certain points, I have never had more fun in my
entire life. I met a lot of people and made a lot of friendships that will last
me hopefully a life time.”
Junior Katy Grace Lipscomb observed, “Although all audiences that
came to watch the show loved it and saw us having tons of fun, they will
never get to experience back stage where we laughed, cried and made
memories that will last longer than the memories of the show itself ever
will”
Clearly, participating in the school musical – whether as a star, an
ensemble performer, or a member of the invisible, invaluable stage crew –
has a great impact on the students involved. In fact, if you are not grad-
uating this year, you should consider auditioning for next year’s show
– whatever it is. Because, as junior Emilie Harwell so aptly explained,
“Grease has proven that there is a necessity for the arts in at least some
aspects of life.” Sophomore Gabe Ivker succinctly concurred with the
comment that it was an “eye opening experience.”
Grease: MBHS performs spectacular rendition of an old classic
Photo courtesy of Haley Lewis
Final Bows: the cast finishes a successful run of the musical Grease. Sandy Dumbrowski was played by senior Anne Thomas and Danny Zuko was played by senior
Hunter Stanley.

6. 6Features
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
By LILY SMITH
Staff Writer
With only a few weeks of school left, everyone seems to be in that sum-
mer mindset right about now. As we all eagerly anticipate the glory days
of sunshine and freedom, it’s about time to start thinking about how we
want to spend summer. Admittedly, for most of us this means sitting in
bed watching Netflix all day or going to the same old boring places with
friends. But with these local outdoor spots, you can break that monoto-
nous routine.
Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve
Located in urban Birmingham, Ruffner Mountain is a great place to
enjoy the outdoors. It is Alabama’s oldest nature center, one of the largest
urban nature preserves in the country and the highest peak in Birming-
ham. Pretty impressive, right? There are 12 miles of trails to explore, rang-
ing from easy, lower level paths to higher level trails for your hardcore
hiking enthusiasts.
In addition to the beautiful, natural scenery along the trails, several
of them lead to breathtaking overlooks, like the one with a view of the
airport. Also, it’s free. And who doesn’t like free stuff?
Oak Mountain State Park
If you haven’t figured it out from the name, this park is located in Oak
Mountain. It is recognized as Alabama’s largest state park (9,940 acres)
with a variety of activities available. Mountain biking and hiking are
certainly the most popular, but the park also allows swimming, horseback
riding, camping, boating, fishing and backpacking.
Sophomore mountain biker Brian Schmidt says, “Oak Mountain is
a great place to ride on the weekends or whenever. It has a nice flowy
singletrack with a few techy rock gardens. You can also chill in an eno for
fun.”
One of the best attractions Oak Mountain State Park has to offer is
Peavine Falls, which is a 65-foot tall waterfall with a pool of water at its
base. The park is open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Unfortunately, there is
an entrance fee of about three dollars.
Moss Rock Preserve
Moss Rock Preserve
is located in Hoover.
This 350 acre preserve
offers over ten miles
of trails and a boulder
field. The trails provide
beautiful natural scen-
ery, including several
waterfalls and streams.
The boulder field is
geared more towards
those who enjoy rock
climbing, but anyone
can visit it.
Sophomore Ellen
Waller says, “Moss
Rock is a great place to
go hike or climb. It has
good trails and sweet
spots to climb the boul-
ders. I would definitely
recommend.” The best part about Moss Rock is - get excited - it’s free, too.
Red Mountain Park
Red Mountain Park, located in Birmingham off of Lakeshore Drive,
has several attractions to offer. It is well-known for its ziplines, scenic
trails, historic iron ore mining sites and even a dog park. There are about
11 miles of hiking and biking trails, including two beautiful overlooks.
Another way to access a view is to visit one of the treehouses scattered
around the park. While there is no cost to explore the trails, the other
attractions cost money, which varies depending on the attraction. Red
Mountain Park is open seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Best of Birmingham: Outdoor Hangouts
Photo by Sarah Beth Daniel
Peavine Falls at Oak Mountain State Park is a refreshing
and fun site to visit during the dog days of summer.
Photo by Mr. Peter Perez
Ruffner Mountain is so easy to climb that even energy-filled children can make it to the
top for the amazing site of downtown Birmingham.
Photo by Lily Smith
Red Mountain Park offers exciting attractions like ziplines and treehouses.

7. 7Features
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
By SARAH BETH DANIEL
Staff Writer
Relay for Life hosts many exciting events for
Mountain Brook High School. Two of them,
Powder Puff football and Power Buff volley-
ball, have become iconic Relay events run by
the Interact club. This year, senior Paul Roth,
Relay Co-Chair, proposed a new idea for Power
Buff. With help from Mrs. Katrina McGuire, on
April 28, Power Buff featured dodge ball rather
than volleyball.
“We thought it would be more interesting to
change things up a bit,” Mrs. McGuire said.
“Not only that, but it allows for students with
an interest in the sport to play, seeing as Moun-
tain Brook doesn’t have a dodgeball team.”
Power Buff was also changed in an attempt
to appeal to a wider range of the male student
body. “We felt like a larger portion of the male
student body would rather play dodge ball than
volleyball,” said Mrs. McGuire.
Despite the major change, the system worked
just as before. Students formed their own teams.
Each team had a team captain who was respon-
sible for making sure that everyone was aware of
the rules.
As far as team
uniforms go, “you
never know what
you’re going to get,”
Ms. McGuire said.
This year uniforms
mainly consisted of
colorful combina-
tions of athletic gear
while one team coor-
dinated with various
jerseys.
Teams played
with six team mem-
bers each. Each team
played the best two
out of three games.
To win a game, either
all the players from
one team are eliminated or the team with most
players left at the end of 7 minutes wins.
In the semi-final game, the team the Dodge
Fathers and the faculty team won their respec-
tive games and went on to face off against each
other. The Dodge Fathers, consisting of seniors
Roth, Sam Morris, Bill Perry, Parker Henley,
Vincent Zicarelli and Alex Graham, took down
the faculty team, consisting of the following
coaches: Derek Jones, Jacob Sparkman, Justin
Ransom, Benny Eaves, Bill Strickland and
Shane Martin.
Volleyball vs. dodge ball: this year’s Power Buff
change
Photo by Sarah Beth Daniel
The faculty team instilled fear into the hearts of student teams.

8. The Sword & Shield
8Features
Friday, May 1, 2015
By JOHN SISSON
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Juniors, beware. A storm is brewing. Sooner
than you think, you will be in the midst of the
busiest season of your life: the college appli-
cation process. Just that thought can be over-
whelming; however, have no fear. The Sword
& Shield sat down to find the best tips for the
application process.
First of all, start early. The earlier you start,
the less you have to worry about as the dead-
lines approach. Also, you may even be able to
get some of your applications started or even
completed before school begins in August. This
way, you are not as busy and can give your full
effort to the application.
Part of the application process is teachers
writing recommendations for you. Because
many people will be asking for them from the
same teacher at the same time, it is important
to ask them early so they have time to write you
an excellent recommendation. I know this may
seem silly, but make sure to ask a teacher who
will write a strong rec. So, it’s best to ask a teach-
er in a class in which you have performed well.
Second, The Common Application is your
friend. If a college accepts the Common App,
use it. It is designed so you can apply to multiple
schools with one application. Usually schools
will have supplemental essays to fill out after
you complete the Common App, but this ap-
plication is a huge time saver. It saves you from
having to fill out 10 different applications for 10
different schools.
I would suggest buying a calendar as soon
as you decide which colleges you would like to
apply to. Look on their websites and see when
the application deadlines are. Then, mark all of
them down on your calendar. This way, you are
sure of when you need to have everything in.
You would be surprised at how confusing it can
get if you are applying to many different schools
and don’t have the deadlines organized. You
could easily miss a deadline and miss the op-
portunity to be accepted by the college of your
dreams.
Throughout this process, it is important to
stay in touch and work closely with the coun-
selors’ office. Mrs. Karen Svetlay, the college
admissions counselor, is a great resource on
anything you need to know about college. Also,
you have to send things like transcripts and
ACT scores to schools through their office, so it
is important that you stay in touch with them.
Another reason why I recommend the calendar
is because I could mark when I needed to have
all of my materials to the counselors, as they
generally need it three weeks before the deadline
in order for it to make it to the college on time.
Most importantly, take the college appli-
cation process one step at a time. It is easy to
become paralyzed when you think of all of the
applications, scholarships and college visits at
once. You may feel like you will never be able
to complete all of the steps necessary to apply.
However, you definitely can succeed if you bite
off little pieces at a time.
I would recommend starting off with the
Common App. When you’re finished with that,
start completing applications one at a time.
Also, as you complete an application for a
school, I would go ahead and complete their
scholarship application. That way, you aren’t
waiting until you have already finished all of
your applications to apply for scholarships.
Instead, you are able to give the scholarship ap-
plication your best work, increasing your chanc-
es of actually receiving money that makes your
dream school a reality. I know several friends
who waited until the deadline drew near to do
their scholarship essays, and in the end, they
were too exhausted to complete them. If you
complete applications one at a time, you are less
likely to get stressed out.
It’s hard to believe, but you juniors are rapidly
approaching college. With that comes the ardu-
ous task of filling out applications. But, if you
follow a few simple steps, the task will seem less
daunting and you will be more likely to have the
opportunity to choose your college from a list of
acceptances!
Surviving the college application process
Margaret Heath- “Apply as early as possible. Don’t wait until the last
second to apply.”
Jonathan McWane- “Don’t trash all of the college-related emails you get.
Read them. They can be pretty important.”
Alec Lewis- “If you know what you’re interested in doing, research pro-
grams at different schools and also apply early for certain preferences like
rooming.”
Casey Fan- “Start working on essays and/or supplementary materials
during the summer. That way, you will have time to polish your essays
and still have time for all your other work and commitments.”
Madeline Mitchell- “Focus your efforts by only applying to schools you
really like. Doing so will save plenty of time and stress.”
Chandler Gory- “Make sure you have a resumé that you can add to as
you go through school. It’s stressful trying to remember everything you
have ever done in the last four years at one time. You’ll thank yourself for
staying on top of it.”
Claire Davis- “Have your essays peer-reviewed. Your parents can also
help you think of essay topics.”
Brooke Tucker- “Get your parents to help you throughout the whole pro-
cess- they are the ones who know you best.”
The Sword & Shield
senior advice

9. The Sword & Shield
9Features
Friday, May 1, 2015
By CHANDLER GORY and
CASEY FAN
Managing Editor and Staff Writer
Have you ever seen that kid
who carries a tray of Starbucks to
school every morning? Well, last
week The Sword & Shield met
with senior Lewis Fitzpatrick to
discuss his obsessive coffee habits.
At 7:44 p.m., he walked in late to
our 7:30 meeting with Chipotle. We
then procrastinated for roughly 28
minutes.
Lewis’s Recipe for Success:
So the amount of coffee I drink
is inversely correlated to the
amount of sleep I get. I would say
roughly that if you have gotten
maybe less than 6 hours of sleep, in
between 6 and 5 hours of sleep, and
that’s your first night to only get
that much sleep, then you’re going
to get about two shots of espresso.
And personally, my rule of
thumb is to always mix espresso
with soy milk in an iced latté. It’s
literally the shots, the soy milk,
the ice and maybe a Splenda in a
grande cup, because the thing is,
the hot cups always spill.
Pet Peeves:
Literally there’s something
wrong with the hot cup tops, which
is ridiculous to me considering
that Starbucks is literally a glob-
al, multi-billion dollar company.
I don’t understand why their hot
cup lids drip. I cannot tell you how
many times I’ve walked into school
with hot coffee dripping down my
arms and onto my clothes. I have
marks all over my car and binders
where coffee has dripped because
it’s dripping off the top. It’s literally
such a problem. Especially for me
because I carry so much stuff into
school everyday. I always have my
calculus binder, a bag of food, my
bag over my shoulder and some-
times I have another bag full of
workout clothes. It’s just a lot to
deal with when I have hot coffee
dripping down my arms.
Disaster Attacks:
One time, this was one of the
worst days of my life, but it doesn’t
really have anything to do with the
hot coffee and dripping lids.
But anyway, one time I had a
tray full of lattés because first of
all, I hadn’t slept, so I had a very
strong, four-shot latté. I also had a
latté for one of my teachers, be-
cause long story short, she didn’t
like me, so I had to bring her lattés
to school every day for at least one
semester. And I think some other
friends wanted some lattés.
So anyway, I had a tray full of
lattés in the passenger seat of my
car, and if you’ve ever come from
the Cahaba Heights Starbucks to
the high school in the mornings,
you know about that stoplight by
the Piggly Wiggly. So anyway, the
car in front of me had barely made
the light, and I wasn’t really paying
attention so I thought I could make
it, but I had to slam on the brakes
to stop before I hit another car, and
all of the lattés flew forward and
exploded in my front seat, which
soaked the carpet for months. It
was so disgusting. Only recently
has it stopped smelling gross… and
it’s been almost a year.
Anyway that was terrible be-
cause, not only did my car smell
like lattés, I also didn’t have my
caffeine for the day, so that was just
a real bummer.
Lewis’s Philosophy Behind Cof-
fee:
Well, for me, caffeine is another
tool in the tool box for a student
who is high achieving and doesn’t
get any sleep. Because, the thing is,
in my personal view, I don’t under-
stand how people do it any other
way. If you’re going to be taking a
lot of AP classes, like more than
3, it’s very difficult to have time to
even get sleep on any day of the
week, except Saturday night or
maybe Friday night. So, if you want
to have a balanced social life, you’re
going to get 8 hours of sleep once a
week, basically.
And given the fact that I find it
easy to fall asleep in the daytime
when I’m not very well rested, I
have to have coffee, or I won’t be
able to pay attention in class be-
cause I’m asleep. Teachers will get
mad at me and that’s just bad. So
if I’m going to focus and be doing
work in school, then I have to have
coffee if I haven’t had adequate
sleep. That’s just how it works.
For me it’s just another tool, just
like studying is, honestly. So that’s
important. Um… I kind of lost my
train of thought…
On the other hand, the amount
of coffee I drink is directly correlat-
ed to the amount of work ethic I
have. There comes a certain point
when you’re in the middle of your
first semester as a senior and you
are dying; the fact that I’m taking 7
AP classes and applying to like 15
schools probably explains why I’m
addicted to coffee, but that’s okay
because I’m literally
a high-achieving
student. The rea-
son I work so hard,
like, not right now
though, is because I
felt like every grade I
made literally had a
direct impact on my
future, where I go
to college, what job
I will have and my
success in life, so that
was a very powerful
motivator so every
grade I didn’t do as
well on, like getting
below a 90, I took
as a personal failure
that would affect the
rest of my life. So
given that amount of
stress, it’s easy for me
to not get any sleep
because no amount
of willpower will keep you awake
when you haven’t slept all week.
Random tips:
But it’s also important to know
how to use caffeine wisely. So pace
yourself. 2 shots is probably enough
when you get more than 2 hours of
sleep, 4-5 hours 3 shots, anything
less than 4 hours is 4 shots.
But um, okay, it’s important
to stay hydrated; if you don’t get
enough water, your mouth is gonna
get dry, your eyes are gonna get
dry, and you’re not gonna be able to
pay attention so you’re going start
feeling really crazy. Also, the more
water you drink, the better
your skin will look, so you’ll be
less stressed out because you’ll feel
prettier.
Oh yeah, I definitely would al-
ways start with an Ariana Grande,
oh excuse me a grande, that’s usu-
ally my go-to size, but sometimes
I’ll have a day where I just have
to get a venti. Well this is just me
personally, but what I have learned
is that what will really give me a
kick is to not drink coffee for the
taste, I drink it slowly throughout
the day whenever I feel like I’m
about to fall asleep because I just
need to stay awake. That’s what it’s
like for an AP Student; you’re in the
jungle and you will do whatever
it takes to survive, especially like
when it’s November, you are barely
surviving; it’s survival of the fittest.
Murder is on the table, so copious
amounts of caffeine are on the
table. Coffee itself doesn’t help, just
no, because it’s better to get espres-
so shots.
I also should mention that I use
coffee in conjunction with really
high-power female power pop stars
like Ariana Grande, Ke$ha, and
Lady Gaga, just so that you can...
it gives you the motivation to do
stuff at 4 in the morning. When
you’ve forgotten what it’s even like
to sleep, that’s when you pump
up some Ariana Grande and take
another shot of espresso and keep
on doing your calculus homework
because if you don’t you’re not go-
ing to get into college, and the rest
of your life is going to fail because
you were too weak to stay up.
Origin Story:
I first started drinking coffee
with hot lattés, I’m basically on
shots of espresso right now. The
first Starbucks drink I had was a
Pumpkin Spice latté during the
winter of my sophomore year...
yeah. And then I progressively
added more shots to that latté, then
I was into Peppermint lattés, and
then somewhere around there I
discovered that what I really need-
ed was shots of espresso and soy
milk.
Although I will say, coconut
milk is bullsh*t. It tastes so bad,
but when you mix it with coffee, it
tastes terrible. Like they should’ve
realized that when they tested it.
Once again, I’m really disappointed
in Starbucks for not testing coconut
milk adequately, like come on guys.
Lewis Fitzpatrick and coffee: survival of the fittest
Photo by Chandler Gory
Senior Lewis Fitzpatrick poses with his espresso and waxes
poetic on high school, stress and coffee stains.

10. By ALEC LEWIS
Sports Editor
They won 14 games in a row, they defeat-
ed nationally ranked teams but ultimately the
Mountain Brook baseball team’s run came to an
end against Thompson in the first round of the
AHSAA baseball playoffs.
In a new format with 7A, Mountain Brook
returned to the diamond in Alabama’s best
baseball region. Battling through college talent
game-by-game, the Spartans’ goal of surpassing
last year’s final eight finish seemed attainable,
but ultimately it just wasn’t enough.
“My senior year of baseball was
the most fun season of any sport I've
ever played,” said senior catcher Jack
McPherson who totaled eight home runs
on the year. “We did a lot of things that I
will remember for a lot of years, and I’ll
cherish these memories with my team
for the rest of my life. I hope we set a bar
that Mountain Brook baseball will com-
pete at for the coming years.”
After playing 30 games, including a
4-0 start in area play beating both Spain
Park and Hewitt-Trussville, Mountain
Brook’s baseball team stood 27-3 and
perched atop the AWSA (Alabama
Sports Writers Association) poll.
Game 31 came against rival Vestavia,
and a win against the Rebels would mean back-
to-back area wins.
The first contest in the series (which was
played at Mountain Brook) got out of hand a
bit early, and the Rebels never looked back,
winning 6-1. Then, in the series’ second game,
McPherson hit two home runs for the Spartans,
but Vestavia hit a walk-off grand-slam to win,
11-7.
Then, against Thompson in the first round of
the playoffs, the Spartans were unable to close
out game two after winning the first and on
Saturday, they were defeated.
In the end, the team might’ve run out of
gas, but senior pitcher Alan Hale has another
thought to how it unfolded.
“I personally thought that it wasn’t that we
were running out of gas at the end, but that oth-
er teams were getting better,” said Hale. “Teams
would hit on all cylinders to get prepared to play
a highly-ranked team like us and it paid off.”
And although the team lost, a lot was sal-
vaged from a close-to record breaking season
for Coach Lee Gann and his Spartans.
This year’s Spartans finished 30-7, has the po-
tential to send numerous players to play college
ball and was close to winning yet another area
title.
For seniors John David Kubiszyn, Hunter
Holcomb, Parks Shoulders, Tucker Ellis, Bai-
ley Shelfer, T.J. Beard, Drew Odum, John Ea-
gan, Mac Harris, John Sisson, Andrew Autrey,
McPherson and Hale, getting to play with the
guys they’d grown up with, the guys that they
loved playing the game with the most, made it
nothing but a success.
“The guys are my brothers and I wouldn’t
trade these years I’ve had with them for any-
thing,” said Shelfer. “It’s truly been unbelievable
how far we’ve come and I know I’m going to
miss them.”
By WILL DAVIS
Staff Writer
The Mountain Brook girls soccer
team completed a regular season
that saw them hold the
number one ranking
in the state for the ma-
jority of it, with a 7-0
win over Shades Valley
on senior night. It was
the final home game
for a special group of
seniors who have been
a part of two final four
teams, including a
state championship in
2013 and were hoping
to be part of one more.
The season started
off very strong. The
team was 12-2-2 and
had a firm grasp on
the top spot in the
state, but three straight
losses forced the Spar-
tans to go on the road
at Oak Mountain for the first round
of the playoffs, facing the same
team that defeated Mountain Brook
in the state championship game a
year ago and fell to the Spartans in
the final game two years ago.
“We had a great start, a great
middle, and we just kind of fizzled
out a little bit,” Spartans’ coach
Scott Flowers said.
The team was encouraged by
their final game against Shades
Valley and hoping to regain their
energy heading into Tuesday night’s
playoff showdown at Oak Moun-
tain.
“I think senior night helped,”
Flowers said. “The playoffs are a
new season.”
Despite their late season strug-
gles, team chemistry remained a
strong suit for this team.
“We get along and work very
well together,” junior Frances Mor-
ris said.
Despite the renewwed confi-
dence going into the playoffs, Oak
Mountain handed the Mountain
Brook girls their final loss, 0-4,
ending the girls’ playoff appear-
ance.
10Sports
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
Photo courtesy of Image Arts
Senior Julia Garrison dribbles the ball away from Spain
Park in a 2-0 game.
Mountain Brook girls soccer finishes season
at 13-5-2
Baseball team falls in first round to Thompson
Photo courtesy of Image Arts
Seniors John Eagan, Tucker Ellis and Hunter Holcomb
celebrate after a big hit.
Photo courtesy of Image Arts
Senior Jack McPherson takes a big cut during a home game.

11. By WILL DAVIS
Staff Writer
To say the Mountain Brook boys soccer team overcame a lot in 2015
would be an understatement. All year, the Spartans were constantly hav-
ing to cope with injuries to key players, including star seniors Will Free-
man, Adam Elrefai, and Ben Rysedorph. As a result, Mountain Brook
fell short of another playoff berth, despite still being in contention late in
the year.
“At one point we had six starters out injured,” Spartans coach Joe Webb
said. “The injuries were just a little too much to overcome.”
Before the injuries started, Mountain Brook started strong on the field.
The team began 4-0-2, not actually losing a game until the seventh game
of the year against Hoover, a 2-1 loss. The team lost 7 out of 10 at one
point, but was still in contention for a postseason berth before a late sea-
son loss at Spain Park, before finishing the season with a record of 15-8-3
and pondering what could have been.
“I think we could have really challenged for state if we didn’t have the
injuries,” senior Brother Swagler said.
Despite not making the playoffs, the team is aware of the adversity they
overcame this past season.
“To still wind up 15-8-3 overall is quite an accomplishment consider-
ing the hills we had to overcome,” Webb said.
Arguably the
top moment of
the 2015 season
was a Friday night
win at Vestavia,
providing this
decorated senior
class their first ca-
reer win over the
Rebels.
Next season,
Mountain Brook
will have to re-
place 14 seniors.
“Tryouts begin
in September if anyone’s interested,” Webb joked. “I don’t know how you
replace them. That’s just a lot of experience. There’s a lot of work to be
done.”
While there is a lot of work to be done leading up to the 2016 season,
Webb has confidence in the remaining players.
“The guys that we have returning are hard workers, and they’re very
coachable,” Webb said.
By ALEC LEWIS
Sports Editor
By shooting a team score of 300, Mountain
Brook’s golf team won their fourth tournament
of the year. This time, it was sectionals.
With the season coming to a close, it looks
as if the Spartans are poised for anoth-
er run at a state championship. With it
being new athletics director Benny Eaves
final season as coach, this one means that
much more.
“Because it is Coach Eaves last year as
golf coach, it would be fitting to send him
out on top,” said junior starter Jonathan
Eyster. “Coach Eaves has put so much
time and energy into our golf program,
and a state championship ring would cap
off his golf coaching career.”
To do that, this team -- led by seniors
Michael Brown and Wilson Simmons,
as well as juniors Eyster, Harlan Winn,
Matthew Parker, Hugh Rowe Thomas,
and sophomore Ben Fuller --will have to
continue their in-form play as the sum-
mer continues to approach. The team already
has already won the Bradley Johnson Memorial
tournament, the Azalea City Invitational, the
Fairhope Invitational and now the sectional
tournament.
“To me, this team is just as good if not better
than last year’s team,” said senior starter Michael
Brown. “For the second year in a row, I honestly
believe that all five of our guys could win state
individually which is obviously a huge confi-
dence boost.”
He also added, “Our biggest strength is that
this team has depth. All five of our guys can
compete at a very high level and because of that,
nobody feels a tremendous amount of pressure
to play well. We can all just be relaxed.”
Next Monday, on May 4, the golf team will
travel to Hampton Cove for Sub-State and if
they qualify, they’ll look to play at Magnolia
Grove on May 11-12 for the state title.
“The thing that will make the biggest differ-
ence at Sub-State is our poise,” said Brown. I
think it’s important to be able to balance being
calm while being focused come postseason
play.”
Asked on who’s standing in their way, Eyster
said, “I feel that Vestavia and Fairhope are the
biggest threats to what we want to accomplish.”
It’s been four years since the Spartans reached
that accomplishment; this team is hoping to get
back to their winning ways.
11Sports
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
Mountain Brook boys soccer overcomes adversity,
but falls short of the playoffs
Photo by Will Davis
The boys play one of their last games against Prattville.
Photo courtesy of Benny Eaves
Mountain Brook golf won the Section 3 tournament and will play in
the Sub-State tournament in Huntsville on Monday, May 4.
The Mountain Brook boys golf team’s next test is
Sub-State

12. By ALEC LEWIS
Sports Editor
Mountain Brook football coach Chris Yea-
ger spun his chair around after my six scripted
questions concluded. As I gathered my stuff
and clicked the top to my mechanical pencil, he
complimented my questions saying, “I’ve had
many professional guys come in here and not
ask one-tenth the caliber of questions you just
did.”
Walking into the field house on that sunny
afternoon with a lined notepad and pencil, I was
nervous. I’d tried out for basketball teams, I’d
tried out for tennis teams, I’d tried out for golf
teams, yet that interview yielded more butter-
flies.
Yeager was the first interview I ever did for
The Sword & Shield back in 2012. We probably
talked about the team’s leaders. We probably
discussed the team’s schedule. I’m sure we went
over the loss the year before against Oxford in
the playoffs on a game-deciding drop. For cer-
tain, though, we talked
about what my goals
were. He asked about
them, and besides
“sports,” I didn’t know
how to respond. We
agreed I’d get back to
him.
A year before that,
I’d walked into the
counselor’s office at
the junior high school
to set the schedule for
sophomore year.
“You’ll take algebra
two, advanced chemis-
try, American history,
English, Spanish and
physical education,” said
the counselor. “But, you
need one more class, unless you’d like to have a
free period.”
Being the overachiever I am, a free period?
No, more work sounded good. So I asked her
what my options were.
“Well, it says at the top of this sheet you want
to be a sportscaster,” she replied. “I know The
Sword & Shield newspaper needs some sports-
writers, would you be interested in journalism?”
Newspapers? Writing? If sports hadn’t been
included, I’d probably have rolled my eyes. I
thought back to Finebaum -- my idol at the
time, and yes, he still ranks up there like it or
not -- and remembered how he began--colum-
nist turned radio host.
I told her I wasn’t sure about it, but she
marked it, and three months later I was scram-
bling to sell ads to begin in good standing on
the staff.
If not for that counselor, I wouldn’t have kept
all of the Mountain Brook parents up to date on
Twitter. If not for that counselor, I wouldn’t have
had the opportunity to interview Amari Cooper
at SEC football media days, to interview a 2nd-
round pick in the MLB draft, Jacob Lindgren, at
the SEC baseball tournament, to interview NBA
stars from Dwyane Wade to Aaron Gordon, and
so on.
Over these last three years, I’ve witnessed
some of Mountain Brook athletics’ greatest
accomplishments.
I covered the first basketball state champi-
onships and Coach Bucky McMillan and staff
which have helped open remarkable avenues. I’ll
be forever indebted to those teams -- be it play-
ers, coaches and fans -- and the passion-filled
accomplishment.
I also covered the volleyball team’s first state
championship, another fantastic reward for
being the Sports Editor at such a high caliber
school.
Baseball has been successful during my time
on staff as well as wrestling, golf, tennis and of
course, the cross country and track teams that
place highly each and every year.
Without the overall support and editing
of Catherine Lowe, Peter Perez and Megan
Hastings over the past three years, none of this
would be possible. Without the motivation and
the drive instilled by my parents, none of this
would be possible. And without the support
from my peers, the community and all of my
teachers, none of this would be possible.
If not for that counselor and The Sword &
Shield paper, I wouldn’t have been able to an-
swer Yeager when he asked in our final inter-
view this season what my goals were. This time,
convincingly, I told him: I want to write sports
for the rest of my life.
12Sports
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
Sports Commentary: a farewell to where it all began
Photo courtesy of Paul Ward
Senior sports editor Alec Lewis talks with another media representative during one of the
final basketball games.

13. 13Reviews
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
Second half of “Mad Men” season 7 bringing new
drama
By JONATHAN MCWANE
Staff Writer
As usual, the final seven ep-
isodes of “Mad Men” is highly
anticipated.
After seemingly losing viewers’
interest with a rather mundane
last few seasons, the creator of the
show, Matthew Weiner, split the fi-
nal season of his Emmy award-win-
ning show into two seven episode
halves. Naturally, Weiner ended up
leaving the faithful viewers with a
cliffhanger, setting up what is sure
to be an amusing finale.
The first seven episodes were
pretty much what everyone ex-
pected. Viewers were aware that
this season would be the last. That
being said, Matthew Weiner and
the show’s other producers did an
excellent job catering to the wants
of the show’s audience while also
establishing proper rising action to
compliment what all of the viewers
expect to be an intense final few
episodes.
Weiner and his co-writers had
to make a major scenery change to
spice up the plot in season seven:
the majority of scenes are set in Los
Angeles rather than New York City,
where the first few seasons had
been set.
For those who
aren’t consistent
viewers of the show,
it’s hard to see how a
program with such
a relatively simple
premise could have
so many layers.
Set in the 1960s,
the show stars Jon
Hamm as Don
Draper, the creative
director of an up-
per-class New York
City advertising
agency. The plot of
the show itself fo-
cuses on the various
businesses of the
agency, and that’s
really all that can be
said without getting
into the specifics.
With that in mind, potential
viewers should not forget that once
you do get into the show’s specifics
it’s very hard to get out.
The series has been praised for
taking the plots introduced in the
first episode and simply expand-
ing and expanding. However, this
technique became boring in the
fourth and fifth seasons. The show’s
writers - Matthew Weiner, Maria
Jacquemetton and Semi Chellas -
realized this and rebounded with a
stellar and exciting season six.
The first few episodes of the
second half of the program’s final
season have so far risen to its audi-
ence’s expectations to tie up all old
loose ends while also keeping the
show exciting with new plot devel-
opment.
Personally, I believe that the
writers have done an excellent job
of not introducing so much new
development that the audience
feels hurried and confused, yet are
not focusing on simply resolving
outdated conflicts and not keeping
the show exciting. It’s a very deli-
cate balance, but Matthew Weiner
and his co-creators do a very good
job of this.
Photo courtesy of slate.com
“Mad Men” season 7 came with a lot of new scenic and plot changes to change the pace for bored viewers.

14. 14Reviews
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
“Insurgent” a lesser movie than “Divergent”
By CAROLINE LOWE
Staff Writer
Most of us are familiar with the popular book
series “Divergent” by Veronica Roth. Well the
film version of the second book in the series,
“Insurgent,” came out March 20, 2015, picking
up where “Divergent” ended. The first movie
ended with Tris, Tobias, Peter, Caleb and Mar-
cus riding in the Dauntless train car trying to
escape from all the chaos in Abnegation head-
quarters.
How does the “Insurgent” movie stack up to
the book version and the previous “Divergent”
movie? In my opinion the book itself and “Di-
vergent” were both much better than the film
version of “Insurgent.”
“Insurgent" begins with Tris (Shailene Wood-
ley), Tobias/Four (Theo James), Peter (Miles
Teller) and Caleb (Ansel Elgort) running into
the Amity headquarters. Tris then wakes up
revealing this opening scence as her nightmare.
The majority of the film is a series of movie
action scenes, along with the romance between
Tris and Four.
One problem for me was that the movie left
out Zeke, a character important to the book. In
chapter 19 of “Insurgent,” Zeke, Uriah’s old-
er brother, goes on the mission to get inside
Erudite headquarters. Also, I noticed that the
movie left out Lynn, a minor character who is
best friends with Uriah (Keiynan Lonsdale) and
Marlene (Suki Waterhouse). She is also close
friends and allies with Tris and Tobias and is
very involved with the gang in action scenes.
I do like how the bully of the books, Peter, is
fleshed out more in “Insurgent.” There are some
scenes with Peter that are somewhat humorous
where you would least expect it.
Some of my favorite parts of the movie have
to be the scenes with Peter and Tris at the Er-
udite headquaters. Peter gets angry at Tris for
being herself and says one snarky comment to
her during the simulations. The comments that
Peter makes are sort of funny. He just seems to
be sarcastic every time he opens his mouth.
Also, “Insurgent” includes some exciting
scenes where the antagonists Eric (Jai Courtney)
and Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet) try to
control the factions and capture or kill some of
the Divergent.
Even though some of the characters are
somewhat developed in the movie, the book
version is better than the film. First, the book is
not just all action. The film overdoes the action
scenes. Also, in different parts of the book a few
tear jerking moments get to me. And the most
important reason that the book is much better
than the movie is because of the characters and
the bonds they form.
Not only does “Insurgent” the film fall short,
it also does not improve upon its predecessor,
the movie “Divergent.” “Divergent” is just a
better movie. One scene in the “Divergent” film
really stands out: the game of capture the flag.
This scene was action packed, but also looked
like they were having so much fun. The film
captures the danger of the scene on the Ferris
wheel. Yet the action in “Divergent” is not the
primary focus of the film. Characters such as
Tris, Tobias and others in the Dauntless faction
really come alive in “Divergent” the movie. They
do so much more than just run around trying to
escape danger.
“Insurgent” does manage to retain some key
quotes from the book. For example, when Tobi-
as says, “You die, I die too,” I felt like clapping.
“Insurgent” also does include a few romantic
scenes between Tris and Tobias to break up the
action scenes.
The end of the movie twisted the ending of
the book, leaving the movie dangling in order
to lead into the next movie, “Allegiant.” I won’t
spoil the twist, but I can’t see how the directors
will stretch the last novel into two separate films.
Rating: 3.5/5
Photo by Caroline Lowe
“Insurgent” by Veronica Roth made a better book than
movie.

15. 15Opinions
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Sword & Shield
By CLAIRE DAVIS
Co-Editor-in-Chief
You are standing on the foot-
ball field watching the action
around you. Everywhere white
pop-up tents are selling every sort
of unhealthy food imaginable and
chances to win a raffle prize big
enough to tempt everyone who
walks past. You and your friends
have spent hours planning what
your tent will sell and how to get it
on the field before the event starts.
Everything is exciting and hope-
ful and fun – until you turn just
as a face full of silly string meets
you head on. You glare at the kids
responsible, who just run off and
leave you to clean up the mess.
Relay for Life is one of the best
events Mountain Brook hosts. It’s
a chance to give back to our com-
munity, a chance to honor those
who have struggled with cancer
and won, a chance to mourn the
less fortunate and a chance to hang
out and have fun as a school. It
can’t exist without the community’s
involvement and support.
That being said, do you know
how hard it is to have fun when
you’re constantly trying to stop
rowdy kids from smashing glass
bottles on the side of trashcans? Or
cleaning up the whipped cream and
silly string for the third time be-
cause someone’s aim isn’t the best?
I’ll save you the effort of thinking
it over and tell
you that it’s
irritating and
unnecessary to
have to police
these children.
But this isn’t
necessarily
the kids’ fault,
though I would
be concerned
if all these chil-
dren thought
smashing
anything was a
good idea. In many case, the prob-
lem is the parents.
I understand. Relay is something
like a carnival, and kids like to run
around and have a good time wear-
ing themselves out while their par-
ents chat and watch their children
play. The key word here, however,
is watch. Parents do not and should
not leave their child unattended for
the night and swing back around
at midnight to pick them up. Kids
like to get into mischief, no matter
how old they are, and supervision
at these events shouldn’t be left to
the teenagers and teachers working
booths. We can’t discipline your
children. Often our efforts to stop
them are useless. You, as parents,
are the only ones who can control
them.
Even leaving one parent in
charge of a group of kids is trouble
waiting to happen, unless that par-
ent can exercise control over all of
them at the same time (and I think
we would all like to know that
secret). Foisting everyone’s children
on one outnumbered adult rapidly
leads to chaos.
And what’s more, this isn’t any
regular carnival where rambunc-
tious play is to be expected. Relay
for Life is an event to raise money
and awareness for a cause. When
your child makes a mess run-
ning around the field, he is taking
attention away from the focus of
the event. The whole point is to
remember, honor and celebrate
cancer victims, not what crazy
thing a sixth grader did last year.
By letting your children run loose
on the field and failing to keep an
eye on them, you are making our
job of hosting the event and keep-
ing the focus of Relay harder than
it needs to be.
This year, though, a solution
could be at hand. For a small price
of $3, your child can have access to
a Kid Zone where they can run and
play to their hearts’ content. Per-
haps this is the solution we have all
been searching for.
So parents, I urge you, pay the
extra three dollars for your child
to run themselves to sleep on the
bouncy castles and obstacle cours-
es. The student body would thank
you immensely.
Relay for Life: not your babysitter
By COKE MATTHEWS
Opinions Editor
If Avery Johnson is going to succeed as the
Crimson Tide’s new head basketball coach, he
will first have to figure out how to make bas-
ketball even matter in the football-crazy world
of the University of Alabama. The star power
of Tide head football Coach Nick Saban and
the football team’s annual run for the nation-
al championship has cast a long shadow over
basketball in Tuscaloosa. Johnson faces a formi-
dable task, but he might just be a perfect fit for
the job.
Johnson was a successful player in the NBA,
playing point guard for 15 years despite his rel-
atively short stature of 5’11”. As a player, he was
known for his high basketball IQ and his leader-
ship on and off the court.
He is one of the few players in NBA history
to go straight from his playing career to being a
head coach, and his early success of leading the
Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals earned him
Coach of the Year honors.
Johnson is talented, highly energetic and,
most importantly, he has succeeded at the high-
est levels in his profession as both a player and
a coach. Johnson’s media experience as a head
coach and later as a TV analyst should help him
deal with the public scrutiny of his program.
This success hopefully provides the type of con-
fidence that will create momentum in Tuscaloo-
sa despite the spotlight on Coach Saban and the
football program.
Another advantage that Coach Johnson
should enjoy is in recruiting. Though Alabama
first sought coaches with college experience,
all were relative unknowns and would likely
have faced difficulties in convincing young high
school players to come to Tuscaloosa.
Johnson’s own star power will give him an
immediate edge with many young players and
their parents. For a young high school player
deciding where to attend college, Johnson’s own
success should attract players who hope to make
it to the next level in their career.
Building the Alabama basketball program to
compete for SEC and national championships
will not be easy. Johnson’s name might help him
start, but he will have to learn to relate to today’s
college players who weren’t even born when he
was a NBA star.
Calling plays will be the easy part. Getting
good players to come to Tuscaloosa and keep-
ing them motivated will be tougher. Hopeful-
ly, Coach Johnson will build an alliance with
Coach Saban to take advantage of Saban’s influ-
ence. The NCAA rules on recruiting are intense,
but if he hires a skilled, experienced staff he will
be fine. Coach Saban could help there as well.
Even though his personality is energetic and
enthusiastic, Coach Johnson probably will need
to learn patience as well as he turns the Tide’s
basketball ship around.
Avery Johnson - giving college basketball a shot
“Parents do not and
should not leave their
child unattended for the
night and swing back
around at midnight to
pick them up.”

16. The Sword & Shield
16Opinions
Friday, May 1, 2015
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION: The Mountain Brook School system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or age in any
of its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries re-
garding nondiscrimination policies: Dr. Dale Wisely—Director of Student Services (Title VI), (wiselyd@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Mrs. Sylvia Harper—Personnel Director (Title IX),
(harpers@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Dr. Missy Brooks—Director of Instruction (Title II), (wildman-brooksm@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Mrs. Shannon Mundy—Special Education Director
(Section 504), (mundyl@mtnbrook.k12.al.us). Contact Information: 32 Vine Street, Mountain Brook, AL 35213, 205-871-4608.
By BROOKE TUCKER
Staff Writer
Drafting a date, searching for
that perfect dress – one that no one
else has of course (God forbid you
ever match with someone), choos-
ing your favorite from a cliché
list of different hairstyles, picking
a place to eat (although, let’s be
honest, you probably won’t be eat-
ing much anyways as the thought
of spilling something on yourself
lurks in the back of your mind the
whole time) and last, but definite-
ly not least: the after party. Better
refresh yourself with all of those
ballroom dancing techniques you
learned way back when because it’s
that time of year again. That’s right-
prom.
As most of you know, prom
has caused a lot of disagreements
this year, mainly because of the
late May 16 date. Mostly seniors
attend prom, and for those who
are exempt from their exams, their
summer begins with the date of
prom. For those seniors who fell
short from exempting, the weekend
of prom is the weekend before final
exams. Students petitioned and
tried to do all they could to change
it, but sadly the date remains.
The confusion of why prom was
so late has lead people to rethink
the importance of prom in the first
place. Is it even worth it? Being a
senior, I would have to say that for
me it isn’t. Most seniors at Moun-
tain Brook go to their first prom
senior year. Many of us have waited
three years to have our first high
school prom experience, and hon-
estly, it’s overrated.
In my opinion, all formal high
school dances are over-hyped. The
makeup, the hair, the dress, the
nails, the plans for before and after
– all of it. When so much stress
and worry goes into the planning
of prom, it sometimes turns into
a disappointing night that doesn’t
meet your expectations.
With that said, prom can be
very different for many different
people. When so much effort is
put into only one night, I begin to
think that the whole event might
be a little ridiculous. But you never
know; your prom experience could
potentially be one of the best nights
of your high school career that you
will look back on later in life and
remember. Surrounding yourself
with friends you will never forget
and making new memories is what
this night should be all about, not
all of the stress and worry that goes
into it.
Prom: more stressful than it’s worth?
By LEIGH LEWIS
Staff Writer
Smart watches have started gaining popu-
larity, thanks to Apple’s new product: the Apple
Watch. Although many people do not like or
plan to buy the Apple Watch, I believe the watch
will improve the way people live.
Many people say that the watch is a dumb
idea as a whole because of its similarity to the
Iphone, but I would love to point out that tons
of people thought this about the Ipod as well,
yet it turned out to revolutionize the digital
music industry.
Some consumers can see that the Apple
Watch might be revolutionary. From being able
to pay from your watch, open hotel rooms and
board planes to being able to text, call and track
fitness, the watch will be a whole new way to
navigate through the day.
A huge issue with the watch is the outrageous
prices. I will admit, the pricetags are ridiculous.
The most expensive Apple Watch is an 18 karat
gold $17,000 watch. But, if you are willing to
settle for the cheapest watch ($349), it isn’t too
pricey. Even if $349 sounds expensive, I am
quite sure we can find some more expensive
brand watches worn by students that do much
less than the Apple Watch.
Another con of the exciting new Apple
Watch is its possibility of being too complex.
However, as many reviews of the Apple Watch
have stated, although it may take a few very
long, hard, and tiring days trying to figure out
how to work the watch, once you figure it out
you will appreciate it.
Also, the Apple Watch has a lag when trying
to see the time. Because it detects the motion of
your wrist to show its clock, it sometimes takes
heavy effort to make the watch turn on. This is a
big problem, considering the watch was made to
be a timepiece.
Many people believe that the watch is just
another smartphone on your wrist, but this is
incredibly inaccurate. Unlike the Iphone, the
Apple watch has the ability to open doors to
hotel rooms with just a tap of the watch to the
door. Also, the watch is able to act as a boarding
pass for planes; no more printing boarding pass-
es when they are on your watch. With a whole
new software design along with a new range of
functions, it becomes its own device with its
own purpose.
One of Apple’s goals with the watch is to de-
crease the amount of time people spend staring
at a phone screen. With the device, notifications
are quick, and there is no full keyboard to type
out full messages. Instead of spending minutes,
or even hours, looking at a phone, people will
spend merely seconds looking at their watch.
The watch allows you to stay in touch without
becoming obsessed. Farhad Manjoo of the New
York Times has been testing out his new Ap-
ple watch: “The Apple Watch could usher in a
transformation of social norms just as profound
as those we saw with its brother, the smart-
phone — except, amazingly, in reverse.” With
Apple’s desire for notifications on the watch to
be extremely quick, people will become more
social and learn to stop texting and start truly
communicating.
So, although the watch may still have a few
kinks to be worked out, in the near future, I
believe the watch will be a necessity, and it will
change the way people communicate for ever.
Why you should buy the new Apple Watch
Photo courtesy of arstechnia.net
Apple’s newest product, the iWatch, has stirred up dissen-
sion between Apple enthusiasts and skeptics alike.