The Sword and Shield

361 Pisgah Church Road Columbia, South Carolina 29203 January 2011

Homecoming 2010

Hayes and Telford crowned By Debra McWhite, News Writer

Volleyball: The Lady Raiders finish strong

The Raiders volleyball team had their 1st

tournament loss in the 4th round of the play-

offs. The team had an excellent season with

two players being personally recognized on

The State newspaper’s website. Senior Re-

bekah Davis was awarded the Player of the

Week award from WLTX. Senior Q’Jannis

Wilson made the 2A All Star Volleyball

Team. The team was full of talent with lead-

ers in all positions of the team. Early on in

the season when the players were asked

What they were expecting out of this season,

all of the answers were consistent—a state

championship. Although they did not reach

their goal, they did a great job. The Raiders

should all look forward to a great season

next year with the Junior class stepping up to

the lead team. Juniors Janise Jackson, Na-

talia Gathers and Jacolby Brown will be key

contributors to the team.

The Keenan Spirit Week; October 12-15 was hectic. During that week all of the Homecoming nominees were campaigning by making posters and passing out candy asking students to vote for them. The Home-coming Queen candidates were Seniors Kel-sey Hayes, Mya Praileau, Sharolyn Rush and Raven Shealy. The Homecoming King candidates were Seniors Sammie Garrett, Javante Jackson, Cameron Latimer and Timothy Telford. The 2010 Keenan Homecoming King and Queen results were announced at the game: Homecoming King Runner-up Javante Jackson 2010 Homecoming King Timothy Telford Homecoming Queen Runner–up Mya Praileau 2010 Homecoming Queen Kelsey Hayes ―I was very excited and my date

looked very beautiful,‖ Telford said of being crowned Homecoming King. Hayes shared in Telford’s excite-ment. ―[I was] excited and I started danc-ing; [I] wanted to cry, but I didn’t want to mess up my make–up,‖ Hayes said of her wining the title of Homecoming Queen.

Story by Matrick Belton, Sports Writer Photo by Mr. J.G. “Jaz” Outen, Special to the Sword and Shield

The Sword and Shield T h e V o i c e o f W . J . K e e n a n H i g h S c h o o l

Right: Seniors Kelsey Hayes (left) and Timo-thy Telford (right) were crowned Homecoming

Queen and King. Below: Hayes and Telford enjoy their moment in the spotlight with oth-ers including their escorts, former Homecom-

ing Queen Taylor Pringle, former Homecom-ing King James Jackson and Mr. Alvin

Pressley, Principal. Photos courtesy Life-touch

See Page 8 for more Sports and Homecoming coverage!

Columbia SC, October 7, 2010 – The

Robo-Raiders, W.J. Keenan High School’s

robotics team, have decided to develop a

Hovercraft engineering competition. In their

Lemelson-MIT proposal, they outlined plans

to create a Drag Racing Hovercraft race at

the high school. This proposal made the final

round of judging in Massachu-

setts….Students learned that they did not

win the national final round and Lemelson-

MIT will not fund their proposal. However,

convinced of the viability and pure fun of

their idea, and with dogged determination,

the team is beginning the process of reach-

ing out to the community and seeking other

funding sources. In the past, Robo-Raider

students have dedicated their lives to serving

the community, and they hope their state and

national awards will inspire others to help

them keep going.

Hovercrafts are vehicles that float on

a cushion of air, much like an air hockey

puck. Students hope this competition will

inspire others to attend Keenan and enroll in

its pre-engineering program, Project REAL

(Raider Engineering and Academic Leader-

ship).

The problem the Robo-Raiders are

trying to solve is how to create a fun family

event that will inspire middle school students

to enroll in Keenan’s pre-engineering pro-

gram. The approach is to perform outreach

to middle school students in the form of a

drag racing competition. By utilizing CO2

(carbon dioxide) drag race cars with the mid-

dle school students, the activity will plant the

seed for a bigger and more exciting event

that will take place at the high school. The

middle school students will be invited to wit-

ness a Hovercraft drag racing competition

featuring the Freshman, modeled after the

CO2 cars. However, in this race the students

will be riding their vehicles. This will hopefully

inspire the middle school students to attend

Keenan.

The CO2 cars that will be used at the

middle school are guided using a monofila-

ment fishing line. Running on this line as-

sures that the car will not go off course. Us-

ing the same approach, guide ropes will con-

trol the drag racing Hovercrafts and prevent

them from possible accidents. The Robotics

Team has successfully built indoor Hover-

crafts. See the team’s current work and pro-

gress on this project on the website from the

Keenan website

(http://keenan.richlandone.org) under quick

links or at

http://xrl.us/keenaninventteam.

In addition to inspiring students to

attend their high school and enroll in pre-

engineering, the Robo-Raiders believe that

this new competition will be used as a step-

ping stone for other engineering competi-

tions, such as FIRST Robotics

(www.usfirst.org) or the Discover Hover com-

petition (www.discoverhover.org).

The Robo-Raiders are in the process

of obtaining funding for this project. A dona-

tion of $1000 dollars by Schneider-Electric of

Columbia, SC, has allowed the team to start

the project. They are looking to raise an ad-

ditional $5500. If you are interested in do-

nating to this project, checks can made out

to The Keenan Foundation. In the memo

line, please write ―Robo-Raider InvenTEAM.‖

The address is W.J. Keenan High School,

361 Pisgah Church Rd., Columbia, SC,

29203.

Hovering to help the community By Dr. Martin Cwiakala, Special to the Sword and Shield

Dr. Cwiakala is one of Keenan’s Engineering

teachers

This page sponsored by Ministries of Hair

On Saturday, December 4, 2010, the Robo-Raiders hosted The Columbia FIRST Lego League competition at Keenan. One hundred twenty-two students from s16 middle school teams and alternative/home-school and online school associations competed in 4 events. Parents, supporters, visitors, observ-ers and teachers enjoyed the occasion as they filled the Commons Area. Ten of the teams qualified and will advance to the state level. They will be attending the FIRST Lego League South Carolina State Tournament, which will be held in North Charleston on March 5, 2011. Teams competed in 4 areas consisting of Research Presentation, Design Presentation, Robot Performance and Team Work. They learned valuable technology and scientific lessons from the event as well as Gracious

Robo-Raiders host Lego League competition By Dr. Martin Cwiakala, Special to the Sword and Shield

Professionalism, a few great dance moves and the value of high expectations. The following Keenan Family Members made Saturday’s event a success: Mr. [Kareem] Beckett Mrs. [Kirstin] Bullington Mrs. [Ramona] Saracila Mrs. [Cynthia] Simpson-Obioha Ms. [Emily] Maness—equipment loan Mr. [Brandon] Hopkins—equipment loan Officer [Clarence] Black The Keenan Custodial Staff The Robo-Raiders Ms. Paula Hollis and the parents support[ed the event].

Within the district, technical support was pro-vided by Mr. John Arnold. Outside volunteers included [Mr.] Tim Irwin [Mrs.] Peggy Cwiakala [Ms.] Luanne N. Kea [Mr.] B.T. Martin [Mr.] Wayne Corbett [Mr.] Chris Corbett [Ms.] Tonya LeBrun and her sons An article about this event can be found in... The State newspaper and an interview for WLTX was presented.... http://www.thestate.com/2010/12/04/1590039/legos-competitors-square-off-this.html

Keenan stages first Raider Family Fun Day By Natalia Gathers, Business Editor

The recent Raider Family Fun Day included a

variety of events and displays.

“Brothers in Song”

Director: Charles Brown

These were ten young males from different

Colleges and Universities. They came from

Benedict College, Allen University, South

Carolina State University and the University of

South Carolina. They performed two songs

under the direction of Brown.

“Shepherd Center Line Dancers”

Director: Flora Dixon

The women who performed this afternoon

were 55 and older. Any women can join as

long as they are 55 and older. They performed

to the Mississippi Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.

They did an excellent job showing young peo-

ple who came out that no matter how old one

gets one can still be healthy and stay in

shape.

Ms. Brooke A. Kalbaugh

Employer: DHEC

Kalbaugh brought healthy cook books to pro-

mote healthy eating. She also brought bean

dip for everyone to taste.

Game, Contest and Drawing Winners:

Dodge Ball: Turquoise Williams, Class of 2013

Kickball: Malcolm Gibson, Class of 2012

Drew Wellness Center (1 month free family

membership): Mr. Logan Etheridge and family

Questions and Answers: Mya Praileau, Class

of 2011

Thanks Go To:

Mr. Alvin Pressley, Ms. Courtney Simmons,

Ms. Donna Mack, Mrs. Monica Belton, Ms.

Ernestine Austin, Ms. Rosa Lewis, Coach

Reggie McClain, Mr. Christian Earl, Mr. Willie

Capehart

Keenan students take first place in

Richland One photography contest

Congratulations to Sophomores Keanna Jones [and] Brandi Muller, who took first place in the Visual Literacy Festival Group Pho-tography Contest. They both received a certificate and ribbon...at the awards ceremony. All entries [were] displayed in Richland Mall for two weeks near the food court.

Keenan family helps

raise awareness of

breast cancer

Congratulations, Raiders!

Raiders rap on

recycling Future artists

awarded for editorial

cartooning

Way to represent:

Wallace shows

what she knows

The SC State Fair came this year from October 13 through October 24. It featured concerts from Miranda Lambert, Boys 2 Men, Darius

Rucker and others. There was also featured entertainment from Double Dutch Forces; Bandaloni, The One Man Band; K9’s in Flight and oth-

ers. There were no new rides this year.

By Ms. Brenda L. Boyd, Special to the Sword and Shield

Sophomores Keanna Jones (left) and Brandi Muller (right) were re-cently honored for their photography work. Photo by Assatta Herbert, News Writer.

Ms. Boyd is Keenan’s Information Technology Specialist

In October members of the Keenan family, some of whom are pictured above, banded together to participate in Columbia’s annual Breast Cancer Walk, not only raising awareness of the disease but also tak-ing monetary contributions to help in the fight against breast cancer. Photo by Mrs. Peggy Cwiakala, Special to the Sword and Shield.

By Ms. Brenda L. Boyd, Special to the Sword and Shield

Recently several Radiant Raiders have been recognized for a wide variety of achievements.

Social Studies Teacher Dr. Rhia Hamilton's students took 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the individual and group categories for hand-drawn editorial cartoons.

Junior Courtney Wallace represented Keenan [in] the first Show What You Know competition. Each team had to design a crest and then explain how they came up with their design.

Sophomores Jermale Matthews and Shawn

Washington won the Talent Show at the

Richland County Recycles Celebration on

November 13. [Washington] and [Matthews]

presented an original rap mixed with original

poetry to claim the top prize of $100.00.

Ms. Boyd is Keenan’s Information Technology Specialist

State Fair was a crowd pleaser By Jamecia Gadsden, Features Writer

Keira Robinson, Ashley Goodwin, Staycee Broomfield and Patrice Stroman American Slavery Keanna Jones, Brandi Muller, Alexandria Hamilton and Alaetra Corley The Economy: Good For Who???

Visual Literacy

Festival winners

announced

Jasmine Lee and Keona Taylor No Penny Tax, No Bus Ride Kendall Smalls & Matthew Cook Items of the Trade Tyler Edmond The BP Clean Up

Published 4 times a year, The Sword and Shield, the student newspaper of W.J. Keenan High School, seeks to inform, educate, and entertain readers; to provide an educational

opportunity for the students who produce it and to provide a medium for commercial advertising. The Sword and Shield is committed to accurate and factual reporting on significant

aspects of school and student life and local, national and international issues as they relate to Keenan High School students, faculty and staff or teens in general. The staff, adviser

and Editorial Board govern all decisions regarding the content of the newspaper.

The “Raider Opinions” section is designed as a forum for the staff members of The Sword and Shield and the Keenan High School community. Bylined commentaries comprise the

views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board.

The Sword and Shield is distributed to students, faculty and staff free of charge. Subscriptions are available for $5.00 per annum; issues will be mailed 4 times per year.

Advertising rates are available upon request. The staff reserves the right to reject ads that are deemed inappropriate for its audience.

The goal of the newspaper is to have no errors; however, that goal is not easily accomplished. The staff will make every effort to correct errors and will run corrections as soon as

possible.

It is the policy of The Sword and Shield not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, nationality, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or disability.

Raider Opinions

Two friends graduated high school the same year. Four-and-a-half years later, one earns $11,000 a year while the other earns $40,000 a year. Why the disparity when they graduated the same year, are the same age, and both were good students while in high school? Good question! The disparity lies in the choice that each made upon high school graduation. On October 6, 2010, Richland County School District One held its an-nual college and career fair at the Carolina Coliseum. Juniors and Seniors from the District's seven high schools were bused to the Coli-seum to participate in this event in hopes that it would ignite their in-terest in considering what they will do with themselves after high school graduation. Representatives from four- and two-year colleges and universities, the armed forces, specialty schools [and] City Year were on hand to talk with students [to] provide information on their particular schools or organizations and what they have to offer. I saw many students huddled around tables engaged in meaningful conversation with postsecondary representatives. They were asking questions, filling out contact cards and picking up materials from ta-bles. On the other hand, I also saw students huddled in groups with their friends engaged in conversations that were totally unrelated to the numerous opportunities that were literally within their reach.

Hypothetically speaking, which of these two groups is more likely to end up earning $11,000 vs. $40,000 within four-and-a-half years of graduating from high school? According to a report titled "The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings," high school gradu-ates earn approximately $1.2 million while those with college degrees earn $2.1 million. People who earn master's degrees earn $2.5 mil-lion. This report also points out the fact that persons who earn doc-toral degrees stand to earn approximately $3.4 million during their working life. Finally, those who earn professional degrees (i.e. doc-tors, lawyers, etc.) on average earn roughly $4.4 million during their working life. In other words, the more education you have, the more money you are likely to make during your lifetime! It all begins at events such as the recently held District college fair. Students, it is crucial that you understand that there is a world beyond your home, community and W. J. Keenan. That world is filled with successful people who were once high school students. They took the time to take advantage of the opportunities placed before them. Someone once said, "Even when opportunity knocks, you still must get up to open the door." Knock, Knock, Raiders! Open the door! If others have done it, so can you!

The big payoff: Planning for college By Mrs. Cynthia Simpson-Obioha, Special to the Sword and Shield

Editors-in-Chief Tyler Edmond Tavonta Hilton

News Editors

Sentel Snipes Moriah West

Features Editors Monica Robinson Nathalie Stewart

Sports Editors

Quinton Johnson DeAna Smalls

Graphics and Design Editors

Shantrell Mitchell Nicholas Swinton

Business Editors

Natalia Gathers Christus Jamison

Reporters and Photographers Jadeesha Al-Amin

Matrick Belton Shayna Dantzler

Jamecia Gadsden Assatta Herbert Janise Jackson

Cynthia Johnson Keanna Jones Brandon Joyner Terrance Kelly

Kalifa Lewis Debra McWhite Brandi Muller

Gabriella Ramos Latesha Simpson Tammaka Staley Courtney Wallace Josheria Wilson

The Sword and Shield—2010-2011

Editorial Board Tyler Edmond

Natalia Gathers Tavonta Hilton

Christus Jamison Quinton Johnson

Keanna Jones Shantrell Mitchell Monica Robinson

DeAna Smalls Sentel Snipes

Tammaka Staley Nathalie Stewart Nicholas Swinton

Moriah West

Mrs. Simpson-Obioha is Keenan’s Director of Guidance See Page 7 for a related story

How prepared are you

for the SAT or ACT? By Moriah West, News Editor

The college admissions process can be very grueling and

even confusing at times. An important factor to consider when apply-

ing to college is the SAT or ACT.

“The SAT/ACT are standardized tests used by colleges to

[gauge] how prepared a student is for college,” Mrs. Cynthia Simpson-

Obioha, Director of Guidance, said.

Oftentimes students can be under a lot of pressure when tak-

ing the SAT or ACT. They feel the need to perform exceptionally well

on both tests. What is considered a good score on the SAT or ACT?

“A good SAT/ACT score depends on the school students are

interested in attending. Some schools will take either SAT or ACT

scores instead of both. For example, if a student is better in science,

it might be wise for that student to take the ACT rather than the SAT,”

Obioha said.

Senior Tierra Youmous took the ACT in April of this year.

“The ACT lasted about 2 hours. Only about half the informa-

tion in the test covered standards taught in school. I think I did well on

the test; I scored 20 out of 36,” Youmous said.

When taking the SAT or ACT be sure to get plenty of rest, eat

a healthy breakfast, and wear comfortable clothing. Most importantly

remember to do your personal best.

Preparation equals success

Scoring high means

putting in the time By Ms. Jessica Robison, Special to the Sword and Shield

I wonder how many students enjoy sitting down to take nice,

long standardized tests. Not many, I’d bet. Enjoyment aside, the truth

is that standardized testing can be important to students’ futures.

Several years ago I had a student I’ll call “Mike” for anonym-

ity’s sake. Mike was a paragon among students: He had high

grades, an athletic record and student government involvement! All of

his teachers thought getting into college would be a breeze for Mike,

except that he had one weakness. As smart as Mike was, he was not

a good test taker because his intelligence did not translate well into a

multiple choice format. If Mike were Superman, the SAT would be his

Kryptonite. Unfortunately for Mike, colleges prosaically rely on SAT

or ACT scores for admittance.

To make a long story short, Mike did not get into the college

of his choice due to low SAT scores. I’ll admit it—I was surprised.

However, I have had many similar surprises since then when smart

students are not accepted to their colleges of choice due to standard-

ized testing scores.

As the SAT and ACT ELA Test Preparation teacher here at

Keenan, I have a few pieces of advice for those of you who do not

want to end up in Mike’s predicament.

Ms. Robison’s Top Six Tips for Prodigious SAT and ACT

Preparation:

Take responsibility for your own success. Do not rely solely on

teachers and parents to prepare you, although they will do

their best. Gather your materials, and do your research! De-

velop a prudent study plan! Use the TCA resources avail-

able to you!

Read. A plethora of studies link the simple act of reading to

higher test scores, so I’ll say it again: READ!

Retake the test if necessary. Colleges usually only consider your

highest SAT or ACT score, so if you’re not happy with your

first score, take it again!

Practice writing under pressure. The ACT will give students 30

minutes to write a full essay, while the SAT provides only 25

minutes. Allot five minutes for brainstorming, and make sure

to leave time to revise at the end!

Work on vocabulary skills. New vocabulary will come from all of

the reading you are doing, but be intentional about learning

other words, too. The average human brain can learn be-

tween 4 to 7 new words a day, and the perspicacious stu-

dent will!

Don’t forget about math and science! Math appears on both of

these tests. There is a science section on the ACT, although

the SAT does not test on science. Check with Dr. [Martin

Cwiakala] or another math or science teacher for more infor-

mation about the SAT and ACT in these subject areas

Be zealous in your studies, but know that you can only do your best.

As sad as Mike was to settle for his second-choice college, he was

resilient, and things have turned out well for him. He has had a won-

derful and enriching experience in college, and has moved past his

low test score. I know if he were here though, he would tell you to go

make a study plan! Pick up a book! Work on your vocabulary! I’ll

leave you to it.

SAT vocabulary words have been put in bold. Here are their defi-

nitions:

Ms. Robison is a member of Keenan’s English Department

Paragon—model, shining example

Prosaically—ordinarily, routinely

Prodigious—exceptional, remarkable, impressive

Prudent—sensible, cautious, wise

Plethora—excess, surplus, overabundance

Perspicacious—insightful, astute

Zealous—enthusiastic, extreme, passionate

Resilient—tough, hardy, strong

The Unity Princesses are lead by Mrs. Evelyn Cunningham

and Mrs. Alexandria Williams. The co-sponsors for the

Young Kings Club are Mr. Brandon Hopkins and Mrs. Char-

ity Ntiasagwe.

The thing the Unity Princesses have done so far for

Keenan was to show their appreciation to the Junior Varsity

and Varsity Football team and the Tennis team. On Octo-

ber 4, 2010, the Princesses passed out cake and punch to

the athletes.

The Young Kings Club had their induction ceremony

November 9, 2010. Their speakers were Mr. Alvin

Pressley, Principal and Mr. James E. Woodward, Jr.,

Sophomore Dylan Woodward’s grandfather.

Members of the Unity Princesses include Fresh-

men Kia Adams and Gabrielle Brown; Junior Jacolby

Brown; Sophomores Sarah James Cantey, Lakia Carter

and Alaetra Corley; Freshman Diamond Covington; Sopho-

more Mercedes Galloway; Freshman Brianna Hall; Junior

Kayana Hendricks; Sophomore Jazmin Hillary; Juniors Jas-

mine Hope and Christus Jamison; Sophomores Chelsea

Johnson and Khadijah Johnson; Freshman KeAundra

Jones; Sophomore Jasmine Lee; Freshman Khadijah Le-

sane; Junior Constance McCoy; Sophomore Debra

McWhite; Junior Lexce Mills; Freshmen Dominique Morris

and TaMia Morris, Sophomore Amya Mountain; Freshman

Taylor Neal; Junior Sierra Patrick-Williams; Freshman Ra-

ven Pearson; Sophomore Kendra Robinson; Junior De’

Asia Rudder; Senior India Scott; Freshman Gabrielle Simp-

son; Senior Alexis Smith; Freshman Kya Smith, Sopho-

more LaPortia Smith; Junior Sentel Snipes; Sophomore

Keona Taylor; Senior Janay Telford; Freshman Desia

Truesdale and Junior Courtney Wallace.

Members of the Young Kings Club include Juniors Cos-

tonzo Bryant-Martin, Alexander Douglas and Christopher

Hampton; Sophomores Devon Hardin, Titus Hopkins, Dae-

tron Hyman, Leontre Johnson, Joshua McCord and Tramell

McKinnon; Freshman Tylen McKinnon; Junior Shane

Moore; Sophomores William Patterson, Preston Perkins,

John Sims and Dylan Woodward and Freshman Da’mon

Wright.

Unity Princess and Young Kings

work to better Keenan

By Debra McWhite, News Writer

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA. Back by popular demand, Columbia Music Festival Association and the South Carolina Multicultural Arts Center presented Vibrations Dance Company (VDC) in the Midland's most exciting holiday performance: Sista Girl and the Soldier: The Urban Nutcracker, on Friday, December 10, 2010, and Saturday, December 11, 2010, at 7:30 PM at USC’s Drayton Hall, located at the corner of College and Sumter Streets. Sista Girl is a contemporary adaptation of The Nutcracker. “VDC’s production of Sista Girl debuted in 2003,”Evie Belton, VDC Executive Director and Founder, [said]. “It has been named one of Columbia’s most fun and dynamic holiday shows,” Belton said. Sista Girl is a contemporary urban re-telling of the traditional ballet The Nutcracker which is based on the classic Hoffman story. The music is an eclectic mix of the original Tchaikovsky score and a wide variety of contemporary and tradi-tional music including soul, gos-pel, R&B, pop, musical theater, hip-hop, Latin and rock. This year’s production boasted an extra special treat with special appear-ances in the hilarious opening scene by City of Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and City of Blythewood Mayor Keith Bailey.

“This production and the choreography during the performance brings audiences together with a fun, engaging and modern approach to telling classic American holiday season traditions,” VDC Artistic Director, Terrence Henderson [said].

“Sista Girl is inspired by VDC's mission to create dance that represents our own time and the people of our community. A first of its kind for the Midlands. Sista Girl reaches the hearts of our community like no other holiday show, continues Henderson. It has a palpable and magical energy that only VDC can create,” Henderson said.

The production [was] staged and choreo-graphed by Henderson, a Newberry native and University of South Carolina graduate. He has the distinction of serving as the South Carolina Arts Commission 2010 Dance Performance Fellow, was named a “Top-Ten Artist under 30 in South Carolina” by The State Newspaper in 2005, and received the Youth American Grand Prix Out-standing Contemporary Choreography Award in 2004. Henderson is also the recipient of the 2009

Jazz Dance World Congress Bronze Leo Award for Outstanding Choreography for his piece enti-tled STAND, which was performed by the com-pany during July...for an audience of professional choreographers, dancers and other industry insid-ers during the Jazz Dance World Congress. Hen-derson and VDC were among fourteen finalists selected from applicants from across the globe to perform at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago’s Millennium Park. This season, VDC celebrates over ten years of existence. The company plans to hold an official celebratory performance in April during its presentation of Dimensions: The South Carolina Contemporary Dance Festival. VDC is one of Columbia’s most unique dance companies and was established to explore and express the Afri-can-American aesthetic through performance of spiritual, blues, modern, jazz and other dance

genres. Belton... founded the Colum-bia-based company in 1998, and the company's first full performance sea-son was in 2000. In 2003, VDC, along with other local artists founded the South Carolina Multicultural Arts Center, Inc. (SC McAC, Inc.) with the

mission of supporting multicultural arts in the com-munity and as a vehicle of education, community building and healing.

VDC has performed three times as final-ist for the Leo's Competitive Event held at the Jazz Dance World Congress: in 2005 and 2007 in Chicago and in 2004 in San Jose, Costa Rica. VDC was voted runner-up [in] the Free Times’ BEST of Columbia for local dance companies. VDC is in its second year as part of the South Carolina Arts Commission’s New Audience Road Show. The company has collaborated over the years with some of the Midlands’ finest artists including the Capital City Chorale featuring Roberta Flack and the Columbia Classical Ballet. The Columbia Museum of Art commissioned the company to present Echoes and Images, a live theatre dance response to artist Jacob Law-rence's Migration Series. The company was also featured in Workshop Theater productions Ain't Misbehavin, in 2007 and Ain't Nothing but the Blues in 2008.

Every year, VDC produces and presents a full season of concerts in theatres, schools, fes-tivals and communities across the state. In addi-tion, VDC provides school residencies, educa-tional activities and performances.

VIBRATIONS DANCE COMPANY presents

‘SISTA GIRL AND THE SOLDIER: THE URBAN

NUTCRACKER’

The following dancers...successfully audi-tioning for the District Honors Dance Com-pany. These ladies worked extremely hard....They [performed] with Vibrations Dance Company at Drayton Hall in Decem-ber.

Porsche Barton-12th grade Amber Dorsey-11th grade

Kenora Etzminger-11th grade Tiera Smith-11th grade

Tammaka Staley-11th grade (2nd year co[mpany] member)

Often times, many may ask, “What is dance?” Dance is the lyrical diverse move-ment that soulfully transfers a message into the hearts of others. In Ms. Emily Maness’ dance classes, students are now preparing for their annual . The theme is Interpretations, which allows every student to create group and solo pieces that interpret different worldwide top-ics in creative ways. “[The choreography and creative process is] therapeutic and gives students the opportunity to express feelings through music,” Maness said. Sophomore Countess Robinson has been dancing since she was 3 years old and enjoyed creating her own choreography. “[I was] excited and inspired because I get to express all my feelings in the way I want to,” Robinson said. Dancing is a great passion to Robin-son and many other girls in the showcase. Whether it is tempo, transformations or song choice, each dancer takes certain aspects of dance to work diligently in getting an important message across. Not only do the dancers inform people about their topic, but they also entertain and extract the inner emotions of the audience before them.

Dancing

the night

away By Tammaka Staley, News Writer

District Honors

Dance winners

announced By Ms. Emily Maness, Special to the Sword

and Shield

Ms. Maness is Keenan’s Director of Dance

A detail of the publicity poster (left) for Sista Girl and the Soldier: The Urban Nutcracker shows the dancers in full, intense motion as they interpret a piece from the December performance.

Raider Lifestyles

Band marches

to victory By Kalifa Lewis, Features Reporter

On October 2, 2010, the Marching

Raider Rubber Band won the Grand Cham-

pion Award in Sumter, SC.

“We prepared by practicing the new

show,” Junior Danny Walker, bass drummer,

said.

Seniors Timothy Isaac, trumpet

player, and Xavier Goodwin, tuba player,

said that the band prepared by practicing the

new show and keeping the energy up and

keeping the music good and clean.

Preparing for a competition is not

easy and it does take a lot of work; the band

did come out on top.

“The hardest thing about competition

preparation is getting over the fact that we’re

smaller than other bands,” Junior Chaela

Harris, French horn player, said.

Their hard work and practice was a

success, and it shows others that when peo-

ple put their minds to it, they can do it.

“It was great to win because all of

our long, hard work finally paid off,” Senior

Javante’ Jackson, first-year drum major,

said.

Delta Gems seek

to do good deeds By Moriah West, News Editor

Delta Gems is a program for young female high school students. The program is sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta Alumni Chapter of Richland County and serves as a motivational sisterhood. Members of Delta Gems participate in numerous activities including community service, college tours, and self-defense classes. Delta Gems advisors are Ms. Dal-phine Humphrey, Mrs. DeVonne Smalls, Mrs. Charnice Ray and Ms. Deirde Hutson. Senior DeAnna Smalls serves as the president of Delta Gems. “My job is to write memos and let other Delta Gems know when our next meet-ing is,” DeAna Smalls said. The Delta Gems are always busy helping others. “The Delta Gems decorated the Christmas tree and participated in Families Helping Families where we sorted out gifts; the Boy Scouts were also helping,” DeAna Smalls said. If anyone is interested in joining

Delta Gems, make an appointment with one

of the Delta Gems advisors and fill out an

application. Limited space is available.

Gospel Festival

rejuvenates

school spirit By Nathalie Stewart, Features Editor

The Keenan singers held their 2nd

annual Back to School Gospel Festival at the

Keenan Auditorium on September 26, 2010.

“The purpose of the Gospel Festival

was to unite with the community and network

with other schools and churches,” Mrs. Caro-

lyn Cleveland, Choral Director, said.

Freshmen Sheldon Dowdy, tenor,

and Gabrielle Simpson, soprano, said that

they felt as if they were now a part of Keenan

after the performance.

“The most challenging part about

preparing for the concert was the long prac-

tices, but they paid off in the end.” Sopho-

more Maya Goodwin, alto, said.

Some performers other than the

Keenan Singers were Church Praise Danc-

ers, Spirit Quartet Group and many more

music groups.

“I really enjoyed the concert and

wouldn’t mind having another one because it

was very spiritual and made me feel closer to

the Lord,” Junior Kendall Suber said.

Student Council rallies up school spirit By Courtney Wallace, News Writer

CLOVER, S.C. - The District Rally was held on Friday, October 25, 2010. At the District Rally, Student Council members re-ceived information on how to better promote school spirit and have better proms and/or dances.

“It was a fun and exciting and an educational experience. The student council made great connections and received nu-merous ideas about things to do around school,” Ms. Deidra Sutton, Student Council Advisor, said.

As the day went on the group went into different workshops. In those workshops the different groups shared ideas about vari-ous things that are being done at their schools. “I gained ideas about different themes on prom, community service and planning [a] pep rally,” Diamond Covington, Freshman Class President, said. Overall the District Rally had a posi-tive effect on the students and advisors who attended it. Everybody as a whole gained

better information on promoting school spirit throughout their schools. “I wouldn’t change anything; I thought it was great,” Ms. Jessica Robison, Chaperone, said. The District Rally was an overall suc-cess. The advisors and students all thought that the event was great as it was and there shouldn’t be any changes. “I wouldn’t change anything; I thought it was very beneficial,” Matiah Pough, Senior Class President, said.

Raiders look to the

future at College Fair

By Assatta Herbert, News Reporter

On October 6, 2010, the Juniors and

Seniors from Richland One schools visited

the Carolina Coliseum for the annual College

Fair. At the College Fair students were pro-

vided with a variety of information from sur-

rounding colleges.

“The information was great, and you

got to explore colleges you didn’t know any-

thing about,” Junior Jasmine Hill said.

Seniors were given the opportunity

to fill out applications; Juniors were given the

opportunity to receive information about a

variety of colleges.

“The information was very valuable

in reference to the students’ future,” Mr.

Robert Woolford, Special Education

Teacher, said.

The College Fair allowed students to

get up close and personal with representa-

tives from the various colleges.

“It gave you more information [by]

talking to representatives in person [rather]

than trying to find information on the inter-

net,” Senior Kelsey Hayes said.

Keenan Junior competes for

National Achievement Honor

By Keanna Jones, News Writer

Many people wonder what to do about college. How to finance it, where to go, and what to major in are among some of the most frequently asked questions. Senior De-Ana Smalls seems to have figured out some of those things. Smalls has been entered in the Na-tional Achievement Honor Competition. Smalls and one other Richland One student will compete with 1,600 others for 800 col-lege scholarships worth more than 2.5 million dollars. Scholarships will be awarded next spring. For this great honor, she didn’t have to apply. She was chosen based on PSAT scores from previous years. This particular achievement/scholarship is sponsored by various schools and companies. Smalls is a semi finalist now, but if she goes on she is entitled to money for college, her application fees paid in full and even a full scholarship. “It really helps me out a lot,” Smalls said. Her goals for the future are to get into a really good school, go to a pharmacy school and get her doctorate. The specific college of her choice is

probably the University of South Carolina but

with this scholarship, Howard and other

schools are offering money. Smalls has a

pretty good idea about her future academi-

cally.

The Keenan Raider Family com-

peted against the Eau Claire Shamrock Fam-

ily in a blood drive this past September. The

blood drive was a great experience for the

high school students.

“It gave us the chance to help save

lives,” Junior Chaela Harris said

The blood drive was a success.

“We signed in 74 donors and gave

45 pints of blood; we exceeded the goal by

ten points,” Ms. Mary Haile, National Honor

Society Advisor, said.

Those who donated blood did a huge

favor for those in need.

“It felt very good helping to [save]

lives. I would want someone to help me if I

was in need,” Junior Kayana Hendricks said.

Keenan competes

with Eau Claire

in blood drive

By Sentel Snipes, News Editor

See Page 4 for a related editorial

With this being Coach Jennifer

Brannon’s 4th year coaching,

she thought the tennis team did

a great job even though they

started late, but they came out

and did what they needed to do.

This year’s Most Valuable

Player (MVP) is Senior Ashley

Benjamin. Junior Assatta Her-

bert is the Most Improved

Player. She has stepped up her

game this year.

Sophomore Tyona Mack has

been playing tennis for 3 years.

She feels the team did very well

this year. Mack thinks after Ben-

jamin leaves, Junior Amber Dor-

sey will be a great team captain.

Mack believes Dorsey will be a

good captain because Dorsey

has a great personality and

she’s very easy to work with.

Benjamin said she really en-

joyed this year of tennis, but she

also believes that the team

would have gotten farther if they

worked a little harder. She thinks

Sophomore Moriah West would

be a great captain in two years.

Benjamin thinks this because

West is a great leader and a lot

of people look up to her for di-

rection and guidance.

Benjamin plans on going to col-

lege and majoring in nursing and

hopes to still be able to play ten-

nis. She’s been playing tennis

for 9 years. Benjamin says the

team really impacted her life.

They are all sisters to her. They

gave her courage, and they be-

lieved in her; they also cheered

Raider’s swing their rackets as

Benjamin prepares to move on By Brandon Joyner, Sports Writer

Come behind the scenes

with the cheerleaders

Freshman Desia Truesdale

started cheerleading because

her sister was a cheerleader,

and she wants to experience in

her sister’s footsteps the type of

encouragement that their

coaches give the cheerleaders

that everyone works together as

a team and they are a family.

Truesdale and the other cheer-

leaders have been learning

cheers and practicing hard, pre-

paring for basketball season.

Truesdale believes that since

she will not be a freshman next

year, the year will be good.

English teacher and Cheerlead-

ing Coach Ms. Mary Haile says

she got interested in cheerlead-

ing just to help relieve a friend.

Haile says the girls did very

good at the competition; the en-

couragement she gives to the

cheerleaders is to tell them that

they’re as good as anyone else.

She does not wish to change the

this year’s uniform; she thinks it

is alright for now. To prepare for

basketball season the cheer-

leaders have been learning

cheers; next year Haile hopes to

improve more.

Math teacher and Cheerleading

Coach Ms. Diedra Hutson says

she is interested in all types of

sports, but when she saw on

ESPN a cheerleading competi-

tion, she loved it. Hutson tries to

stress unity and asks the cheer-

leaders to make a conscience

effort to put forth their best and

to always keep a positive mind.

Hutson was very proud of how

well the cheerleaders did at

competition. Hutson’s young

squad are eager to learn new

cheers, so she feels they will

improve greatly next year.

Homecoming match-up sees

Raiders fall to Indians

On October 15, 2010, the Raid-

ers football team took on the

Gilbert High School Indians for

Keenan’s 2010 Homecoming

game.

Though the bleachers were

packed and the night was full of

excitement, the Raiders lost to

the Indians with a final score of

6–23, giving the football team a

record of 1-9.

According to Coach Mitchell Mo-

ton, head football coach, some

of the biggest mistakes were

made when it came to blown

assignments, penalties and turn-

overs and that during the game

the team should have had better

blocks and tackles and scored

more points.

In order to insure success in

future games, Moton plans to

have the team work on minimiz-

ing little mistakes, fighting

through adversity, improving

communication and emphasiz-

ing special teams.

Overall Moton stated that even

though he was disappointed with

the outcome of the game, he

was pleased that the team never

gave up.

By DeAna Smalls, Sports Writer

Raider Sports

By Jessica Riley, Sports Writer

The boys basketball team goal

this year is to make it to State.

The thing they would have to do

to accomplish this goal is have

communication, trust and faith.

They would have to play hard

and never give up. Their record

so far this year is 10-2.

Raider basketball season off to promising start By Janise Jackson, Sports Writer

2010-2011 Players

Jonathan Gilyard

Antonio Goodwin

Kevon Goodwin

Joshua Harper

Eric Hopkins

Quinton Johnson

Quinton Stroman

Trey Stroman

Erick Tisdale

Eric Washington

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