2012

When students returned to Clarke Central High School from Thanksgiving break on Nov. 26, a transformation had occurred.

Every single college football fan knows the Bowl Championship Series has become synonymous with unfairness, mistake and doubt in a dated system.

Out cold: The real danger of concussions

Every year, the Clarke Central High School Drama Club puts on three to five productions. They spend countless hours rehearsing and the cast members expend boundless effort in order to produce each show.

Sit back, relax and enjoy meeting students starring in the upcoming musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”

You walk towards the room. A few kids stand in the hallway right outside the door. Inside, some students have their heads down, some have their headphones on and some work furiously to finish their homework. Few speak to each other. The teacher tries to call the attention of the class to no avail.

“So this is the end of the story,” sings indie-pop artist Gotye, providing a rather pop-styled opening to Gucci Mane’s new album Trap God, released Oct. 19.

Playing off of the old stereotypes of cops who are never without their coffee and donuts comes a new initiative from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department: “Coffee with a Cop.”

Lana Del Rey’s third extended play, Paradise, released on Nov. 13, reprises her signature sound introduced on her debut album, Born to Die, released in January.

The James Bond series has taken a hit in recent years. The passing of the torch from Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig was not a smooth transition. In Craig’s debut in Casino Royale, a new type of Bond was brought forth, a less brazen and a more sensitive depiction than that of Brosnan’s. With Bond fans excited with the new look, it made the failure of Quantum Solace even more disappointing.

According to CCHS International Baccalaureate/Gifted Collaborator and Scheduler Dr. Meri Blackburn, who was on the initial advisement committee, Advisement was conceived as an element of a smaller-learning community focus initiative, along with the freshman academy and the Athens Career Academy.

At the corner of East Broad Street and Wilkerson Street stands Weaver D’s, a small brick building that has seen generations of Athenians pass through its doors.

The program Jobs for Georgia Graduates promotes the development of employment and other necessary skills for post-secondary education for seniors at Clarke Central High School.

Two fresh, new presidential candidates were preparing for war, arming their fearsome troops of campaign interns and rallying civilians to support their side as they marched through en route to the battle fields of swing states.

Clarke Central High School junior Grant Anderson has a special talent.

Photos from the 2012 Classic City Championship played at Cedar Shoals High School

Cedar Shoals High School head football Coach Chris Davis believes his players’ success in life and in the classroom is more important than winning football games.

Clarke Central High School and Cedar Shoals High School have shared a deep rivalry for the past 38 years. On Nov. 9, the two programs will meet once again, and all of Athens is waiting for that day to arrive.

Incumbent President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s stances on key issues are compared.

Clarke Central High School lost 24-13 to the Flowery Branch High School Falcons at home on Oct. 26.

House Bill 797, also known as the proposed “Charter Schools Amendment,” seems harmless at first glance.

Despite her many commitments, newly appointed county commissioner Allison Wright has learned how to maintain balance in her life.

For the 2012-13 school year, Clarke Central High School administrators hope changes made to Glad Time will improve its effectiveness.

Chicago teachers took a strong stand when they made the decision to strike, but how long until it is forgotten?

The Clarke Country School District has implemented Google Apps for Education: a good addition or an inefficient use of time?

The community stresses that we should exceed the standards set for us, but are we challenged to even meet them?

It is a weekday morning at the Athens Community Career Academy and the campus is buzzing. Students unload from school buses and file into the newly-renovated H.T. Edwards building.

Volume ten of the ODYSSEY Newsmagazine

The second of three 2012 presidential debates is reviewed.

During the week of Oct. 8-12, Clarke Central High School celebrated Banned Book Week, which has encouraged students and teachers to read books banned by schools and libraries for the past 30 years.

On Tuesday nights, students from Clarke Central High School and Cedar Shoals High School take their place in a courtroom. They begin to review the day’s juvenile court cases for Athens Peer Court.

Standing on the sidelines of Clarke Central High School’s football games and cheering his teammates on is one of their most vital players, CCHS senior Rodney Willingham, who cannot play due to a broken ankle.

The Gladiator football team is statistically compared to the Heritage High School Patriots in this week’s matchup.

On Friday, Oct. 5, Clarke Central High School held its first Club Day, giving students an opportunity to attend a new club.

The Athens-Clarke County Democratic committee is preparing for the upcoming election on Nov. 6 with the help of Obama for America, a program that preparation will include phone banking, door to door campaigning and sign distribution.

Clarke Central High School won 37-0 against the Salem High School Seminoles in the 2012 homecoming football game.

The Gladiator football team is statistically compared to the Salem High School Seminoles for the 2012 homecoming football game.

Photos of spirit week leading up to Friday night’s game against Salem High School.

The photography staff’s pick for this week’s photo of the week.

Key statistics leading into tonight’s game at Apalachee High School.

CCHS students choose the next U.S. president in this video.

Clarke Central High School celebrated higher education on Sept. 13 with their annual college night.

n Beasts of the Southern Wild, released on June 27, directed by Benh Zeitlin, you will find a place affectionately called the “Bathtub,” which is a tiny strip of land on the Louisiana Gulf Coast on the wrong side of the levee.

The Clarke Central High School Gladiators beat Loganville High School at Billy Henderson Stadium 40-6 last Friday, Sept. 14. This was the first win for the Gladiators in the 2012 football season.

Photos from the CCHS vs. Loganville High School football game.

Key statistics on both sidelines that are crucial to tonight’s game

At age 40, former professional road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong faced testicular cancer. Following this obstacle in his life, he was able to consecutively win the Tour de France, which is an annual multiple-stage bicycling race seven times. He also founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support those who also battle cancer.

On Tuesday afternoon, one minute before dismissal at Clarke Central High School, my class’ blaring chatter is interrupted by a sound over the P.A. speakers.

The 2012 school year has brought several new policy changes to CCHS.

The Gladiators are statistically compared to the Central Gwinnett High School Black Knights

During my middle school years, I was honored as the First Team all-region quarterback and point guard in Liberty, S.C.

The Clarke Central High School Gladiators lost to Marist 30-13 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Photos of the Marist at CCHS football game.

The top 10 things the Gladiators and fans need to know about CCHS’ first game in a new GHSA qualification against Marist.

Located at 165 Alps Rd., Chipotle Mexican Grill is a modern looking building with sleek, large glass windows. At a glance, one might assume Chipotle is an upscale, sit down restaurant. Its appearance, however, is quite misleading.

Photos from the Madison County High School vs. CCHS volleyball game

The Career Technical and Agricultural Education departments at Clarke Central High School and Cedar Shoals High School, in which many students from CCHS and CSHS are enrolled, will be transferred to the Athens Community Career Academy with the start of the 2012-13 school year.

See if you were SCENE! by one of our photographers today.

I am not racist; I view, speak to, interact with and love everyone the same, regardless of race.

Kunming is the capital and largest city of the of Yunnan Province in Southwest China, home to more than 6 million people, including Clarke Central High School senior Jiacheng “Chris” Zhao.

Wednesday, the editorial staff of the University of Georgia’s indepently run newspaper walked out in protest of a non-student being named Editorial Director of the publication.

The 2011-12 CCHS Teacher of The Year and Paraprofessional of The Year has been announced.

The Clarke Central High School Relay for Life team has exceeded their goal for donations – raising over $5000 – for the 2011-12 school year.

Growing up in Columbia, S.C. for the first eight years of my life, I attended St. Martin De Porres Catholic School, a predominately African-American private elementary school. I studied and was taught in dept about African-American history everyday;it was our standards.

The numbers are clear: African-Americans are underrepresented in baseball.

While some students recite the Pledge of Allegiance and stand for the National Anthem, others choose not to do either.

The Clarke County School District will be implementing budget cuts for the 2012-13 fiscal that are needed in order to run the district.

In today’s educational system, when teachers, faculty and staff hear the phrase “budget cuts”, it sends a shiver down their spines.

In the 1960 election, Sen. John Kennedy, D-Mass., won a close victory over Vice President Richard Nixon.

On April 25, republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, R-Mass., carried on his primary election winning streak in Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York.

A compilation of sports news at Clarke Central High School.

I sat in advisement watching the same low-budget, 1990s film I had seen in freshmen health class.

Screaming and shouting surrounds Perseus as he is chased by a Chimera, a fearsome two-headed, fire-breathing creature with the body of a lion and a tail tipped with a serpent’s

Each spring, the Clarke Central High School community eagerly prepares for the end of the school year.

At 5:30 p.m. on March 29, game one of the CCHS-Alcovy doubleheader began. Eighth-grader Noah Fairbairn started for CCHS and allowed six hits and five earned runs over five innings of pitching.

Finally, Darwin’s Theory of Evolution has been proved! Sorry, non-believers: you’re wrong; man most certainly shares a common ancestor with apes.

Fans across the world got the chance to live up to their promise that they would “never let go” when the 3D recreation of Titanic, directed by James Cameron and originally released in 1997, was at cinemas again this past week, airing in most U.S. movie theaters on April 6. Cameron also produced the 2

Photo gallery of International Day 2012 at CCHS on April 12

This is what we have been told: Ron Paul is a crazy old man, Newt Gingrich

The rise of the Occupy Wall Street move­ment has presented our nation with an identity crisis. For centuries, the United States has been a nation led by the rich, for the rich.

While walking down a hall in Clarke Central High school, I was once told by a group of students that I was “swagged out.”

You are a freshman at Clarke Central High School and have found yourself in a sea of 1,500 other students. Besides the familiar faces of your relatively quaint middle school graduating class, nearly every person is a complete stranger.

On March 9, the 55 members of Clarke Central High School’s band, Symphonic Winds, participated in the Georgia Educated Music Association’s Large Group Performance Evaluation held at Jefferson High School.

The Classic City Championship is arguably the most important game of the season for both Cedar Shoals High School and Clarke Central High School.

The halls of Clarke Central High School have experienced another form of decoration this year. Teachers have photos of themselves scotch-taped to the walls outside of their respective classrooms with an adjective that describes them.

When a political candidate needs to boost their approval ratings, they generally seek one thing– an enemy. An enemy can serve as a scapegoat for most any of the candidate’s failings.

Read coverage of the alumni game and look at pictures of all the soccer games

Were you SCENE!? Click to see.

With complete transparency, I am between 20 and 30 years old. I spent four, wonderfully confusing years

“We salute your courage and your sacrifice and we wish you Happy Hunger Games,” announced President Snow to the tributes and entire crowd, marking the beginning of their annual “games.”

On Friday, March 9, the Clarke Central High School Black Student Union, in conjunction with the CCHS step team and several other guest singers, dancers and speakers, perfomed “I know I’ve been Changed!” The performance, much like a variety show, compiled several acts together that were all tied to a central message.

Coming from an urban neighborhood in Syracuse, N.Y., my first introduction to neighborhood violence was a frightening experience.

The first call to a 911 operator in the Trayvon Martin murder came in on Feb. 26 from George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman from Sanford, FL.

At the Central Gwinnett Tri-Meet on March 7, Clarke Central High School competed against host Central Gwinnett High School and nearby Archer High School. Nearly half of CCHS’ 18 points came from field events.

Members of Clarke Central High School’s ODYSSEY Newsmagazine and Iliad Literary-Art Magazine participated in the University of South Carolina’s Southern Interscholastic Press Association’s Courage to Connect Convention in Columbia, S.C. from March 2-4, along with 400 other students from across the country.

Olatunji Moussa Mosley connects with his roots and his father through drumming.

The month of March is a very special to me. In addition to my birthday on the fourth, the month brings alive a special time in the sports world, March Madness.

Coming into the 2011-12 school year, I joined the ODYSSEY staff as nothing but an eager student wishing to grow my passion for journalism.

The top eateries for every couple as chosen by CCHS students and the ODYSSEY staff

The photography staff’s pick for this week’s photo of the week.

On March 22, 2011, Athens resident Jamie Hood allegedly committed the terrible crime of shooting two Athens-Clarke County police officers, killing one and

After a weekend of camping with her family, your peer opens her backpack to find the knife she forgot to remove before returning to school. She is making no effort to conceal it, unaware that she is in violation of the Clarke Central High School Code of Conduct.

I have always been afraid of The Scantron. Yes, to me it has always been a living creature–not human, though, always too monstrous and precise for such sheer mortality. And, of course, The Scantron is never wrong, thus denying the basic foundation of humanity: error.

On Friday, Jan. 27, Vassar College Early Decision II notifications were revealed to 254 applicants across the country and the world at 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. Early Decision Plan candidates bind themselves to attendance, if admitted.

“…And on the second page of the syllabus, you need to make a change. Final exams are now worth 20 percent.”

Throughout the years, American culture has made a tradition of idolizing pop stars. We devour every shred of information we can forcefully suck from these star’s personal lives via television shows and tabloid magazines. In the past 50 years, though, a specific brand of celebrities has become progressively more and more popular: child stars.

Athens High School, originally built in 1951 was constructed in an “E” arrangement. Years after AHS became Clarke Central High School, the “E” has was changed and added upon.

The photography staff’s pick for our photo of the week.

Photos of CCHS’ swim meet on Saturday, Jan. 14

I have always been an artist. As a child, I would tote my sketchbook around, doodling and creating characters at any free moment. The beauty of art lies in its ability to transcend all levels of education and age, all colors and all nationalities. An image rings through language barriers and connects the minds of the masses.

Wait? What!? Oh, I get it! These are a few reactions heard within the halls, cafeteria and classrooms at Clarke Central High School in response to Curriculum Assistance Program department teachers Dr. Michele Burch and Tiffani Knight’s twist on lunch duty.

Hungry after second block, I rushed to our school’s lunchroom but was stopped before I could even enter the Miller Jordan Jr. cafeteria.

On Jan. 11, world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed a concert at the University of Georgia Hodgeson Hall. Every seat of the performing hall was filled, mostly with people much older than me…

Alright, so here’s the deal. Right now, I’m sitting at a computer with my feet up on the desk because I produce my best writing when I’m comfortable.

During the 2010-11 school year, Clarke Central High School students left the building later in the day than in years past, with clay on their hands from the Pottery Club, sweat on their brows from the Tae Kwon Do Club or the taste of homemade treats on their lips from the Top Chef Club.

Clarke Central High School head varsity basketball Coach Andre McIntyre was hired in 2009. Upon his hiring, he began attending Clarke Middle School basketball games to search for prospective players.

In September of 2011, the Athens Banner-Herald ran an article titled “Wal-Mart: No store planned for Downtown,” essentially dispelling the rumors that “the mammoth chain (was) considering building a small store on the edge of Downtown Athens.”

For me, the Jittery Joe’s Coffee Roaster is a place full of fond memories. I remember the year that the floor of the warehouse in the back was painted to look like a giant chess board and some artist had made a giant

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? “42 cords of wood, to be exact. Everyone knows that,” My iPhone 4S responded.

Having a place to call “home” is not guaranteed for all children — homelessness is a growing problem for students in the Clarke County School District. Katie Wheeler, Homeless Education Program liaison and school social worker for the CCSD, has seen this increase during her time working for the district.

It’s close to midnight and pitch-black outside except for the headlights of passing cars on Highway 78. Clarke Central High School custodian George Blaylock continues down the highway to his home in Lexington, Ga., over 20 miles away, on his bike.

To expand the limits of learning, the Clarke County School District has chosen to implement the International Baccalaureate Middle Years program, curriculum for grades sixth through tenth, at schools including Clarke Central High School.