SHE’S AN AUTHOR Former Panther Alex Capell Hughes returns as an author to speak to members of the Creative Writing class and the Ex Libris Book Club. See Page 4.

WASHINGTON TRIP Students traveled to Washington, D.C., through the Close Up Washington program to learn about government and witness the 57th presidential inauguration.See Page 3.

193 Panther Path, Fayetteville, Ga. 30215 (770) 486-2710 ext. 157

Starr’s Mill High School

All the grist that’s fit for the Mill, and then some

ROWLEP RTheFEB. 14, 20113

VOLUME 15 ISSUE 3

Happy

Valentines

Day!!!

News Briefs

Thirty students gath-ered in the Media Center from 3:45-9:45 p.m. on a Friday two weeks ago to take part in the Ex Libris Book Club’s annual Read-a-Thon. Collectively the group read 8,736 pages beating last year’s total by more than 1,000 pages. Freshman Braden Sid-dall read the most pages with 761 pages. Ex Libris sponsor Leigh Anne Hanie said they hoped to raise $2,000. The money will go to the literacy charity Room to Read. It provides impoverished schools in Asia and Africa with books.

She’s free falling

W hen English teacher Ashley Collins’

husband Tommy wanted to buy his wife a birthday present a year ago, the sky was the limit. Liter-ally. He saw a Groupon for skydiving and thought, “Why not?” Sitting in a drawer for almost 11 months, the Groupon was about to expire, so during the Thanksgiving holidays, Collins, Tommy, and a few of their friends head-ed to Cedartown to jump out of a plane. “I was so nervous,” Collins said. “The night before I couldn’t sleep

and the morning of it, I could not even eat.” It turns out, Collins’ nerves were warning her about the jump she would never forget. When the group ar-rived at Skydive Geor-gia, they watched a short video and were given their gear. Next, they climbed into the prop jet, or as Collins described it, “a hot metal tube with benches facing backwards.” She said “just being inside of the plane” made her want to jump out. Once airborne, they climbed to 14,500 feet, and suddenly things start-ed moving fast. Johan, Collins’ tandem instructor,

opened the rickety door of the plane to a cold rush of wind and a tempera-ture that was 30 degrees cooler than the ground below. Johan and Collins, now clipped together with their equipment, walked to the edge of the plane and before she knew it, Collins said, Johan pushed them out. “It seemed like we were falling forever, but we were going re-ally fast,” Collins said. The parachute opened at 5,000 feet and the descent seemed to level out. Col-lins’ nerves, however, had not. “I remember telling Johan that I couldn’t feel

my feet and that I was dizzy,” Collins said. Sud-denly, as the gliding duo descended to 1,000 feet, Collins said she fainted. As she and Johan neared the ground, Tommy, who had already landed, said he shouted to her, “Pick up your feet, pick up your feet!” But it was no use. Collins crash landed and face planted the ground. Collins said she re-gained consciousness after about a minute. “I must’ve forgotten to breathe,” she said. Although the experience was a thrill of a lifetime, Collins said, “I will never skydive again.”

After being pushed out of a plane at 14,000 feet, English teacher Ashley Collins plummets downward toward Cedartown, Georgia with her tandam instructor Johan, just minutes from finding out the fateful end of her perilous drop. Bailey Fabricius/Staff

Bailey Fabricius’14 Staff Writer

Collins takes a leap of faith

Juniors Amelia Hammond and Vivian Goddard take part in the Ex Libris Read-a-Thon fund-raiser.Victoria Alvarez/Staff

Ex Libris reads for charity

Using coins to make a change

The annual HOSA Pennies for Patients fundraiser took place Jan. 21-Feb.8. Students donated their loose change to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This year’s Pennies for Patients’ poster child was Shannon Smelley, daughter of English and Journalism teacher Debbie Smelley. Shannon was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma one year ago but in December was declared cancer frefree. HOSA hoped to raise $3,000.

Sophomores Elliott Bauer and Emily Schofield donate change. David Brunskole/Staff

Victoria Alvarez’16 Staff Writer

Nicole Resler’14 Staff Writer