Arabia Mountain’s Student News Magazine

Meet Mr. Swanson The First Pep Rally

Sports Wrap Up

Uniform Dos and Don’ts

Music Reviews

And much more

News:

o Letter to the Readers..……………………………………………….page 2

o Meet Arabia’s New Teachers..……………………………………..page 3-4

o Meet the Administrative Team……………………………………..page 4

o Swanson: Class Clown turned Principal ………………………….page 5-6

o Just the Beginning: First Pep Rally………………………………….page 6-7

o Senior Corner ..………………………………………………………...page 7

o Leaders of the Herd…………………………………………………..page 8-9

Features:

o Remembering 9/11…………………………………………………...page 10

o Fashion Dos & Don’ts………………………………………………...page 11

o Spotlighting the Cultures within Arabia…………………………..page 12

o Songs of the Summer………………………………………………...page 13

o Top albums…………………………………………………………….page 14-15

o What happened to them? .......................................................page 16

o Album reviews………………………………………………………...page 17-19

Sports:

o Volleyball……………………………………………………………….page 20

o Cross Country………………………………………………………….page 20

o Softball…………………………………………………………………..page 21

o Football………………………………………………………………....page 22-23

Opinions:

o The Unforgettable Class of 2013…………………………………..page 24

o Dear Reader…………………………………………………………..page 25

Horoscopes………………………………………………………………… page 26-27

Staff Bios……………………………………………………………………….page 28

Dear Readers,

I, Diamond Coles, a senior here at Arabia,

serve as the managing editor of the RAMpage along

with Aaliyah Copeland.For this school year’s

newspaper, we plan to motivate, inspire, and

expand school spirit. Our 2012-2013 editions will

provide the student body with information and

exclusive stories about what’s done here at Arabia. In

order to get the Ram population more involved we

will provide monthly polls, surveys, student exclusives,

and special contests. We will work hard make sure all

students perspectives are included.

In our first newspaper edition of the school

year we will write about our principal, new teachers,

fall sports teams, and much more. We have included

a few new sections that we hope will be to your liking. Our writers have worked

hard to bring you stories that will enlighten and inform you. It is our hope to get

stories that interests you so that you will enjoy reading about your school.

We have loads of ideas that we would like to put into progress. I

want you as the reader to think of the RAMpage as your newspaper. It takes

you as our audience to be active readers involved in spreading your ideas to

our community. We are your writers and you take the roll of telling us your story.

We need you to take charge and join the RAMpage! Take action by following

our twitter page: @amhsrampage , sending us emails @

amhsrampage@gmail.com, and finding your immediate newspaper staff to ask

questions and provide your opinions with.

Sincerely,

Diamond Coles Diamond Coles

RAMpage Managing Editor

“Follow the rules, study, pass the EOCT and

everybody will be happy,” says our new

economics teacher Mr. Allen. Born and raised in

Syosset, Long Island, he attended college and

graduated with a history major, he later attended

grad school to earn a degree in economics. While

working in the juvenile hall in Atlanta, Mr. Allen

discovered he wanted to be a teacher. He stated,

“It gave me the time to see that I wanted to work

for the better of people.” He has taught at many

schools such as Islip, I.S 35, Chamblee, and now

Arabia Mountain. He stated, “All the schools were pretty much similar except I.S

35 was pretty rough.” Mr. Allen aspires to one day teach Latin. He has always

been into classical music and he hopes to teach others literacy skills. His plans

for the school year are to simply get through the year, while educating his

students to the best of his ability. Mr. Allen looks forward to the summer to read

the news and drink coffee. While interviewing Mr. Allen I asked him what was his

favorite genre of music, he replied “Hard core and Heavy metal because of

the energy that you receive from it.” Mr. Allen’s advice to his students and the

senior class is, “As you get older things change.”

Welcome To Arabia! As we all know a new year brings changes, and of course,

new teachers. One of them is Mr. Porter, our French teacher located on E-hall.

Mr. Porter is from South Carolina and has taught

French at several schools. This year will be his 14th year

teaching. Mr. Porter decided to teach and learn

French when he was in high school. After high school,

Mr. Porter attended the University of South Carolina for

his Bachelor’s degree and then went to West Georgia

Technical College for his Master’s Degree. I asked Mr.

Porter if Arabia Mountain was how he expected, and

he replied by saying “No, I knew it would be different,

every school I’ve taught at had a different environment.” When you see Mr.

Porter in the halls please welcome him to Arabia!

Susan Brown was born in Cartersville, GA. She was

an army brat as a child and moved just about every

3 years. Ms. Brown has lived in Germany, Texas,

Virginia, New York, and South Carolina. As a high

school student, she was very focused on her school

work and concerned about her grades. She was in a

service club and literary club. When she was in 9th

grade, she lived in Virginia, and from 10th-12th

grade, she lived in South Carolina. Ms. Brown

attended the same high school as Ms. Black in South

Carolina. Teaching was not Ms. Brown’s first career. She has changed her

career from law to economic development financing to a teacher. Her first

year of teaching was at McNair High School, and now she is in her second year

of teaching here at Arabia Mountain High School. She plans on starting a

debate team at AMHS along with Dr. Martin. In her spare time, she likes to

spend time with her family running, hiking, and camping. She also she likes to

go vacation and to the beach with her two kids. Ms. Brown's favorite foods are

pizza and pasta. Her favorite sport is tennis and favorite color is green. Her

advice to the students of Arabia Mountain: "I think two of the greatest assets we

can develop in ourselves to help us on our journey, whether we are a senior in

high school or a senior citizen, are an open heart and an open mind."

Many new students wanted to get to know the administrators, so we asked

them for their favorite quotes

"The roots of education may sometimes seem

bitter but the fruit is sweet.” A good education takes a great

deal of effort and self-sacrifice but it is all worth it in the end.

“Success is to be measured not so

much by the position that one has reached in life as by the

obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

By Chelsea Cobb

First there was Dr. Pringle, and then Dr.

McMillan, and now we have our third principal

in four years: Mr. Swanson. What makes him

different from all the rest?

Principal Rodney Swanson was born and

raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up with very

supportive parents and went to church every

Sunday. He participated in baseball, basketball

and football. There was no middle school

during the time so he went straight to high

school and had a difficult time transitioning. Mr.

Swanson was not always a perfect student. He

struggled in 8th and 9th grade because he was

more of a “class clown.”

In 10th grade he eventually got it

together and began developing better study

habits. He graduated with honors and was

involved in various clubs such as Beta Club,

ROTC, and National Honor Society. He explains

that “Not everybody’s perfect, and I’m not

perfect.”

Principal Swanson and his wife met at UGA in a music class. They have

been married for 20 years and they have 14 and 17 year old sons! Principal

Swanson spends majority of his time with his family. Attending his son’s violin

concerts, baseball games and visiting beaches every year.

Mr. Swanson’s first impression

of AMHS was “WOW!!” This is the

best school in the county.” He is

committed to making sure that all

of the students are prepared for the

next phase of their life whether it is

military, college or anything in

between. It is very important to him

that he enforces stability, the

significance, and opportunity. He

believes in focusing on academics

as well as increasing overall school

spirit by including more pep rallies,

By Aiyana Parks and Aaliyah Copeland

and spirit buses.

With a new principal comes new rules, and Mr.

Swanson is aware that he is “throwing a monkey wrench”

in how we’ve been doing things at Arabia. He wants the

students to be more serious about getting to class on time

and spend less time socializing in the halls. He also wants it

to be known that he is not responsible for the vending

machine changes. The vending machines caused

competition with federally sponsored cafeteria food

therefore; he had to limit their use. Principal Swanson say,s

“This is definitely not my fault because I’m losing money as

well!”

He doesn’t feel that he is pressured at all by being

AMHS’ newest Principal. “There is no pressure,” he says.

“Pressure is self-imposed”. “I will only feel pressure if the

students aren’t prepared for the next phase of their life.” It

is very important to Mr. Swanson that he’s leaving a

foundation for current students and ones to come. “I want

Arabia to not only be the best in the county, but in the

nation.”

On Friday, September 7,

2012, Arabia Mountain High

School kicked off its campaign

for the 2012-2013 football

seasons. As the students filed

into the gym the level of spirit

was lukewarm until Arabia’s

band, the Funk Machine

entered the gymnasium. The

band sent a jolt throughout the

gym as they played their own

version of DJ Khaled’s “Take It

to the Head.” As the band

played the crowd got even more excited as our four drum majors, Kristopher

Anderson, Bakari Greene, George Jackson, and Jordan Herring, did what they

do best.

Then Arabia’s own Jewels then took to the stage and showed us why

they’re the best dance team in DeKalb County! The Funk Machine and Jewels

interacted with the crowd playing their new chant “Rock the Green and

White.” The chant is designed

to get all the grade levels

involved so when it’s your

grade level’s turn to show

spirit, you can outdo the other

grade levels. The freshmen

were clearly confused as their

turn soon passed them. We

can’t fault them of their

ignorance though, they

haven’t learned yet!

Coach Hoxie then took

the microphone to introduce

us to our varsity and junior varsity softball teams who are doing extremely well

like always. Coach Middlebrooks and Coach Griffin presented us to our

volleyball and cross country teams who are phenomenal as well. Coach Beal

took the microphone intending to introduce our varsity football team but had

to keep it short and simple due to lack of time.

Although students enjoyed the pep rally, many noticed that a large

element was missing. Our spirit leaders of the school, the cheerleaders, were in

the stands and not on the gym floor. Odd, right? Well apparently it was a

unanimous decision by the cheerleaders and their coaches for them not to

perform because of lack of unity due to lack of communication. In their first

pep rally performance this year, the cheerleaders wanted students to know

they’re a team and are serious about representing the school. We should look

forward to seeing these ladies on the floor at our next pep rally.

Overall our first Pep rally was successful despite the miscommunications

and lack of time and we should all look forward to the next one because there

are more surprises in store as the school year progresses.

The seniors are taking over. By Aaliyah Copeland

Amari Jones is a 3 year veteran of the Varsity cheerleading

team. Her highest tumbling pass is a round off backhand

spring, backhand spring, tuck. This year will be her 3rd year as

Captain. She says, “I feel like our team is more unified. We’re

working together to reach a common goal, which is success.”

This is Jazzmin Minnitee’s(left) 3rd year dancing and

her 2nd Year as captain. “The most different thing

about this year is that we have more new girls and it is

hard to blend different dance styles.” Tylesha

Giddings(right) is in her 4th year dancing. She silences

everyone saying, “The Jewels are the best in the

county! We will continue to push to be the best and

continue to prosper in spite of attempts to hold us back.”

Dara is our former SGA Secretary. She has been working

diligently to ensure we have a successful school year. “I’m

really excited about this year. Mr. Swanson is extremely

supportive and we are on the right track to a successful year.”

Bakari Greene(middle) serves as

Head Drum Major this year (Number One). This is

his 2nd year as Drum Major. He previously played

trumpet in our band for 3 years. “I’m really

excited about this season. We are well prepared

to play these bigger schools.” Jordan Herring

(left)played percussion. It is his 4th year in band.

He says, “its fun to go out there and show out for

the crowd.” George Jackson (right) played the baritone and was in band for 4

years. “I love the attention. It’s great to be a drum major! It’s a lot of

responsibility but it’s a lot of fun.”

Brionna Missouri (left) and Marissa Morgan

(right) are our Volleyball Captains. They play left

side hitter and libero, respectively. Brionna played

Junior Varsity for 2 years and this is her 2nd year on

Varsity. Marissa has been on Varsity all 4 years and

says, “It takes a lot of hard work and dedication.”

Mar’Kayla Bethea (middle) and Kayla Shy

(right) are 2 year Veteran and two of the three

Captains of the Emeralds Flag Corps. Mar’

Kayla thinks, “Not as strong as last year yet. We

have a lot of potential.” Maya Jones (left) is a 3

year Veteran and she says she is looking

forward to senior night, switching with the drum

majors, and twirling fire!

Our football team led by Danny Ezechukwu

(left), Michael Holloway (middle) and

Chazmon Chatman (right). Danny and

Chazmon are both 4 year veterans and play

Defensive End and Offensive Tackle,

respectively. Michael Holloway is in his third

year at Arabia and plays Running Back.

Danny says that playoffs are their main goal

and Holloway says, “Looking forward to great

success. Nobody’s safe.”

Tia Bolden (middle), Taylor Montgomery

(left) and Courtney Pringle (right) are leaders

on our “BombSquad” Softball team. They

have been playing Varsity all four years. Tia

says, “This is our best year so far! Our team is

very humble and we have good chance at

winning state!” and Courtney emphasizes,

“Our team has a bond that can’t be broken.”

This year, the RAMpage is featuring a

new section of our news magazine: the Senior

Corner! My name is Aaliyah Copeland, and I,

along with Diamond Coles, serve as

Managing Editor of the RAMpage. I will be

running the Senior Corner.

The Senior Corner will feature spotlights,

information and input for the Class of 2013.

We will have monthly updates of activities

and will include whatever you want to see.

Every month we will feature a different senior

and profile them just to get to know our class.

Our corner will also spotlight events coming

up as well as fee due dates.

In recent senior news, if you have not

scheduled an appointment with

Lifetouch/Prestige to take your senior pictures,

stop by Ms. Jones’ s classroom(D106) and setup an appointment

time. Lifetouch will be back on campus September 26-27, 2012 to take senior

pictures.

Also, our second installment of $155 is due September 28th and will

include our gift to the school, yearbooks, t-shirts, and hoodies. If you haven’t

made your first installment of $140 yet, please do so as soon as possible!

That’s all for this month! If you have anything that you want to see,

questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know! The Senior Corner is all

for us and by us, so if you have any comments or concerns, please let me

know!

Thanks,

Aaliyah B. Copeland Aaliyah B. Copeland

RAMpage Managing Editor

Senior Corner

Remembering 9/11 By Tiffany Daniels

Where were you on Tuesday September

11, 2001? The class of 2013 was sitting in their

second grade classes doing their work. The class

of 2014 was in first grade still learning how to

read. The class of 2015 was in kindergarten

learning the alphabet, and class of 2016 was in

pre-k scribbling on coloring sheets. What we do

not remember is that Sept. 11, 2001 started like

just another normal day. Then four planes were

hijacked, and the course of history changed. At

8:46 a.m. the first twin tower was hit from the 92nd

to 98th floor of the North tower. At 9:03 a.m. the

second plane hit the South tower of the building

that was from the 75th to the 84th floors. Thousands

of people survived from what happened but

some had suffered trauma. The last few buildings

like building 7 weren’t hit but it was small fires that

occurred within the buildings. All information has

changed over history from 9/11 but thinking

about the positives help people have a better

memory of what happened then always thinking

the negatives on the change that occurred in

history. Each year on September 11, take the time

to remember the people that were harmed.

Junior-Kayton Samuels: During the time of 9/11 Kayton Samuels was in New York at school

and remembers being put on lock-down and some teachers were crying about the

tragedy going on. During this time Kayton had an uncle and aunt that were in New York at

the time but since he was so young he didn’t know where they were at the time. To

commemorate the people that were harmed he plans to tweet about September 11,

2001.

Senior-Jamal Robinson: Even though Jamal didn’t have any family in New York at the time

of the tragedy, he was sitting in his second grade class while the news was playing

everything that was occurring in New York. At the time of watching the news Jamal was

scared because he thought his mother was in the building that was blown up. On the day

of September 11, 2001, Jamal will do a moment of silence at home and at school along

with a prayer, but when he gets older he plans to donate money to 9/11 donation centers.

The uniform code at Arabia Mountain High School is one of the key elements to surviv-ing. The many dos and don’ts supply a way of getting past teachers and administrators without being stopped. If you know the code you more than likely have a few creative tricks up your sleeve to make your uniform your own. But follow-ing the regulations al-lows getting to class on time and keeping a clean record. Here are a few dos and don’ts you can follow to stay squeaky clean:

THE DONT’S IN UNIFORMS!

DOS & DONT’S IN UNIFORMS!

SENIORS SETTING

THE EXAMPLE!

DID I MENTION THAT BOW TIES ARE COOL?

This year many have

started a new trend with

bow ties! Bow ties are a

perfect accessory to your

uniform to make it look

different and stylish but of

course staying in dress code.

Uniform Code

By: Noely Escorza & Kiera Hogan

Non- BLUE, BLACK,

OR WHITE Shoes

Non- Solid Blue,

Black or White Shoes

Non- Solid Blue, Black,

or White Shoes Shirt Not Tucked in

Two Colored Socks

Non- Solid Blue,

Hunter Green, or White

Outwear

Han Xi Xuan, left, and Paula Volbehr, right

By Philip Reeves

Have you noticed a

couple of unfamiliar faces

around school? If so, the new

faces you may have noticed

are actually the foreign

exchange students from China

and Germany.

Paula Vollbehr is from

Germany and Han Xi Xuan is

from China. Han also goes by

the nickname, “Lucy.” Getting

to know them a lot better was

thrilling and both agree that

America is nice, although they

have some adjusting to do and

that Arabia is a great school.

The school hours were

something Paula and Han had

in common regarding their

home countries. Paula said, “We go to school at 7 a.m. then get out at 12:50 p.m.” After

school she spends the rest of her day with either her friends or involving herself in hobbies

such as wind surfing or wave surfing and on Wednesdays and Sundays Paula is at church.

In China, “We go to school from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.” explains Han. A 13 and a half

hour school day with a class with about 55 children as teachers rotate around is normal for

her. Han enjoys writing in her journal at the conclusion of her busy day. She is also the only

child in her family while Paula has four brothers.

We can understand how adjusting can be difficult so Paula and Han each chose a

teacher that were most helpful with their transition. Paula chose Mr. Griffin because she can

speak German to him while Han’s choice was Ms. Sheldon.

Han wants to become an astrophysicist when she gets older as for as Paula wants a

little more time before she can decide what she wants her career to be. Both of these lovely

ladies are juniors here at Arabia and are on the right path to being very successful the one

year they are here with us.

“Do It” – Mykko Montana ft. K. Camp “No Lie” – 2 Chainz ft. Drake “Heart Attack” – Trey Songz “Cashin’ Out” – Cash Out

This summer was the best summer for some people

and others wish it was still summer: so here is a little

reminder of what was being listened to just a month

ago.

“Turn On the Lights” – Future “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen “Lemme See” – Usher Ft. Rick Ross “Somebody I Used To Know” – Gotye ft. Kimbra “Bag of Money” – Rick Ross ft. T-Pain, Wale, and Meek Mill “Climax” – Usher “Adorn” – Miguel “Nobody’s Perfect” – J. Cole ft. Missy Eilliot “2 Reasons” – Trey Songz ft. T.I.

“Do It” – Mykko Montana ft. K. Camp “No Lie” – 2 Chainz ft. Drake “Heart Attack” – Trey Songz “Cashin’ Out” – Cash Out

“Mercy” – Kanye West ft. Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz “Amen” – Meek Mill ft. Jeremih, and Drake “I Don’t Like” Remix – Chief Keef ft. Kanye West, Pusha T, Big Sean, and Jadakiss

“Take It To The Head” – DJ Khaled ft. Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne

“Do It” – Mykko Montana ft. K. Camp “No Lie” – 2 Chainz ft. Drake “Heart Attack” – Trey Songz “Cashin’ Out” – Cash Out

By Mar’Kayla Bethea

By: Mar’Kayla Bethea

Here are the top nine albums that have come out the last few months. Check this list out and go support some of these artists.

“Beez in the Trap” – Nicki Minaj ft. 2 Chainz

Based On a T.R.U. Story – 2 Chainz

Released: August 14

#1 Billboard 200 #1 Rap Album

#1 Digital Album Sales

God Forgives, I Don’t – Rick Ross

Released: July 31

1

2

Top Albums

Sparkle: The Soundtrack

Released: July 31

Perfectly Imperfect – Elle Varner

Released: August 7

Life is Good – Nas

Released: July 13

3

4

5

Channel Orange – Frank Ocean

Released: July 10

Fortune – Chris Brown

Released: June 29

Looking 4 Myself – Usher

Released: June 8

6

7

8

New and Upcoming album releases September 11 LongLiveA$AP – A$AP Rocky

Stadium – Akon

Undisputed – DMX

Ludaversal – Ludacris

SEPTEMBER 18 Kiss – Carly Rae Jepsen

Somethin’ ‘Bout Kreay –

Kreayshawn

R.E.D. – Ne-Yo

O.N.I.F.C. – Wiz Khalifa

SEPTEMBER 25 Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 – Lupe Fiasco

Self Made Vol. 2 – Maybach Music Group

Released: June 26 9

What happened to them?

By: Mar’Kayla Bethea

What happened to the artists that were once on

top? What happened to them? These artists have

recently made comebacks in the last few months

and might even make their way back to the top.

Brandy came out around 1993

starring in various television shows

which took her into her music

career where she sung and made

six albums from her success. Brandy

has made a comeback recently by

adding another album under her

belt entitled “Two Eleven”. This

album released on August 1st and

features her first single “Put It Down”

ft. Chris Brown.

With a beautiful voice like Keyshia Cole people are bound to ask….

What happened to her? Keyshia Cole recently took a break by

putting family first for a while. Keyshia has been tied down with

taking care of her son

along with helping out her

husband, Daniel Gibson,

who was recovering over

an injury. “Woman to

Woman” is Keyshia Cole’s

new album which is set to

release this fall which

features her first single

“Enough of No Love” ft. Lil Wayne. Also remember to watch BET’s first

reality series called “Family First” starring Keyshia Cole and her family

airing on October 9.

Featured Album: Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80 by Eric Murphy

Lamar performs at the 2012 Rock the Bells

concert. Photo by Belloblock (obtained through Wikimedia

Commons and licensed through a Creative

Commons Attribution-Share Alike license.)

Rising artist Kendrick Lamar has been making

quite a bit of buzz in the Hip-Hop community. Almost

anyone who has listened to his recently released

project, Section.80, would not find this hard to

believe. This album was initially recommended to

me by a friend. Since then, I definitely have a lot

more respect for artists such as Kendrick Lamar, who

undoubtedly deserves more attention than he

seems to be getting.

The Compton -born rapper’s 16-song LP is a

prime example on how the production can be just

as good as the lyrics; and as someone who has

heard the album almost a thousand times over, I

believe the production is a major strength of the

album. Producers such as Willie B, Sounwave and

Tae Beast really set the mood for the album from the

bass and kicks from “Ronald Reagan Era” all the

way to the amazing instrumental for “A.D.H.D.” The

production for this album is top tier.

Kendrick’s lyricism is not to be overlooked

either. His diverse delivery and complicated lyricism

make Kendrick an irrefutable force to be reckoned

with, and is shown in every song especially

“Rigamortis,” which is without a doubt one of my

personal favorites on the album. The topics are also

extremely relevant to today, giving the album a

refreshing feel. Many songs discuss self-destructive

lifestyles (“Keisha’s Song”) adding depth by making

Section. 80 both an entertaining and emotional

album.

Section. 80 is a flawless album, having no weak

points, no repetition, and itis excellent departure from

the cliché “Money & Clothes” ballads being put out by more mainstream Hip-Hop artists. I

have over 400 albums of music on my iPod Touch and Section. 80 always seem to remain in

my Top 5.

My list of recommended songs include:

“Rigamortis” - Impressive lyricism and a great beat provided by Willie B make this one

of my favorite songs on the album

Editor’s note: Each month, Eric Murphy will review an album. It may be old, or it may be new.

If you have an album to suggest, please send an email to amhsrampage@gmail.com

“Keisha’s Song”- A extremely emotional song that evokes thought and has a

surprisingly good chorus and great instrumental from Tae Beast

“Ronald Reagan Era”- Another one of my personal favorites, very direct and vicious

lyricism tied in with a great beat by Tae Beast

“Hiiipower”- The song that started a movement, definitely a song to raise a fist to with a

Chorus that’s difficult to not sing, produced by another great artist J.Cole

“Ab-Soul’s Outro- Ab-soul” provides a no holds barred lyrics closing the album right

before Hiiipower. Great Monologue delivered by Kendrick Lamar towards the

audience half-way through the song. Great beat made by Terrace Martin.

Frank Ocean's debut album Channel Orange proves to be a well-put together

masterpiece. The relatively new R&B singer first showed his musical talent to the world with

Nostalgia, Ultra. While the mix tape received mixed

reviews, Channel Orange has been named the best

album of 2012 thus far by Pitchfork.com and here’s

the reason why. While Ocean's singing ability does

shine in songs like “Thinkin' 'Bout You” and “Pilot

Jones,” Ocean’s true talent is his storytelling ability.

The entire album is a collection of several stories that

are clear to listeners and hold them captive for the

entire length of the track. From “Crack Rock,” the

story of a crack head's struggle, to “Sweet Life,” the

story of a group of rich teenagers living in Ladera

Heights, the “Black Beverly Hills,” Ocean never fails to

keep the listener engaged. Channel Orange could

be the best album of the year for everyone, but one

thing will ruin the whole album for the listener: Pronoun hunting. Many feel the urge to go on

a search for pronouns after Ocean's announcement that his first love was a male. After

hearing about Ocean’s sexuality, listeners focus way too much on whether Ocean just said

'he' or 'she'. This is not the point. This album is one of the best in our generation and, more

importantly, is thoroughly enjoyable.

Rating: 4.8/5

Best Song: Ocean's tell-all to a Muslim taxi-driver in 'Bad Religion' makes it the star of the

album.

My opinion isn’t the only one that matters, take a look at the other critics that

thought Section.80 was a great album

http://beatsperminute.com/reviews/album-review-kendrick-lamar-section80/

http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/review/kendrick-lamar-section80/

Passion Pit has come a long way

from their 2007 -2008 beginnings

with the EP Chunk of Change. It

provided the band with a record

deal from Columbia and put them

on the road to bigger and better

things. The indie synthpop group

from Massachusetts has resently

put out their second studio album;

Gossamer. This album gives the

listener a look into the mind and

soul of lead singer Micheal

Angelakos.

The song begins with

a soft organ and triangle before plunging into the drum and synth coated first

verse. Micheal discusses the like of a family man dealing with the many stresses

of the world. And how does he fight all the pressure? By clearing his mind and

knowing when he can not handle all that is in his way.

This song mixes R&B and techno so well. It has an easy

going beat that would be great for a sing along. High pitched snipets of a girl

saying “Bet you never leave/ ooo ohooo ooo/ never” begin this dreamy boat

ride. If you do not really like techno this is just an easy listening version of the

customary synth sound.

The scratchy start is a turn off but after the song turns into a catchy,

camp-like tune that gets you bopping your head to the chorus. The song

reminds me of something that would be in the Peter Pan soundtracks when you

hear “hideaway, hideaway / where they’ll never say you cannot stay.”

I give Gossamer 3.8 out of 5. Though the songs have meaningful lyrics, the

really fun part – the instrumentals and overlaps- did not satisfy. The album

should be listened to more than once to settle into the band that is Passion Pit.

To buy/listen to the album and to read “Getting to Where We Belong: The

Making of Passion Pit’s Gossamer,” visit

http://open.spotify.com/album/14JU5SskmcyckE5I8PY6lv

http://www.passionpitmusic.com/bio

Music Review: Three Red Fox’s 808’s And Funkbreaks

By Timira Lockheart

3/5

To take a break from all of the trap music that

dominates the radio, I’m going to delve into the new

sound of R&B. This album respectfully pays homage to

all of the 80’s R&B we hear on those Old-School radio

stations. All of the songs have a remixed beat of many

famous R&B songs from Prince to Zapp and Roger. The

album is somewhat of a cover of all of these famous

songs, but the singer switches it up with some play on

the lyrics.

At times the singer’s voice feels detached from the

beats playing like in “Beat Good to Me”; Makeda’s

voice doesn’t flow over the track well. Whenever I want

to listen to an album I need for it to be constructed well

and executed well. This album didn’t bring that to the

table. “The Love Interlude” is the strongest track on this

album, although the shortest; the song begins strong

and remains strong until it reaches the 1:18 mark. The

track doesn’t have any lyrics that have some type

value; the only lyric that stood out was ‘1+1=2’. That

didn’t hold up well in my court. In “The Hang Up”, she

starts off the song with a smooth and soulful dialogue

that echoes Keith Sweat. These dialogues personally

made the album much more entertaining since I find

those dialogues are so corny.

This is music that is directed towards the younger

people who love to listen to the old-school jams. Call

me an old soul, but this album almost hits all the right

spots with the musical production, but lacks in lyrical

content and execution.

Best Songs: “The Love Interlude”

and “The Nasty”

Best Place to Listen To: Riding In

the Car with the Windows Down

By Devante Rochelle

Through all the adversity, the mighty Rams volleyball team has started the season off with a

bang. "This is our best season so far," says senior captain, Brionna Missouri.

The Lady Rams’ have already defeated well-known schools like Southwest DeKalb

and Stephenson and they are still going strong. It does not

matter is the game is home or away, the Lady Rams have

shown that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Although the Lady Rams is full of superstars, with a

record of 8-3, they prove that there is “No I in Team.”

They play together as a team on and off the court.

Whether in the classroom or in the hallway, the Lady

Rams always manage to stay together.

If you want to know what all the talk is about, you can

see the Queens of the Court show out every Tuesday and

Thursday from now until the end of September. Go Rams!

Mr. Griffin, a French teacher, at Arabia Mountain High School, is also the cross country

coach. Mr. Griffin has been the cross country coach for three years, and he explains, “It has

been enjoyable, and I’m very passionate about our team. Our team is not bad but we work

hard and we are dedicated.”

Mr. Griffin says his goal for this year’s team is to compete

with all the big schools that have won state and county titles.

He says, “Our running club is hard to establish, and we will

have competition with Lakeside High School. If we can

compete with Lakeside, we will have a great chance

at bringing a state title to Arabia Mountain for the first

time.”

He also mentions that the team is looking for a

couple of individuals to be outstanding this year,

“We look forward to getting in the top ten in state

this year with a couple of our runners. The boys’ team

has progressed and is still continuing to get stronger year

by year, and we also look forward for our top runners to

improve as the season progresses, and expect them to

lead the team and push others on the team to excel also.”

By Briana Brown

The Arabia Mountain Softball Team has been on a winning streak, lately

defeating almost everyone on their schedule. They haven’t lost since their first

game, losing 3-6 against SWD. They are now 13-2, with 5 games left in the

season. The Rampage caught up with the Head Coach of the team, Coach

Hoxie, to ask him some

questions about how the

season was going. Coach

Hoxie explained that the

season is going really well.

Hoxie says it’s tough to say

who is leading the batting

average on the team, all

the girls have been playing

really well and it has been

a team effort to do what

we have been doing so

far. He says, that they will

beat the team with

determination and will to

win. Hoxie explains, “We

should do a better job with fan support because we cannot do it alone.”

Coach Hoxie seems to have a lot of determination in his team. We, Arabia

Mountain High School, have to do a better job of supporting the squad. There

are about 5 games left in the season, and we should show our support to the

Arabia Mountain Softball Team!

Date Day Time Opponent Location/Score

Sep 18 Tue 5:30 PM Southwest DeKalb (6-AAAAA)* Away

Sep 20 Thu 5:30 PM Tucker (6-AAAAA)* Home

Sep 22 Sat 12:30 PM North Springs (7A-AAAAA) Home

Sep 24 Mon 5:30 PM Dutchtown (4-AAAA) Away

Sep 27 Thu 5:30 PM TBA Home

By Bryson Jones and Brian Woods

The buzz in the hallways reveals our football Rams have started with this

season with a bang!

Dealing with critics and negativity has always been a hassle for the Rams,

but after winning their scrimmage game against Forest Park (41-7) and the first

regular season game against Clarkston (41-0), people are now starting to

believe in their success.

The Rams appeared to be stacked with talent entering this season. “This

year players are more athletic than last year, and juniors are making a positive

addition”. “Last year players were young and not focused,” Coach Beal says.

Moving up a division to 5-A, the Rams will not have it easy playing the likes of

Stephenson High School,

Tucker High School, Martin

Luther King High School, and

South West Dekalb High

School.

Coach Beal believes

the team can come out

victorious against all

opponents, adding, “I plan

to make a playoff run. I

expect to go undefeated;

we can take on anybody. I

think we can get it done!!!”

DeKalb County schools are known for having great athletic programs and

this year the Rams are trying to make their mark.

Stephenson! The sheer name itself sends chills down one’s spine. Fear

manifests itself in the hearts of their opponents. But, on the weekend of Sept.

7th, the Rams were the bigger dog. The Jaguars were shivering in their pants

when they saw our mighty Rams walk on the field. With Coach Beal’s

extraordinary speech, the Rams knew this would be a hard fought battle, but

they were armed for war.

The game began with a series of incomplete plays from Arabia causing a

Turnover On Downs and Stephenson getting the ball. Knowing that they had a

lot to prove, the Rams turned up the heat on defense. The Rams pushed the

Rams back and forced a fumble by a sack committed by #2 Demetro

Stephens When the Rams got the ball back, they pushed their way past Jaguar

defenses and scored the touchdown of the game. Now 6-0, the Rams felt

confident.

Stephenson, now with the ball, begins to push forward, breaking past our

Rams and scoring off of a QB Sneak. The first quarter ends with the score being

7-6, Stephenson. In the second quarter, Rams went back on the offensive and

scored another touchdown, but the Jaguars didn’t give up so easily scoring

another touchdown and field goal just as we did. Halftime score was 14-12 and

it didn’t stop there.

The third quarter was very essential to the Rams victory, but they seemed

to have cooled down during halftime and having Stephenson score another 7

points diminished the

Rams steam. The fourth

quarter ended the

game with score being

28-18. Although the

Rams lost, they set a

name for themselves.

They left a permanent

mark, stating that they

would never back

down.

Wrapping up his

thoughts on the game,

Coach Beal explained,

“I told them before the

game that they had

nothing to lose,

Stephenson did. I sent

them in that fight with

everything they

needed to win, but

those dropped passes

and missed field goals

cost us, BIG TIME.”

According to Beal, Rams fans can look forward to a winning season. “We

are still going into each game with a winning mentality. This year

nobody is safe.”

By Taneishia Watson-Parks

Senior year is where you let the whole school know this is your time to

shine. You want the underclassmen to look back at how significant you were to

the school. Do you want to be remembered by how funny you were, how lively

your personality was, how organized and prepared you were or the complete

opposite by being spontaneous?

There are a lot of adjectives to describe a perfect senior, but everyone is

unique in their own special way. We conducted a senior survey. By the

responses most seniors here at Arabia want to be remembered by being the

most involved in extracurricular activities, such as band, yearbook, HOSA, FBLA,

etc. Some want to play sports they never tried out for in previous grades, such

as softball, tennis, basketball, track, etc. A lot of the seniors want to be classified

as being humorous, friendly, popular, and outgoing. It is important to attend all

the senior events, including the traditional finale, SENIOR PRANK.

20 years from now you want to look back and tell your children “I made

my senior year notable. How are you going to make yours unforgettable?”

Dear Readers,

My name is Nikkiah Boyd. I am your new

Senior Opinion Editor for the 2012-2013 school

year. I accepted this position because I felt as

though my fellow peers needed quality opinion

editorials.

You can depend on me because of my

unique skills of technical proficiency and creative

abilities. I am experienced in leading writing

projects, which makes me the ideal person to

serve over your opinions at Arabia Mountain High

School.

My plan is to compose interesting,

innovative, entertaining, and tailored editorials. It

is my pleasure to provide you with an excellent

opinion column that will draw your attention every

time.

If you have an opinion on something related

to school or something you think your peers would

be interested in, let me know! If you are frustrated

with school, rules, and homework, and need a

place to vent, contact me!

If you would like to submit any of your opinions to the AMHS newspaper,

send an email to amhsrampage@gmail.com. If you want to submit an

anonymous opinion, you can use the form at

http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/arabiamtnhs/newspaper.html.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Nikkiah Boyd

Opinions Editor

Do you have something to say?

By: Jordan Barron

Miss Cirah Thomas enjoys her birthday just as most of us do. She is what the

stars would like to call a Virgo and was brought into the world on September 16th. The one thing she enjoys about a fall birthday is that she has more things to choose from to celebrate. She feels as if all Virgo’s possess the trait of being a perfectionist. Virgos are easy to get along with, she says, “Virgos are just down to Earth.” One gift she would like this year for her birthday is an iHome.

Football athlete, humorous, and

hardworking. Three words that can describe Kayton Samuels. Mr. Samuels falls into the Libra category. The best part of being a fall baby is that he enjoys playing his favorite sport which of course is football! He feels that a Libra’s attitude reflects their surroundings. He says, “Libras are just cool.” The one gift he would like to recieve this year is not necessarily anything physical. He also wants his team to have a good season and to make the playoffs.

Virgos: 8/23 - 9/22

Your element: Earth

Your ruling planets: Mercury

Symbol: The Virgin

Your stone: Sapphire

Life Pursuit: To do the right thing Vibration: Compassionate and caring Virgo's Secret Desire: To love and be loved in return

Celebrities that are Virgos:

Beyonce Knowles

Michael Jackson

Chris Tucker

Jada Pickett Smith

Ludacris

Charlie Sheen

Words that describe Virgos:

Logical

Youthful

Versatile

Responsible

Analytical

Sensible

Dedicated

What’s written in the stars?

Libra: 9/23 - 10/22

Your element: Air

Your ruling planets: Venus

Symbol: The Scales

Your stone: Opal

Life Pursuit: To be consistent Vibration: Unsteady Libran's Secret Desire: To live an easy, uncomplicated life.

Celebrities that are Libras:

Zac Efron

Eminem

Simon Cowell

Snoop Dogg

Will Smith

Usher

Words that describe Libras:

Idealistic

Charming

Creative

Cooperative

Sociable

Peace maker

Poised

Top from Left to Right: Philip Reeves, Bryson Jones, Brandon Jones, Brian

Woods, Casey Neal, Briana Brown, ChelsCierra Cobb, Atiya Williamson

DeVante Rochelle

Middle from Left to Right: Nikkiah Boyd, Taneishia Watson-Parks, Theresa Ogbu,

Diamond Coles, Amber Gaines, Tiffany Daniels, Jordan Barron, Aiyana Parks,

Noely Escorza

Bottom from Left to Right: Taliyah Knight, Aaliyah Copeland, Makia Jackson,

Kiera Hogan, Mar’Kayla Bethel

Mrs. Klein is an English, creative writing, and journalism

teacher at Arabia Mountain High School. As a child, she moved

around a lot until her family settled in Atlanta, Georgia when

she was 13 years old. When asked if she achieved her goals in

life she had this to say, “I am still trying to achieve my goals. I

modify them as I grow older. I don’t really have a clear set goal

right now.” Mrs. Klein has been married for four years to a man

named Tim. They met in college and dated for eleven years.

Mrs. Klein is known around Arabia as the cute, spunky hippie

teacher who cares for all her students. When we asked where

her fashion inspiration came from she said, “My fashion

inspiration was my mother. She taught me to be colorful and

wear what I like. She taught me to set my own trends.” Music

is a big part of Mrs. Klein’s life. When we asked who she is

listening to at the moment, she said, “I like SchoolBoy Q and

I’ve always loved OutKast.”

17 year old Bryson Jones, younger twin of

Brandon Jones, is a very interesting teenager.

Not only is he one of the few people who was

here when Arabia began, but he is also a star

athlete in basketball. His other hobbies

include football, baseball, and he also does a

little canoeing. He is involved in Skills USA,

Newspaper, and FCCLA. From hooping with

the guys to going to dinner and movies with

the ladies, he proves to have a balanced

lifestyle. He wants what is best for himself,

whether that means getting an athletic

scholarship or going to Law School. There is

more that meets the eye when it comes to

senior Bryson Jones.

Brandon Jones was

born April 28, 1995 at

Northside hospital. He

is a senior who loves

to play basketball and

hopes to get a

basketball scholarship

to college. He is a

twin, loves pasta, and

enjoys the color blue.

He hopes to contribute

his writing skills to the

school newspaper.

Nikkiah Boyd was born on Oct 12, 1994

in Florida and moved to Atlanta, GA at

the age of 10. A senior at Arabia

Mountain High School, she will attend

Georgia State University the following

year. While attending GSU, she wants

to major in chemistry. Her major goal in

life is to become a Biochemist. Being

part of the Rampage, she wants to

contribute by being the opinion editor.

Meet Brian Woods from Atlanta, GA.

He plays for the best basketball team

in the county, Team Arabia! He is 16 years old and has two sisters named

Miata and Sierra. He occasionally

enjoys the Cherry Berry Chiller from

McDonald’s and baked mac-n-cheese.

Show him anything baby blue and it

will spark his interest since that is his

favorite color. Brian’s personal

philosophy is "Begin looking from the

worst so it can only get better.”

Briana Brown is a 17 year old

senior originally from East

Point, Georgia. She is a hooper

and loves to hang out with

friends. Her second favorite

color is red. Her favorite song is

“A Place For My Head” by the

rock group Lincoln Park. When

she gets older she wants to move

to Italy and own a house called

The Villa.

Crazy, outgoing, and beautiful are just a

few words to describe 17 year old senior

Chelsea Cierra Cobb. Chelsea likes to be

called ChelsCierra. She was born and

raised in the state of Georgia, and plans to

be a pediatrician due to her love for

helping children. Cobb is involved in Beta,

NHS, and NCCLA along with finding time

to do what she loves which is stepping here

at Arabia. She adores the subject of

Science and loves the color pink. Cobb

came to Arabia to be a part of a brand new

school and have a better opportunity in her

education. She plans to provide our

newspaper with the Senior Corner.

Atiya Williamson is an 11th grade

student at Arabia who was born in the

heart of Atlanta, Ga. Outside of

school, Atiya likes to sleep, eat,

dance, and shop. After graduation

from Arabia, she plans on attending

UCLA, but she is unsure about what

she wants to major in. However, she

is interested in medicine.

On March 5, 1995, DeVante

Rochelle, Arabia Mountain’s track

star, was born. DeVante was born in

Raleigh, NC, but currently lives in

Conyers, GA. His favorite artist is 2

Chainz. After high school, he dreams

of being accepted into either The

University of Florida or South Carolina. His inspirations are Drake

and Tony McQuay, an American

track and field athlete who specializes

in the 400 meters. DeVante wants to

become an Olympic gold medalist,

track star, or a doctor.

Taneishia Watson-Parks is a senior at

Arabia and is 17 years old. She was

born Nov 22, 1994 in North Carolina,

and then she moved to Atlanta,

Georgia when she was 3 years. She

used attend Clarkston High school,

now she is an Arabia Mountain Ram.

She is very active and sociable outside

of school. She enjoys hanging out with

friends, going to the movies, shopping,

everything the average teenage girl

would do. Her favorite color is white,

and she loves to eat chilidogs. Her

career dream is to become a physiatrist,

and to an advisor on relationships.

Have you ever met an American born

Nigerian? Meet Miss Theresa Ogbu. Theresa is

a senior here at Arabia Mountain. She is one of

the few people you'll meet who appreciates and

loves math. She enjoys playing soccer. At

home, she spends time with her sister and 3

brothers. Her favorite color is purple, and she

is entertained by listening to Beyonce. After

high school, Theresa plans to attend college,

preferably, Vanderbilt or UGA, the choices at

the top of her list. One of her goals she plans

achieve is becoming an OB/GYN. In her spare

time, she likes to shop and dance.

Mar’Kayla Bethea is 17 years old, born in

Gary, Indiana and is the oldest of two

sisters. She is a senior here at Arabia and

her favorite subject is math. After high

school she plans on going off to college at

Alabama A&M University. Mar’Kayla

likes all kinds of music and her favorite

color is pink. Her high school experience

was “okay” she explains, and she has life

plans and goals she wants to achieve. Her

future goal is becoming a psychologist. As

a young woman she has big dreams.

Diamond Unique Coles was born

October 14, 1995 in California. She

wants to attend Columbia University

in New York where she wants to study broadcast journalism. She

wants to become a Sports

Broadcaster for ESPN. Later on she

wants to live all across the world to

learn all languages. Her biggest fear

is never accomplishing anything in

life.

Amber Gaines was born on February 16,

is sixteen years old, and is a junior here

at Arabia Mountain. She has two sisters,

two brothers, and loves the color green.

In her spare time she likes to dance, shop

at Little Five Points, and finish up the

shopping by grabbing something to eat

at Taco Bell. She likes the environment

and atmosphere of high school and

would love to be an entrepreneur when

she gets older. Amber also enjoys

basketball and Instagram.

Meet Tiffany Daniels, a 16 year old junior

and cheerleader here at Arabia Mountain

High School. Tiffany was born on October

20th and she lives in Lithonia, Georgia. She

listens to all types of music and her

favorite color is green. After high school,

she wants to attend Valdosta State, UGA

or Georgia Southern and major in business

management. Hanging out with friends is

one of the many things she likes to do but

she also likes to have family dinners and

laugh. Some of her favorite things include,

her favorite movie, Love and Basketball

and her favorite show, Pretty Little Liars.

So if you see Tiffany in the hallway, stop

by, make her laugh, talk about Pretty Little

Liars and maybe show her a cheer she can

use at our next game!

Jordan Barron’s birthday this year is 12-12-12.

She is a Junior and plays basketball here at

Arabia Mountain. She would consider herself

to be self driven, self motivated, and

ambitious. Her favorite subject in school is

dismissal and her least favorite is Physics. In

life, she wants to achieve becoming a middle

school counselor and a talk show host of a

show that she would like to call “Jordan

Speaks.. After high school, she plans to study

her interests outside of the four walls of an average university, and does plan to attend

school after she discovers what she truly wants

to be. Her favorites include green, the movie

“The Wood,” cinnamon toast crunch, and

laughter.

Casey Neal is the RAMpage’s Chief

Photographer for the 2012-

2013 school year. He got

the job because he has a

fancy camera and loves

photography. He also loves

Instagram and Twitter, but

he hates homework. His

goal is to be president in

2036. #casey4president2036

Aiyana Parks is a senior at AMHS.

She enjoys writing and inspires to

one day become an Editor and

Chief of a fashion magazine. She

prefers to be called Yani and her

favorite color is blue. Her hobbies

include playing volleyball,

shopping and hanging with friends.

She is currently a news editor for

the rampage and is aslo involved in

FBLA, FCCLA, and Yearbook!

Noely Escorza was born on August 16, 1995 at

Grady Memorial Hospital

to Margarita, who is a

native of San Luis,

Mexico. She is 16 years

old and has three sisters

and three brothers. She

loves to cook, especially

enchiladas. She plays

forward in soccer

alongside her best friend

Kiera. In the future, she wants to go to Georgia

Gwinnett College and

major in Forensic Science.

She hopes to be in the FBI

as well.

Taliyah Knight is a senior at

Arabia Mountain High School.

When she graduates she wants to

attend Clark Atlanta University.

Her role model is her mother who

is teaching her how to be more

independent and behave like an

adult. Taliyah wants to own

several houses in Georgia, Florida

and New York when she gets

older. She is most passionate

about doing hair. Her favorite

song of the moment is “Way too

Gone” by Young Jeezy featuring

Future. A random fact about

Taliyah is her boyfriend is Daniel

Simmons and she loves him very

much.

She maybe 4’11 ½ but

she is a senior here at

Arabia Mountain High

School and her name is

Kiera Hogan. She is 17 years old and will be 18

on September 16. Her

interests include writing

and playing soccer. Her

favorite color is hot pink,

Kiera also is a huge fan

of rock music Kiera’s

favorite TV shows are

true bloods and vampire

Diaries. Kiera wants to

attend University of

Florida or Kennesaw State and major in

journalism. After college

she wants to write her

own book and do sports

journalism.

Aaliyah Brielle Copeland is a senior here

at Arabia Mountain. She was born on

December 28, 1994. She recently changed

her favorite color from green to orange.

She is on the Varsity Cheerleading Team

and enjoys spending time with her friends.

After High school, she wants to attend the

University of Florida and major in Public

Relations and Broadcast Journalism. She is

the Managing Editor of the RAMpage and

is also in Beta Club and FBLA.