2013-14 Volume 5: March

INSIDE
→ Spring Musical, “Once on this Island,” page 3
→ Fashion trends for spring, page 7
→ Just a Chat with Misty King, page 8
→Best of Birmingham: BBQ Ribs, page 18
→The debate over AP classes, page 20
Spartan Swag
takes state page 10
the Sword & Shield
Vol. XLVIII No. 5 Mountain Brook High School March 21, 2014
Beginning of the end for softball’s Senior Cinco
By BROOKE TUCKER
Staff Writer
We all have those long- lost teammates from
our tee-ball days that we have drifted away from
throughout the years. Did you know that there are
five Lady Spartan softball players that have played
together since the first grade? They like to call them-selves
“The Senior Cinco.” Through thick and thin,
these girls have always stuck together when everyone
else grew out of their softball stage.
The members of this elite group are Anne Pey-ton
Baker, Rebecca Blitz, Neil McDonald, Grace
Morrissette, and Courtney Shea. It all started
when these five girls played together in the Moun-tain
Brook Recreational League as children. Most
of them went to different elementary schools and
softball brought them together. Ever since then they
have created a friendship pact that will last a life-time.
When everyone started to drop softball as an
extracurricular activity, they continued their playing
days together at the Junior High.
“This is when we really started to become close,”
said Morrissette. “Everyone started to lose interest
in softball, but we all shared a common love for the
sport which made it so much easier to get along.”
First 2014 mens golf tournament
heats up after an icy start
By COKE MATTHEWS
Staff Writer
The MBHS boys golf team had
hopes for a hot start to the 2014
season, but the weather conditions
at the West Alabama Classic, their
first tournament of the year, made all
starts ice cold.
On March 3, the boys varsity
golf team arrived at the par-72 Ol’
Colony course in Tuscaloosa to
play a round of golf in 35-degree
weather with a wind chill factor of a
hand-numbing 25 degrees.
The team started slowly as the
cold weather affected their play, but
rallied with a strong second round.
“I’m really proud of how we bounced
back from the weather in the sec-ond
round. With 117 players at the
tournament, only seven broke 80. We
rebounded in the second round with
the lowest team score, which really
helped us,” explained Coach Benny
Eaves.
The Spartans began the second
round of this annual tournament
tied for fifth, but led by the low score
of 71 by junior Michael Brown, the
team’s total of 297 propelled them to
a third place finish for the tourna-ment.
Only Spain Park and Auburn
finished ahead of the MBHS team in
the 25 team tournament. As for indi-vidual
scores, senior Taylor Eyster,
who has signed a golf scholarship at
UAB, and freshman Ben Fuller led
the Spartans, each with a two-round
stroke total of 157. Brown also fin-ished
with a 159, while sophomore
Jonathan Eyster shot a 167 and ju-nior
Wilson Simmons carded a 168.
The team’s second competition of
the season was held March 14 and 15
in Auburn at the Joe King Memorial
Invitational. Once again the team
started slowly, although Michael
Brown’s opening round of 73 helped
anchor the team.
Taylor Eyster’s one-under-par,
71, led a second round rally as the
MBHS team climbed back up the
leaderboard to finish second to the
powerful Spain Park team.
Brown finished tied for sixth over-all
and was named to the All-Tour-nament
team, and after the round he
said, “Our team score improved by
See “Golf tournament,” continued on page 13
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth DeAtkine
From left to right: Anne Peyton Baker, Rebecca
Blitz, Neil McDonald, Grace Morrissette, and Court-ney
Shea.
After a quick two years of playing softball at the
Junior High, they are now in their fourth and final
year as senior Lady Spartans playing for the High
School team.
The unique quality of the Senior Cinco is that
their friendship has expanded beyond just the
softball diamond. These girls have built privileged
relationships that not many teammates get to expe-rience.
“What most people don’t understand is that for
us, it’s not just working as a team and coopera-tion
that bring us together,” said McDonald. “Even
though our friendship started with softball, we all
hang out other than softball too.”
“We all have silly nicknames and inside jokes with
each other,” said Blitz. “I’ve definitely had some crazy
times with these girls. But there’s still more fun to
come. It’s not over yet.”
A few of “The Senior Cinco” have already com-mitted
to playing softball in college. Blitz has
committed to play at Indiana University. Shea has
committed to play at Auburn University. Blitz and
Shea are anxious to see what there is in store for
them after they graduate high school.
“We’ve been through a lot,” said Shea. “I can’t
even imagine what it’s going to be like without them
after High School.”
Even though the these girls are sad to know that
their playing days with the ones they’ve always been
with are coming to an end, they still have one more
season to savor their time together. Stay tuned, “The
Senior Cinco” promise a season to remember.
George Chamoun: MBHS’s
very own techno-guru
Photo courtesy of Joseph Chamoun
George Chamoun discusses the propect of a Birmingham NBA team with a local news
organization.
By NATALIE JONES
Staff Writer
While many MBHS students may
look forward to a nice nap at the
end of a long school day, relaxing
is the last thing on junior George
Chamoun’s mind as he leaves school.
As other students hit the track or
gym, Chamoun heads straight for
the nearest computer.
“Once school lets out, I am able
to get back to working on designing
websites,” said Chamoun.
Chamoun admits to always being
interested in technology, but it was
really his love for sports that allowed
him to begin producing websites in
the first place.
“I’ve always wanted Birmingham
to have its own NBA team, so I start-ed
a Twitter feed based on the idea.
Eventually someone created a web-site
based on my Twitter account,
and from there things really began to
take off,” explained Chamoun.
Chamoun’s Twitter account,
@NBABirmingham, reached over
3,000 followers within the first week
of its launch. Along with creating
one of Birmingham’s most popu-lar
Twitter feeds at the age of 15,
See “George Chamoun,” continued on page 6
News: 2-3 Features: 4-9 Sports: 10-16 Reviews: 17-18 Opinions: 19-20

2news
Letter from the editors
The Sword & Shield
Co-Editor-in-Chief: Olivia Burton
Co-Editor-in-Chief: Rick Lewis
Art & Photography Editor: Claire Davis
News Editor: Kary Reynolds
Sports Editor: Alec Lewis
Features Editor: Ben Jackson
Opinions Editor: Mary Nix Roberson
Reviews Editor: Brooks Glover
Business Manager: Mathilde Sharman
Managing Editor: Sarah Michel
Staff Writers
Sponsors: Ms. Catherine Lowe and Mr. Peter Perez
Letters to the Editors Policy
The Sword & Shield welcomes Letters to the Editors from its readers. We re-serve
the right to edit any letters for grammar, length, or libel; however, the
meaning will be preserved. Whenever possible, changes made with a letter will
be discussed with the author prior to publication. All letters must be signed, but
names may be withheld upon request. Email letters to gosands@gmail.com.
The Sword & Shield
Mountain Brook High School
3650 Bethune Drive
Mountain Brook, AL 35223
Telephone: (205) 414-3800
Fax: (205) 969-8113
Printing made possible by
Alabama Web Press
1793 Eva Road
Cullman, AL 35055
Telephone: (256) 734-5104
John Cooper
Will Davis
Chandler Gory
Margaret Heath
Natalie Jones
Scott Lepley
Caroline Lowe
Coke Matthews
Frances Hancock
Chamblee Shufflebarger
John Sisson
Brooke Tucker
Daniel Bolus
Madeline Mitchell
Maddie Sheffield
Friday, March 21, 2014
The Sword & Shield
Relay for Life Talent Show:
an annual hit
By WILL DAVIS
Staff Writer
Mountain Brook’s Relay for
Life talent show took place on
March 11 in the Fine Arts Cen-ter.
The event is one of the key
parts of the annual fundraiser,
committed to raising money
for the American Cancer Soci-ety.
“This is only the third year
that the talent show has been
put on, but it has already be-come
a huge hit at the high
school.” Co-chair Catherine
Kinney said. There were 18
total acts for this event.
“It was for a really good
cause,” commented sopho-more
Kaylyn Greene, who
performed and wrote the song
“Lens of Eternity.” The acts con-sisted
of a variety of different
songs and performances.
Most acts covered popular
songs, while others were writ-ten
by the participants them-selves.
Some of the acts were
“Ring of Fire,” performed by se-nior
Sam Cochran and junior
Sidnie Adair; “Alabama” by
junior Bill Perry; and “Lucky”
performed by juniors Mary
Kathryn Parrott and Stephen
Little.
While the performances
were entertaining, the main
goal of the event was to raise
money for a worthwhile cause,
Picture by Will Davis
John Cooper performs a cover of “Say
Something” with Lottice Taylor.
which the show successfully ac-complished,
raising $2,278 for
cancer research.
The final goal for Relay
for Life this year is to raise
$275,000. The money generat-ed
from this event will go far
towards reaching that overall
goal. The Relay for Life event
will take place on April 4 at
Spartan Stadium.
Lately, the weather has decided to
play along to Katy Perry’s 2008 hit,
“Hot N Cold.” One day the sun is out,
the air is warm, and Spring waves
from across the street; the next day
is cold, clammy, and winteresque. It’s
about time for nice weather.
In fact, tomorrow you’ll probably
be setting off to some exotic paradise
on the other side of the globe, or you
may just be chilling back in Birming-ham
(it’s actually not as bad as it
sounds).
Members of The Sword & Shield
staff have been putting their noses to
the grindstone, working fastidiously
to find the best eateries for ribs, the
best spring break road trips, and the
best smoothies, along with many
other interesting articles to peruse.
But finally it seems as though
spring has peeked its little head out
of its warm, grassy burrow, like a
Whack-Amole at the local Chuck-E-Cheese;
yet, spring has been teasing
us lately, retreating before the mallet
slams down.
In any case, we at The Sword
& Shield wish you safe travels (or
non-travels), warm weather, and
even tans on all of your Spring Break
adventures.
Thanks for reading,
Rick and Olivia

The Sword & Shield
new3s By FRANCES HANCOCK
Staff Writer
The high school theatre hosts
numerous shows during the school
year, including the Relay for Life
talent show, Unplugged, and the
various choir shows. Now the
theatre is preparing for yet another
display of our school’s performers.
Rehearsals for this year’s spring
musical, titled “Once on This Is-land,”
have already begun, and the
students and faculty involved are
hard at work to get ready.
“I’m so excited for this year. It’s
my final musical and I could not
have asked for better people to be
surrounded by,” says senior Han-nah
Mouyal.
Tickets for the show will be
around ten dollars. Running times
for the musical will begin on
Thursday, April 10 at 7:00 pm, fol-lowed
by a performance on Friday,
April 11 at 9:00 a.m. for elementary
students. There will be additional
shows at 7:30 p.m. on April 12, at
2:00 p.m. on April 13, and the show
will close on Monday, April 14 at
7:00 p.m.
“I think it is a very colorful show
and has a great storyline; you get
really involved when you watch it!”
says senior Hannah Williams.
“Once on This Island,” writ-ten
by Lynn Ahrens, is set in the
French Antilles of the Caribbean
Sea and chronicles the story and
struggle of a young girl named Ti
Moune, played by Mouyal, who
falls in love with a boy of a higher
social class named Daniel Beaux-homme,
played by fellow senior
Reid Parrott.
“Our theme this year deals with
multi-culturalism and diversity
and dealing with the fact that the
world would be a much happier
place if we all got along and worked
together,” says theatre teacher Mr.
Jesse Tilton.
The story follows Ti Moune as
she travels across the island and
battles the social barriers in order
to prove to Papa Ge, the Demon
of Death-played by junior Hunter
Stanley-that love is stronger than
death.
“I love being a part of the en-semble
because it is a great group
of people and I hope that everyone
will come because it is going to be
a great show!” added sophomore
Sophia Giovanelli.
Not just another musical: Once on this Island
Photo by Frances Hancock
Stars Hannah Mouyal, Coleman Escue, and Hannah Williams rehearse with other cast members for this year’s performance.

4Features Friday, March 21, 2014
The Sword & Shield
Top Ten completely unusual things to do over Spring Break
By DANIEL BOLUS
Staff Writer
As others are journeying across
America, or even across the world, on
magical adventures through nature
and history, some are not as fortunate.
Some, like me, will be twiddling their
thumbs at home just hoping they can
find some outlet to cure their bore-dom.
This article goes out to you. Here
are just a few activities that might
engage your fancies:
1. Learn how to write with your
non-dominant hand
This activity will not only engage
your brain, but will prove useful in
case your dominant writing hand is
amputated in the future. It will take a
lot of practice, but you have all week
and the benefits are limitless. If you
have already perfected this task, try
writing with both hands at the same
time.
2. Start a week-long Business
Whether for selfish motives or
fundraising for Relay for Life, becom-ing
an entrepreneur for a week can be
loads of fun. Some ideas for “business-es”
include selling duct tape wallets,
babysitting your neighbor’s annoying
kids, or even buying and reselling
items at thrift stores.
3. Become a YouTube sensation
Ok, maybe not the biggest sensa-tion,
but at least work on a video that
could have the potential to be one. You
have all week to record and edit, an
opportunity that few people of any age
have. Seize the moment. I’m sure there
are plenty of embarrassing things you
can do that will cause people to laugh,
including but not limited to waving to
strangers on the interstate.
4. Sleep outside for a change
Enjoy the stars. It may not be quite
the wilderness adventure you may
hope for, but there is plenty of beau-ty
to our deciduous forest that many
people often overlook. If you want to
enhance the experience, build a fire
pit and roast marshmallows. You can
never go wrong with s’mores.
5. Baby your car
You have probably not given it the
attention it deserves during your busy
school schedule. Take your extra time
and baby it. Give it a nice car wash,
clean out the interior, and find some
air freshener that will keep your car
from smelling like teenage angst.
6. Perfect your handstand
ability
You never know when this may be
useful in the future. Whether to im-press
people at parties or some other
unique opportunity, it’s always a good
skill to have up your sleeve.
7. Job search
I don’t mean jobs you can do as a
teenager. I mean actually look at jobs
that you might want to consider doing
in the future, and take the time to re-search
more about them. This way, you
can better prepare for your future.
8. Take a three hour walk with your
friends
Ok, it doesn’t have to be three
hours, and it’s much more exciting
than it sounds. By forcing your friends
to go on such a long journey, you will
immediately become more connect-ed
and will find out a lot about each
other that you might not have known
otherwise.
9. Read long chains of Wikipedia
articles on a subject of interest
Wikipedia is your friend on most
occasions other than research papers.
It has loads of useful information, and
if you get on a string of articles that
interest you, your learning opportuni-ties
are boundless.
Cartoon hastily scribbled by Rick Lewis
10. Learn a musical instrument
Learning a musical instrument can
lead to hours of self-entertainment
and years of practical situations where
you can apply your musical talents.
For example, you never know when
whipping out a guitar in the middle of
the mall could lead you to becoming a
superintendent (#drwilson).

The Sword & Shield
Featur5es Which car is right for you? S&S staff favorites
By CHANDLER GORY
Staff Writer
Buying a car can be an exciting but chal-lenging
experience. With many types of cars
available now, it can be hard to decide which
car is the right one for you. Some of the top-ranked
vehicles offered today are reliable,
safe, and get good gas mileage. For students
getting their licenses and first cars, these fac-tors
should be helpful as you decide what car
you may be interested in driving.
The Honda CR-V(1), a top-of-the-line
SUV, is pretty fantastic. With abundant pas-senger
and cargo room, a good fuel economy,
and user-friendly controls, the CR-V is a
great choice for a first car. The CR-V gets 23
MPG in the city and 31 MPG on the highway,
it’s incredibly reliable (earning a score of 4/5),
and it scored well on its crash safety tests. Not
only can parents put their trust in the CRV,
this SUV is enjoyable to drive. For a student,
it would be an incredible choice for a first car.
If an SUV doesn’t interest you, maybe a
truck will. The Ford F-150 (2) is at the top
of its class, with a compelling engine lineup
and the largest selection of variations in this
class. The Ford F-150 also includes numer-ous
convenience features that make it nice to
drive. Its MPG is 17/23 city/highway and it
has an overall reliability of a 3/5. The F-150
also scored well in all of its crash safety tests.
Because the F-150 is a safe and smooth ride,
this truck a great choice for someone who is
interested in having a truck for their first car.
Are you interested in a sedan? Consider
the Audi A4 (3), which gets an average MPG
of 34/32 city/highway, scored well on crash
safety tests, and has a rating of 4/5. The Audi
A4 has a high-quality cabin, good fuel econo-my,
and sporty handling. Not to mention, it’s
less expensive than German rivals. This sedan
would make an exceptional and trendy choice
for a first car. The A4 not only looks nice, but
it’s safe and efficient too.
For someone interested in a hatchback, the
Mazda MAZDA3 (4) is an excellent choice.
It gets a MPG of 29/40 city/highway, and its
reliability is an overall 3/5. This hatchback
has precise handling, excellent fuel economy,
quick acceleration, and refined interior with
intuitive controls. Many advanced features
are also available. On top of this, the Mazda
MAZDA3 also scored well on its crash safety
tests. This safe and efficient hatchback still
1 2
manages to look clean-cut and sleek. It would
make a great choice for a first car, especially
considering its fantastic fuel economy. The
Mazda MAZDA3 would please both parents
and students.
Finally, the Toyota RAV4 (5) is a popular
choice for those who prefer crossovers. With
its MPG of 24/31 city/highway and overall
reliability of 4/5, it makes for an excellent first
car. The RAV4 crossover features a roomy
interior for both people and cargo. It also
strikes a good balance between a comfortable
ride and sure-footed handling. The RAV4
scored well on crash safety tests, so parents
don’t need to be concerned about safety. If
you’re interested in a crossover, the RAV4 is a
near perfect choice for a first-time driver.
Hopefully, you were able to find at least
one car on this list that seemed to suit you.
All of the cars listed are high quality choices
for a first car, though buying a car can be
daunting. Of course, if your parents are buy-ing
you a first car, they ultimately will decide
what they want you to drive. On the flip side,
if you need to buy your own car, many used
cars can be great rides with excellent MPG
and solid safety features. Various Honda
and Toyota models are often affordable and
great on the wallet. Whatever you drive, just
remember to be safe and enjoy the freedom
your car gives you.
3
4
5
Photo credits:
1. betterparts.org
2. thetorquereport.com
3. motorauthority.com
4. autos.aol.com
5. beachblvdofcars.com

The Sword & Shield
George Chamoun (p. 1)
Chamoun also received a lot of sup-port
for his idea.
“I was surprised by how much
support I got from everyone, and my
friends really helped me to spread
the word around the community,”
said Chamoun.
Junior Sam Harmon helped
Chamoun campaign for the idea by
creating t-shirts and tweeting the
@NBABirmingham Twitter account
to get more people from the student
body involved.
“Chamoun had a really great idea,
and it was fun getting to help him
share his idea with the community”
Harmon said.
Chamoun continued to cam-paign,
and media outlets from all
over the Birmingham area featured
Chamoun’s idea as more people from
the Birmingham area expressed their
support.
“I met with Mayor William Bell
to discuss the idea, and a couple
of newspapers and local channels
also picked up on the story,” said
Chamoun.
Even though debate over Bir-mingham
getting its own NBA team
eventually died down, Chamoun’s
interest in technology and website
layout continued to grow. From the
techniques used to create his first
website, Chamoun began to create
more online sports pages.
“A lot of companies saw my first
website and asked me to create a
similar website for their sports blog.
I gained more and more costumers
with each website I created, and I
have even had non-sports related
companies asking me to create them
a website,” said Chamoun.
Chamoun has already created 5
official sports websites, and he is cur-rently
designing a few new websites.
Chamoun estimates his monthly
profits to be about $1000 in revenue
from all his websites combined.
Looking towards the future,
Chamoun hopes to continue to
explore computer science technolo-gies
while increasing the amount and
variety of websites he creates.
“It’s really amazing how every-thing
started with something as
simple as a Twitter account. I have
experienced a lot of incredible op-portunities
all because of my interest
in both sports and computer tech-nology.
I really hope my business
continues to grow,” said Chamoun.
Relay for Life update
By ANNE PEYTON BAKER
Event Director
TWO WEEKS from today is Relay
for Life 2014!
There is much to be done before
the night of Relay comes our way!
Yesterday the MBHS male faculty wore
kilts in honor of reaching the “Luck of
MBHS” fundraising goal: Mountain
Brook now has a total of over 1,100
participants online along with a little
over $50,000 raised online. While this
is an exciting achievement, Mountain
Brook Relay for Life still has a good bit
of fundraising to do in order to reach
the $275,000 event goal!
What are some good, last minute
fundraising strategies? It is certainly
never too late to start fundraising, and
there are several easy ways to keep
up the fundraising even over spring
break!
1. SEND EMAILS: Simply log onto
your Relay For Life account, click the
“Go Fundraise” orange button, select
emails and eCards, and enter the re-cipients’
email addresses!
Did you know that over $75,000
of our total profit last year came from
email fundraising? Only 42/1,100 par-ticipants
from Mountain Brook’s event
have sent emails so far this year. Be
sure to send your emails soon! Statis-tics
show that donors give on average
60% larger donations online than
offline- so not only are emails easier to
send, they are much more profitable!
2. SELL LUMINARIA: Luminaria
are displayed around the track and lit
during the Luminaria Ceremony. Each
paper bag ($10), engraved tiki torch
($100), and sky lantern ($50) is given
in honor of someone who has had
cancer.
Any money earned from Luminar-ia
sales goes towards your team and
individual fundraising goals.
**Sky Lanterns and Tiki Torches are
not available to be sold online- forms
for these options are available in the
front office!
The Relay for Life Committee has
an exciting schedule for Relay “Home-coming”
Week.
MONDAY, MARCH 31:
Powerbuff Volleyball! Be sure to come
watch the guys compete in a volley-ball
tournament starting at 5:30pm in
Spartan Arena. Admission is $5 and,
of course, all proceeds go towards our
event goal!
TUESDAY, APRIL 1:
Bank night! All team captains or
another team representative MUST
stop by the MBHS mall sometime
from 5:00pm-8:00pm to turn in
team money, collect team t-shirts
and wristbands, and choose their
team campsite for the night of
Relay!
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2:
Team Fundraiser Night! Be sure to
go out and support any team fund-raisers
happening this evening.
If you have a fundraiser planned
for this night and would like help
advertising or finding a location
for your fundraiser, please email
mcguirek@mtnbrook.k12.al.us.
THURSDAY, APRIL 3:
Wear purple to school!
FRIDAY, APRIL 4:
Wear your team shirts to school
and come to Relay for Life 2014 at
4pm!
The Relay for Life committee
and community is so excited about
the Relay for Life this year! Our
community has never ceased to
amaze in standing up to cancer,
and we know that this year will be
no exception. As a community, we
CAN finish the fight against cancer
once and for all! See you April 4!

The Sword & Shield
Featur7es Spring trends from New York Fashion Week to the mall
By MATHILDE SHARMAN
Business Manager
As the fashion world looks to
Summer and Fall 2014 fashion, it’s
time to get caught up on your look
for Spring 2014. The powers that be
in the fashion world spoke on the
runways of the 2014 Spring Mer-cedes
Benz Fashion Week in New
York, and fashion editors suited up
to give fashion zealots a running
start into warm weather fashion.
Glamour Magazine debriefed
fashion trends after New York,
reporting that pastels (yes, I know)
are hip for spring. However, if
you’ve spent your fashion life
hiding from Eastery, pasty pastels,
have no fear. Editors at Glamour
recommended trying varying
pieces to see the style and youth of
a soft pastel.
At New York’s Fashion Week,
models played to the daring side of
pastels in purple. Designer Rebec-ca
Taylor paired a light blue pastel
jacket with white cropped pants,
which could easily be switched with
your favorite white jeans to bright-en
a spring day.
Editors at Elle Magazine focused
on sheerer pieces—a hot new trend
for spring. But understand that the
gals at NY Fashion Week made sure
their sheer was more alluring than
rude. Phillip Lim Spring’s brunette
model worked an elegant yet won-derfully
daring white frock. This
piece is run-way worthy but won’t
earn you a scowl from any disap-proving
elders.
New York Fashion Week went
back in time with culottes, a French
pant, following the wide leg pant
trend of Spring. Harper’s Bazaar
noted Designer Diego Zuko, who
harkened back to a time of haughty
aristocrats. Louis XVI of France
was a fan of the pants Zuko has
womanized and modernized. End-ing
just below the ankles, these fun
and sporty pants perfectly compli-ment
the wedges you’ve been dying
to wear.
Best wishes as you advance into
the warm weather fashion fun.
From pastels to sheer to Louis’
hand-me-downs, enjoy the world of
spring fashion before it’s gone.
Junior Natalie Jones is ready to
bring out her spring clothes and
enjoy the Spring trends. “I’m excit-ed
to start wearing brighter colors,
since we’ve been wearing dark
colors and heavier clothes with all
the cold weather.”
Top photos by Mathilde Sharman, bottom photo by Ann Balkovetz
Top: Sophomores Mary Claire Ritchie and Maggie Hightower sport the spring trend of patterns.
Middle: Ann Balkovetz looks forward to wearing her polka dotted sneakers as we move into warmer weather.
Bottom: Senior Sophie Johnston loves her bold patterned pants in black and white.

The Sword & Shield
By MADELINE MITCHELL
Staff Writer
Despite her claim of a dull life, the
Sword & Shield found out the strang-est
thing to have ever happened in
Misty King’s classroom, her favorite
color, and more in an interview with
Mountain Brook High School’s favor-ite
AP Biology teacher.
Sword & Shield: Hi Mrs. King! What
were you like in high school?
Mrs. King: I have always been some-one
who loved school. I was a very
good student and always did well. I
always made it a priority to do well in
school. I didn’t miss even one day of
high school my entire four years that
I was there. I actually got an award for
that in the 12th grade. I also enjoyed
extracurriculars such as cross country
and various clubs at school.
S&S: What is the strangest thing to ever
happen in your classroom?
MK: I once had a student bring her
kitten to school in her purse. This did
not happen here at Mountain Brook.
S&S: Poor cat. What do enjoy doing in
your free time?
MK: I mainly enjoy being with my
family, running, and reading a lot. I
also enjoy being with friends. And I’m
a diver. I’ve been diving all over the
Caribbean. I enjoy traveling and being
involved with my church. I really enjoy
my small group with my church.
S&S: Since you enjoy reading, what’s
your favorite book?
MK: My ultimate favorite book of all
time is Pride and Prejudice. I read it in
high school, and it’s my favorite thing
that I’ve ever read. It’s just a beautiful
story.
S&S: What is your favorite food?
MK: My favorite type of food is a toss-up
between sushi and Mediterranean
food. I really like anything from Tazi-ki’s
or Nabeel’s, but I love them both.
S&S: I’m with you on that. What was
your favorite subject in school?
MK: I guess my favorite subject was
science, but it wasn’t always my best.
My best was always, for sure, literature.
I still did well in science, but it wasn’t
my best. It was the most enjoyable to
me because it was probably my biggest
challenge.
S&S: What kind of music do you enjoy
listening to?
MK: Well, I really don’t listen to music
all that often. I prefer talk radio or
podcasts. When I do listen to mu-sic,
I listen to a lot of contemporary
Christian like NeedToBreathe kind of
artists.
S&S: What made you become a teach-er?
MK: I never thought that I’d be a
teacher. Ever. Even growing up, ever. I
had [my career] planned out. I would
go to pharmacy school and then work
as a nuclear pharmacist. While at
Samford I worked at a CVS for 2 years
and decided that I could not work in a
pharmacy for the rest of my life! I had
an incredible professor once I changed
my major to biology. Her name was
Dr. McLaughlin. I had never enjoyed
a class so much in my life. She really
knew how to engage us, and we knew
that she truly cared about our success.
It really made me enjoy the actual
aspect of helping others understand
science. That was when I decided to
get my master’s in education and be-come
a teacher. I want to see students
succeed and enjoy learning.
Now that I have been in the classroom
for a while, I can't see myself doing
anything else. I never thought I would
do it, but it’s been incredible. I love
what I do.
S&S: Why biology?
MK: I chose biology as a major
because I enjoyed learning about
how things work. Whether that is
organisms and their environment or
how the human body works, I find it
interesting. Science has always been a
fascinating and challenging subject for
me. It is always changing so there is
always something new to learn.
S&S: From senior James Lott, what is
your favorite color and why?
MK: My favorite color is blue just be-cause
I like it. Why did he ask me my
favorite color?
S&S: You’d have to ask him that one.
Do you have any pets?
MK: I do. I have two dogs and a cat.
Mia and Bear are my dogs, and Luke is
my cat.
S&S: What is the best thing that has
ever happened to you?
MK: I would say the best thing that’s
ever happened to me was meeting my
husband. That’s cheesy isn’t it?
S&S: No! It’s sweet. If you could give
one piece of advice to a large group of
people, what would it be?
MK: I would tell them not to take
anything for granted. We have a lot to
be thankful for.
S&S: Always very important to remem-ber.
Thank you for your time Mrs. King!
Just a chat with Mrs. Misty King
Photo by Madeline Mitchell
Mountain Brook’s favorite AP Biology teacher also happens to be a skilled diver.

The Sword & Shield
Featur9es Stuck in town?
.....................
The Sword & Shield’s top three Alabama day
trips will keep you busy over Spring Break.
By MADDIE SHEFFIELD
Staff Writer
Stuck in Birmingham for Spring Break?
If you are just itching to escape the bubble
but can’t, then daytrips are the thing for you.
A road trip gives you all the enjoyment of
going somewhere new and sleeping in your
house the same day. Plus, the drive is not
long or hard. If you are stuck at home this
break, consider taking a road trip.
Unclaimed Baggage Center
Have you ever wondered where the lost baggage from the airport
goes? It’s shipped only two hours and fifteen minutes from Birming-ham
to 509 W Willow St, Scottsboro, AL 35768. The Unclaimed
Baggage Center is like the ultimate thrift store. All of the things
people think are important enough to take on a trip are found in
this center. Everything from wedding dresses to expensive applianc-es
to your favorite movies is for sale.
On Monday through Friday, the store is open from 9:00 A.M. to
6:00 P.M., and on Saturday, the doors open an hour earlier but close
at the same time. Senior Shirazeh Rogers says, “This place seems so
cool! I can’t wait to see what I can find!”
If you only have a little money and are prepared to search for
hours for the greatest find, you needs must drive to Scottsboro, Ala-bama
and dig through the warehouse of abandoned luggage.
Cheaha State Park
Are you looking to enjoy the warmth and nature this break? If you
are, then Cheaha State Park is the place to go. It’s located in Northwest
Alabama and is only an hour and a half from Birmingham, twelve miles
south of I-20 and off of State Highway 281.
The park opens its gates at seven in the morning and doesn’t close until
sundown, so you can have a full day’s worth of adventures. Plus, the cost is
only three dollars per person. But, the best part of this trip is climbing the
highest peak in Alabama. The mount looms 2,407 feet above sea level and
is part of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Senior Mary Virginia Adams says, “Towering over all of Alabama is
a feeling you can get nowhere else! It’s wonderful!” You can get the same
feeling at this inexpensive and easy daytrip.
There is no excuse for staying at home this Spring Break. Get off Net-flix;
don’t start Breaking Bad. Instead, gather all the other staycation-ers
and get in the car. There is shopping to do and wilderness to see.
Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls
Did you ever know there was a place where you could see seven states
at once? Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Alabama can all be seen from Lookout Mountain in Chat-tanooga
Tennessee. Senior John Tully says, “I think I would really enjoy
seeing all those states, and you couldn’t find that anywhere else!”
After you’ve seen the view, you can go see the beauty that is Ruby Falls.
Only a short walk away from the mountain, Ruby Falls is one of the ten
most incredible cave waterfalls on Earth. If you want to see these two
beautiful natural wonders, all you have to do is drive two and a half hours
from Birmingham to just six miles outside the city of Chattanooga.

SWAG
WINS
CHAMPIONSHIPS
60-57
BACK TO BACK

By ALEC LEWIS
Sports Editor
Bucky McMillan, the two time state championship winning coach of the Mountain
Brook basketball team, is the man behind the madness that is Mountain Brook’s “swag.”
Call it what you want. “Bucky ball,” “Swag ball,” and even “the full court press” are
terms to define the tenacity that the Spartans display each time they take the court, but in
reality, it’s just hard-nosed basketball.
“We play fearless every time we step on the court; we don’t worry about what the per-son
at school thinks if we miss a shot or what the city thinks of us on the court,” McMil-lan
said. “We worry about being the hardest working, hardest playing, and most fearless
basketball team.”
Years ago, when McMillan played at Mountain Brook, he starred and was able to earn
himself a scholarship at Birmingham Southern (which was Division 1 at the time). After
his stint with the Panthers, McMillan coached AAU teams and hung around basketball,
but he always had a dream of being a high school coach.
Many fans of Mountain Brook basketball don’t understand the helter-skelter style of
substitutions and press, but each move is calculated, which sets McMillan apart from all
of the rest.
“Back when I played, there were players that never got playing time, but you knew
they were good at a specific something, such as three point shooting,” said McMillan.
“So I remembered wondering why those guys would only play when we needed a three
towards the end of the game, and that inspired me to do what we do, which is to employ
the strengths that we have.”
Coaches, players, and other teams rave about Coach McMillan. Even Dallas County’s
head coach, Willie Moore, said, “We were ready for Madison County’s press, because we
played Mountain Brook, and nobody presses you like Mountain Brook.”
Recently, Coach McMillan was named as the 6A All State Coach of the Year, while
while senior Patrick Keim received Second Team State honors.
The press, the intensity, and the amount of effort have given the Spartans an identity,
and with that identity the expectations will be raised, although Coach McMillan isn’t at
all concerned.
To Coach McMillan, the one quote which really defines Mountain Brook and Moun-tain
Brook basketball and even provides hope to all people is the late Nelson Mandela’s
statement that “It always seems impossible, until it’s done.”
Two straight 6A championships should be enough to cement his legacy, but Bucky
McMillan and the Spartans are hoping to continue building their newfound dynasty next
season.
Photos by Ben Jackson, Layout and Design by Olivia Burton

1Sp2orts Friday, March 21, 2014
The Sword & Shield
What to watch for in the 2014 Birmingham Barons season
By JOHN SISSON
Staff Writer
On March 26, the reigning South-ern
League Champion Birmingham
Barons will play their toughest game
of the season. The Class Double-A
Barons will face off against their
major league affiliate, the Chicago
White Sox.
The game starts at 6:00 pm at
Regions Field, which is in its second
year as the home of the Barons. The
new state-of-the-art ballpark has
wonderful views of the city skyline,
and a great fan-friendly atmosphere.
Junior Lindsey Kirk said, “The new
Regions Field combines the luxury
of a major league park with lower
costs, less crowded stands, and a
beautiful view.”
The Barons roster is not set yet,
but the talent in the White Sox orga-nization
should produce a very com-petitive
Barons team that could win
a second straight Southern League
title under Julio Vinas, who once
again leads the Barons as manager.
Without a doubt, a night at the
ballpark to watch the Barons could
be a great date idea or could be fun
for a group of friends. Attendance
will surely be very high again as last
year was a record breaking year for
the Barons box office. The Barons
lead the Southern League in atten-dance
for the entire season. Tickets
for the exhibition and regular season
games are on sale with average pric-es
around $14-28 dollars.
Opening Day for Southern
League games is April 9 as the Bar-ons
take on the Jacksonville Suns.
The Rickwood Classic at the oldest
ballpark in America begins at 12:30
pm on May 28. On July 4, after the
game against the Tennessee Smok-ies,
fans can stay after and watch the
fireworks over Red Mountain, or on
Friday night games, there is a free
fireworks show. If you love a good
ballpark hotdog, Tuesday nights are
the best games to come to as they
feature 50 cent hotdogs.
Although Birmingham does not
have its own professional team, the
Barons provide fans with a very
competitive team to cheer for. If you
want to get involved in Birmingham
and start a new activity, going to a
Barons game and supporting the
team is a great idea. The season lasts
throughout the summer, and there
are plenty of home games to see.
Pick up a schedule online at milb.
com; you and your friends will sure-ly
enjoy yourselves.
Photo courtesy of milb.com
The new Regions Park in the heart of downtown Birmingham will open on April 9 for its second season.

The Sword & Shield
Sppoo1rrtt3ss Lady Spartan golf season
underway for spring
By MATHILDE SHARMAN
Business Manager
The golf season is underway for
the lady Spartans. The team started
off the season on February 24th,
traveling to Auburn, Alabama, for
Auburn High School’s Invitation-al
Tournament. The lady Spartans
finished third with a 240, two strokes
more than Hoover and three more
than first place Auburn.
Senior Tatum Jackson, sopho-more
Grace Wann, junior Meg Mc-
Calley, and senior Rhea Nathan shot
70, 81, 89, and 96, respectively. The
lady Spartans have high expectations
for the remainder of the season.
Jackson explained her personal
goals this season and her goals for
the team in general. “My individual
goals for this season are to win every
tournament and to have an even
or under par scoring average. As a
team, I would love to win a fourth
straight State championship.”
Like teammate Jackson, Wann has
her own expectations as a player. “I
want to come out of every tourna-ment
knowing that I gave it every-thing
I had.”
However, the lady Spartans un-derstand
that goals cannot be blindly
set. Junior Meg McCalley explained
what has led to achievement for her
as a team member. “One key to suc-cess
is definitely practicing hard. The
more you get used to different shots,
the easier it is under pressure. It also
helps to know your team. While golf
is usually an individual sport, it’s not
in high school, and you have to work
together.”
Additionally, fellow team member
and freshman Anne Lewis Simmons
explained her perspective on the
challenge of the game as a new mem-ber
of the team. “I just moved from
Lynchburg, Virginia to Mountain
Brook this year. Being on the golf
team has allowed me to make close
bonds with all my teammates and
competitors.
Golf takes a lot of hard work and
dedication to rise to the top—there
aren’t any shortcuts in golf. It’s chal-lenging
physically and mentally, but
especially mentally. Golf prepares
you for challenges in life; you have to
focus on hitting it straight, avoid all
the hazards, and keep a good mental
state. In other words, life will take
you in different directions, but you
have to keep moving forward and
make smart choices.”
As the team advances into the sea-son,
focus will be essential to achiev-ing
continued success on the course.
Golf tournament (p. 1)
Photo courtesy of Allison Brown
Michael Brown (second from left) makes the All-Tournament team with his 159 at
Ol’ Colony Golf Course.
13 shots from day 1 to day 2 which is
a pretty nice improvement.”
The second place finish in this
tournament, combined with the
third place finish the week before,
highlights the potential of this year’s
team.
When asked about the team’s
prospects for the season, Brown said,
“All of us are looking forward to the
next few tournaments and we can’t
wait until the post season. We hope
to make a state championship run.”
The Spartans had no time to rest
over the weekend, though, as they
drove straight to Mobile from Au-burn
to compete in the Azalea City
Invitational in their hopes to ulti-mately
earn a spot in the state cham-pionship
at the end of the season.
Photos by Steve and Amy Jackson (above) &
Mathilde Sharman (right)
Above: The Spartan girls hope to continue
the sucess of previuos years. Right: Junior
Meg McCalley warms up at practice.

1Sp4orts Friday, March 21, 2014
The Sword & Shield
Mountain Brook soccer teams seek state championship
BY SCOTT LEPLEY
Staff Writer
Both the boys and girls varsity soccer teams are off to strong starts
this season with high hopes for state championships. The reigning
state champion girls team is off to a 6-1-4 start and is ranked 5th in
the state, while the boys team stands at 11-1-3 and is ranked 6th in the
state.
The girls team lost 11 seniors from last year’s championship squad
but is still looking strong enough to compete for another state cham-pionship.
Senior Liz Clutton captains the team while junior standouts
AC Gillespy and Maggie Clemmons lead the team in points and
freshman Heitho Shipp locks down the goal.
Girls head coach Scott Flowers said, “We believe the leadership
from our three seniors and strong play from our juniors can take us to
another state championship.” Coach Flowers has won two state cham-pionships
with Mountain Brook in just six full seasons.
The boys team is off to a strong start as well after reaching the Final
Four last season. Senior forwards Austin Garrett and Duncan Mat-thews
lead the team in points while senior defensive backs Ian Ennis
and Russell Cross lead the defense. Cross said, “If we play at the top
of our game, we can beat everybody and take the state tournament.
We’ve got great players all over the field at every position.”
Last Friday, the boys fell at the hands of #1 ranked Vestavia in a
battle of top teams with goalkeeper Paul Roth being injured in the
effort. The boys will have a chance to redeem themselves in a re-match
against the top-ranked Rebels on April 15. The girls also fell to
Vestavia last Friday in a 0-1 defensive battle.
This past Wednesday, the girls redeemed themselves with a 5-2
victory over #7 Prattville. Maggie Clemmons, Carlin Pitman, AC
Gillespy, Lowry Neil, and Laney Smith each had one goal. The boys
team ended their match with Prattville in a 3-3 tie, with goals coming
from Duncan Matthews and Austin Garrett.
Next on the schedule for the girls is a big matchup against #2
Huntsville in Hunt
sville April 1. The boys will return from Spring Break to face Shades
Valley on April 7.
Both boys and girls teams are likely favorites in April’s state play-offs.
The boys team is looking for their first state championship, while
the girls are seeking their third since 2008.
Multiple Spartans are committed to play at a collegiate level as well.
For the girls, Leigh Haynes is committed to Wake Forest, Ansley Joy
Peacock to Auburn, and Clemmons to Vanderbilt. For the boys, Ennis
is headed to Centre College.
Photos courtesy of Image Arts
The boys and girls 2013-2014 teams pose for their team portraits.

Sppoo1rrtt5ss Friday, March 21, 2014
Matthew Casey signs to play
lacrosse at Emmanuel College
By ALEC LEWIS
Sports Editor
Although baseball and football
are the U.S. leaders in played and
watched sports, lacrosse is actually
considered America’s first sport,
according to many historians.
And in recent years in Alabama,
lacrosse has grown extremely
popular, especially in Mountain
Brook.
Lacrosse first became a high
school sport in Mountain Brook
in 2004, and it has since become a
popular college sport that is even
televised on ESPN.
Over the past three years, the
area has produced multiple col-legiate
lacrosse players, including
current senior Matthew Casey,
who will attend Emmanuel Col-lege
in Georgia to play.
“There were many aspects of
Emmanuel College that interest-ed
me, such as their great aca-demic
programs and their very
well-funded sports programs,”
Casey said.
Casey, who first picked up the
sport in fifth grade, was one of
the first to take part in lacrosse at
Mountain Brook, which is ex-tremely
significant for the pro-gram
as a whole.
“Mountain Brook lacrosse
means more to me than just my
love for the sport,” Casey said.
“The memories and people in-volved
in all of my lacrosse years
just mean so much as well.”
Casey hopes his signing will
inspire and instill a work ethic in
others that hope to play collegiate
lacrosse just like he did.
“Because of the success and
enjoyment I’ve had, I recommend
lacrosse to really anyone I meet
who wants to play a new sport,”
said Casey. “The competition, the
enjoyment, and being part of the
team, is something I really enjoy,
and I believe a lot of people would
enjoy that as well.”
This year, Casey and the Spar-tans
look to have another success-ful
year and ultimately compete
for the state championship to send
Matthew out with a bang.
The Sword & Shield
Photo by Alec Lewis
Senior Matthew Casey recently signed to Emmanuel College for lacrosse.
America’s pastime is back in
action as baseball hits area season
By ALEC LEWIS
Sports Editor
With a fresh start and a new
group of seniors, the Mountain
Brook baseball team has created a
new brand of baseball that has been
missing at Mountain Brook High
School for many years.
Senior leaders Peter Berryman, Da-vis
McDougal and Mitch Morrow
have done a fantastic job of wel-coming
in the new group of juniors,
and their goals to compete and have
success in the area and the state
championships are set out.
“I think our team has the talent
and determination necessary to be a
great team,” Berryman said. “We just
need to work hard to sharpen our
skills and remain focused as we enter
area play to accomplish our main
goal which is to win the area.”
So far this season, the Spartans
are off to a solid 13-6 start. With
games against Gardendale, John
Carroll, Chelsea, and others, the
Spartans have seemed to challenge
and really prepare themselves for
area play which started this past
week.
“The season has gone well so far,”
said Head Coach Lee Gann. “It’s still
early, and we’re in our 6th week. We
have some guys that are playing at
a high level such as juniors Hunter
Holcomb and Alan Hale, who are
pitching well, and sophomore Burt
Bellande, who has been a pleasant
surprise for us.”
This past week, the Spartans
matched up against Ben Russell,
who the Spartans defeated 6-0; Fort
Payne, who the Spartans beat 8-2;
and area opponent Shades Valley,
who the Spartans handled 7-4.
“Our team has been focused on
winning area since we began work-outs
last fall, and I think we have a
great shot at it when we are playing
our best,” said Holcomb.
Over the course of this season,
this year’s team has hit 9 home runs,
which already is more than the last
two years combined. Junior Jack
McPherson has hit 4 of those, and
juniors Holcomb and John Eagan
have hit 3 and 2, respectively. Other
juniors such as John Sisson, Parks
Photo courtesy of Ben Breland
Junior catcher, Jack McPherson (above),
loads up as he prepares to hit a home
run against Fort Payne while Tucker Ellis
(below) warms up to play in the field.
Shoulders, Drew Odum, and John
David Kubiszyn as well as Tucker
Ellis, Mac Harris, Bailey Shelfer,
Andrew Autrey, and Sisson have
added key at-bats and pitching
throughout the year.
At press time, the Spartans will
have played Florida’s number 1 and
undefeated Chiles team, and will
have faced off against an area game
against Shades Valley in what is
now the most important part of the
season.
“Leading up until now we’ve been
playing games to prepare us for the
area season, but now that we are
here, these are really the three big-gest
weeks of the season,” said Gann.

1re6views Friday, March 21, 2014
The Sword & Shield
Springtime smoothies for the break.....
By MARGARET HEATH
Staff Writer
Are you tired of the winter blues? Are the constant weather changes
getting you down? Well, try to brighten up your day with a smoothie. If
you’re ready to hop into spring, try something with seasonal berries. If
you love having the luck of the Irish or want a taste of Spartan Swag, try
something green like spinach, kiwi, or even shamrocks. The newspaper
team tried several smoothies and narrowed them down to 5 healthy and
tasty recipes to try at home.
Photo by Margaret Heath
Bennett Johnston, Virginia White, and Allan White sample the Berry
Blast Smoothie.
The Berry Blast Smoothie
from www.springandkids.com
Number of Servings: 8
You will need:
2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
2 cups strawberries
2 cups blackberries
1 cup 100% cran-raspberry juice
1 cup low fat blueberry yogurt
2 cups ice
Directions/Staff tip: Put the liq-uid
ingredients and ice in first to
help blend this faster. A package of
mixed berries replaces the laundry
list of fruit if none of them are cur-rently
in season, and add a package
of strawberries separately.
The Paradise Freeze
from www.springandkids.com
Number of Servings: 4
You will need:
2 large, ripe bananas
2 cups strawberries
1 ripe mango, cubed
2 cups cranberry juice
12 ice cubes
Directions: Combine ingredients in a blender;
blend until smooth.
Staff Tip: Put in the ice and cranberry juice
first to help the smoothie blend faster. Also
cran-raspberry juice tastes great in this too.
The Pomegranate Berry Smoothie
from www.eatingwell.com
Number of servings: 4
You will need:
2 cups frozen mixed berries
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 medium banana
1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1/2 cup water
Directions: Combine ingredients in a
blender; blend until smooth.
Staff tip: When making this smooth-ie,
put in the liquid ingredients first
as this will help the smoothies blend
together better. Also, stores sell mini
containers of cottage cheese, so you
do not have to buy a huge container
and waste part of it.

The Sword & Shield
Revi1ew7s the best of Birmingham
BBQ Rib destinations
Birmingham. The Magic City is steeped in a history of steel and sauce. As we live in one of the South’s barbeque capitals, the Sword &
Shield decided to take Birmingham’s best BBQ spots by force, eating all the ribs and taking no prisoners. From Avondale to Southside to
Edgewood we drove, smelling out each eatery and devouring a whole mess of half racks of ribs along the way. Below we have included our
favorite rib joints, so sit down with us and partake in our culinary conquest, barbeque style.
Dreamland
3.5/5
Located near Southside, Dreamland Barbeque is your typical barbeque restaurant. The
minute you walk in, you can smell the food roasting on the large pit. Dreamland’s ribs
fluctuate in quality from night to night. With our prior experiences, Dreamland seems
to have been hit or miss. On the night we visited, our ribs were not as tender as they
have been on other nights. Dreamland’s sauce is the hottest of the three and is the only
vinegar based sauce we tried. Lighter and lacking the viscous attributions of tomato or
molasses based sauces; vinegar sauces typically are more peppery. Coming out at the
cheapest price, Dreamland’s half slab is $10.45 and also comes with several slices of
bread.
Moe’s
3/5
Moe’s Barbeque is conveniently located in the Lakeview District of Avondale next
door to Slice. While primarily a barbeque restaurant, Moe’s atmosphere is more
aligned with that of a bar. Moe’s ribs were the most tender of the three and paired
nicely with the house sauce – a tangy, slightly sweet tomato based sauce with a little
bit of heat. The ribs were obviously wood grilled but didn’t possess an overly smoky
flavor. As opposed to the traditional, larger spare rib, Moe’s offers the smaller and
more tender baby back ribs. While these were the most tender, the price to size ratio
left much to be desired. At $13.00 for a half slab (six ribs), these were by far the
most expensive and smallest ribs we tried. Had they been more affordable, the
ribs would have received a higher rating.
Saw’s
5/5
The small, cramped, southern dive-ish rib joint that is Saw’s can be found in the popular
Edgewood neighborhood of Homewood. These ribs were by far the largest and most
well rounded of the bunch. Saw’s ribs’ outer layers were charred to perfection, creating
an unadulterated crust to seal in the unbelievably tender meat. Possessing a slightly
smoky taste from the wood-fire pit, the ribs had a more complex flavor than the others
we tried. Somewhat similar to both Dreamland’s and Moe’s sauce, Saw’s sauce is a sweet,
vinegar-based sauce, not our favorite but definitely not bad. At $10.99 for a half rack
of ribs, these are a steal because of their superior quality.
Photos by Ben Jackson

1Re8views Friday, March 21, 2014
The Sword & Shield
Supermodel, better than the most Pumped Up of Kicks
By BEN JACKSON
Features Editor
In 2011, under the guidance of lead vocal-ist
Mark Foster, Foster the People’s hit single
“Pumped Up Kicks” climbed the charts into
the stratosphere—getting hundreds of thou-sands
of hours of air-time across the globe.
Everyone, everywhere, knew about the kids
with their pumped up kicks, who’d better run,
better run, better out run that gun.
The single was immediately followed by the
band’s debut album Torches, which brought
other pop hits like “Houdini” and “Don’t Stop
(Color on the Walls),” which was used in a
variety of TV-ads.
And then, more popular than they ever
could have imagined, the techno-pop band
from LA all but disappeared. A few concerts
here and there, but on the whole, quiet.
And now, just as suddenly as their initial
climb to fame, Foster the People is back with
their new full-length album, Supermodel.
The sound is familiar from Torches, yet less
defiantly techno-pop. Far from a bad thing,
this makes Supermodel far more palatable
to most listeners. Supermodel, as an album,
evokes images of sitting on an Australian
beach at sunset as a dark headed surfer dude
serenades a couple of wavy haired blondes
after a long party on the beach. It’s kind of
dreamy. All of the evidence of the party is still
there; tracks like “Coming of Age” and “Best
Friend” are jam songs. They make the listen-er
love life. But softer pieces throughout the
11-track list indicate that the party is some-times
over, and worthy of serious reflection.
The opening tune, another upbeat jam ripe
for the party (though still less techno-y than
anything on Torches), “Are you What you
Want to Be?” sounds like a stylistic collabora-tion
with Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig. It’s
complete with a cheerful African drum-beat
and obscurely upper-class geographic refer-ences
that Ezra does so well.
In fact, a variety of songs seem to borrow
in style from other popular bands. “A Begin-ner’s
Guide to Destroying the Moon” contains
high-pitched lyrics accompanied by enjoyable
electric guitar riffs reminiscent of the Arctic
Monkeys. By contrast, “Goats in Trees” has
the more warmly pensive feel of Neutral Milk
Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” with
an added Italian vibe.
The cacophony of styles actually works,
however, and helps contribute to that reflec-tive
downtime that occurs right after a great
party.
My personal favorite is, “Nevermind,”
which has Mark Foster’s unique vocals, yet in-corporates
a warm acoustic element not really
found in FTP’s earlier work.
If Supermodel really emulates some Aus-tralian
beach party, I can promise you that it’s
one I’d like to attend. The album is fresh and
the tracks are different enough to keep you
listening until the end.
Let’s hope that Foster the People visits Bir-mingham
sometime soon so we can host that
Australian beach party ourselves.
Photo from www.b-sides.tv
The man in black is back:
Johnny Cash’s lost album
By BROOKS GLOVER
Reviews Editor
Johnny Cash is arguably the most
important country musician to have
ever recorded. And with his death
in 2003, the announcement of Out
Among the Stars, his first posthumous
album, should really come as no sur-prise.
Artists with legacies spanning
multiple decades tend to have amassed
unreleased material over time, and
now it’s Cash’s turn to have his lost
tapes surface.
Out Among the Stars is comprised
of twelve songs recorded by Cash in
1981 and 1984. At the time, Cash’s la-bel,
Columbia Records, began to push
for more pop oriented country; how-ever,
Cash refused and stuck adamant-ly
to his more genuine country. Fast
forward almost thirty years to Cash’s
son, John Carter Cash discovering the
master tapes and releasing them this
time through Legacy Recordings.
“She Used To Love Me A Lot,” a David
Allan Coe cover, is the album’s lead
single. Lyrically, the song matter is
classic lovelorn country. However, it’s
juxtaposed musically by Billy Sher-rill’s
surprisingly modern production.
Cash’s voice
Out Among the Stars features two
duets between June Carter and Johnny
Cash, “Baby Ride Easy” and “Don’t
You Think It’s Our Time.” “Baby Ride
Easy” embodies a classic Cash beat
that drives Carter and Cash to another
excellent duet between the two. “Don’t
You Think It’s Our Time” shows Cash
at his most reflective on the album as
he and June Carter sing over bluegrass
instrumentation.
The title track, “Out Among The
Stars” foreshadows his member-ship
with country supergroup The
Highwaymen. With a classic outlaw
country sound, Cash recounts a failed
liquor store robbery over his signature
train-track rhythm..
However, this rhythm does get
monotonous over the course of the
album. “Out Among the Stars,” “Baby
Ride Easy.” and “If I Told You Who It
Was” all seem to be built on the same
groove that can only chug on for so
long. Even more so, the identical two
note bass bounce plodding along
cannot be infinitely interesting and
the lack of variety of the songs’ foun-dations
make the music colorless and
flat.
But be weary of my criticisms.
This is coming from the perspective
of someone who isn’t really all into
the country scene. However, songs
like “She Used To Love Me A Lot,”
the Waylon Jennings duet “I’m Movin
On,” and “Don’t You Think It’s Come
Our Time” deserve to be placed along-side
Johnny Cash’s greatest tracks.

Opini1on9s
Mountain Brook’s #1 Problem? Feral Cats in the outdoor classroom
By CLAIRE DAVIS
Art & Photography Editor
There is a problem at Mountain
Brook High School, and it is not
the sophomore parking lot or the
seemingly persistent graffiti that
decorates our lovely field house. It
is a problem that we see every day,
slinking behind parked cars as we
stare listlessly out the window in
class. It is the problem that makes
the entire outside classroom reek of
rotting food. It is the ever growing
and increasingly annoying feral cat
problem.
Don’t get me wrong; I like
cuddly cats just as much as the
next person. But to have a band
of feral cats that makes our cam-pus
a slightly dangerous petting
zoo is frankly a nuisance. Moun-tain
Brook is known for its classy
attitude and taste, and if we want
to keep that reputation of being the
best, the cats simply have to go.
The problem is there’s almost
nothing to be done about them.
They can’t be taken to nearby
shelters because they’re feral, put-ting
them down is inhumane and
expensive for the dozen or so cats
who live here, and no one is going
to be willing to cart them across
town so that there is almost zero
chance of them returning (Besides,
remember Homeward Bound?).
The only solution, and I mean
the only solu-tion,
is to stop
feeding them. I
realize that it’s
not necessarily
students who
feed them;
communi-ty
members
need to stop
exacerbating
the problem
as well. Food
is the only
reason they
stick around
the campus. If
they know a
person comes
everyday
to leave food out for them, then
they’ll wait all day for that food.
They may scarf down a chipmunk
or mole in the meantime, but they
will be counting on that free and
easy food source that we keep
providing. It’s a classic example of
Pavlov’s Dog, except in this case it
would be more appropriate to call
it Brookies’ Cat.
Some of you may be think-ing
that I am too anxious about
the cats since they aren’t hurting
anyone and just mind their own
business. The problem is, they are
hurting us. If a student spots one in
class and tells the others, suddenly
the teacher has lost half her class
and has to get everyone back on
topic. They use the outdoor class-room
as a litter box, ruining a nice
facility that is now useless. That
facility was made specifically so
classes could take advantage of the
weather or provide real life exam-ples.
One cat even got in the main
building last year, causing a huge
problem and mess for the custodi-al
staff and 500 hall teachers who
tried to get it out before school
started.
To let some random feral cats
invade our given classroom space
and feed them to boot just enforces
the entitled rich Brookie image.
We are saying that we can afford
this destruction of a facility that
took weeks, maybe months to build
because we can afford
it. If the feral cats
invaded the new field
house, I’m sure they
would be rounded
up and carted away
within hours. So why
are we allowing them
to ruin other parts of
our campus?
With these cats,
our lives are margin-ally
worse than they
could be. Without
them, we would hon-estly
benefit. A out-door
classroom area
fit to use, a great lack
of cat food trash and
bowls, and the surety
that a cat won’t sprint in front of
your car at night are a few of the
many benefits that would occur. So
I put the matter to you, Mountain
Brook: should we continue hosting
our parasitic friends or clean up
our campus in a very definite way?
By CAROLINE LOWE
Staff Writer
I know I’m the daughter of a teacher, and I
don’t always follow the rules at home. That said,
my mom would kill me if I were rude to my
teachers or disrupted class in any way.
Students at MBHS, however, repeatedly act
up in class. Almost every day, students decide
to have their conversations during class while
their teachers are teaching. Students pull out
their phones and look at texts or play games
rather than listen to the teacher. That is unfair to
teachers.
Behavior in the Mall is also disrespectful at
times as students expect the custodians to pick
up their trash. Students also leave their sports
bags all over; they yell like they are at a party
rather than in school.
The solution is simple. Students should to be
courteous of those who want to learn the cur-riculum
that the teachers work hard to teach us.
Every time a student disrupts a class, the teach-er
has to stop and interrupt instruction. The
purpose of school is to learn, but many students
don’t seem to care and make it harder for those
who do want to learn.
One thing students do that teachers especial-ly
don’t appreciate is saying that they are going
to the restroom, but instead they go to the Mall
to talk with their friends. When they complain
that a teacher didn’t tell them something, they
should blame themselves rather than the teach-er.
If they are not listening, playing on their
phones, or going to the Mall rather than the
bathroom, of course they don’t know what is
going on. Being disrespectful to a teacher is just
plain wrong.
Special Education teacher Mrs. Katrina
McGuire points out that students “are learn-ing
everyday life skills, and one day they will
have a job and will have to work collaboratively
with people around them and these things will
matter. Also, students who are respectful will get
respect.”
I am a student who wants to learn and tries to
do my best in school, but it’s hard to learn while
students in my classes are constantly interrupt-ing
the teacher. When the teacher has to stop
to discipline a student, this makes the teachers
stressed out and frustrated.
Teachers are here to prepare us for the out-side
world when we graduate. English teacher
Ms. Harlan Ponder shared her thoughts with
the Sword & Shield: “I feel strongly that students
should be respectful to teachers even if they
don’t like them. They should respect all authori-ty
figures.”
Many students agree. Sophomore Eric Voigt
says, “I feel like teachers need to be respected
because they come to school to do their job; not
to be ridiculed and disrespected. They are only
trying to help.”
Next time you are in your class be respectful
towards your teachers. They deserve it.
The Sword & Shield
Teachers and administrators deserve more respect from students

2Op0inions
opposing viewpoints
AP classes overload?
AP classes are worth the occasional
late-night study session
By KARY REYNOLDS
News Editor
“Why would you do that to your-self?!”
has become one of the most
common questions I’ve heard at
MBHS this year. No, not about dat-ing,
clothes, or that ton of Christ-mas
candy you ate; this question is
about next year’s schedules.
Whether the focus is calculus,
physics, a language, or an elective,
the variety of AP classes offered
at MBHS can lead to some pretty
terrible looking schedules and the
occasional late-night study session,
so a lot of students ask if it’s really
worth the extra time and effort.
As a senior looking back, my
answer would be yes. In modera-tion.
There is the obvious benefit of
college credit if your school accepts
AP scores (I will never take a his-tory
class again), and just because a
college won’t accept credit doesn’t
mean the class is useless either.
If a college doesn’t accept credit,
chances are you will end up in a
large freshman course, so having a
head start on the information might
help make your college life a little
easier too. Other students will be
drowning in a sea of terrible calcu-lus
integrals while you float by on
your yacht of knowledge.
It’s true the classes can be chal-lenging,
but if you spent your
high school career trying to avoid
an all-nighter, you’ve completely
missed out on a part of high school
culture that you’ll never repeat!
Plus, at two in the morning, all
the work you have left becomes so
much less important than sleep.
It really helps you focus on what’s
important in life.
Teachers aren’t completely
heartless either. There is actually a
surprising amount of coordination
to avoid having too many tests on
one day, and if you are struggling,
talking to them can earn you more
time to finish an assignment or
cause them to postpone their tests.
Don’t expect it every time, obvi-ously,
but as long as you mention it
ahead of time, teachers will be a lot
more understanding than their cur-rent
students make them out to be.
Even in high school, AP classes
offer a challenge to students and a
way to gain a more in-depth per-spective
about a subject you enjoy.
My best advice would simply be to
know your limits.
For over-achievers, packing your
schedule with the letters AP might
not guarantee an acceptance letter
to your top school, but it will cer-tainly
stress you out. So take classes
you think you will enjoy, ones that
challenge you, and get some sleep.
You can study in the morning.
Don’t overload on unnecessary classes
just because you can
By CHAMBLEE SHUFFLEBARGER
Staff Writer
It’s midnight. You’re getting to
be so tired that the 20 minute cat
naps you’ve heard are so effective
have stopped helping you stay up.
There are few ways left to fight
the exhaustion, but you still have
homework to do.
Most teachers reading this will
scoff and claim that the students
still doing homework at midnight
are the ones who spent all after-noon
watching YouTube videos or
simply goofing around. But most
kids don’t get home shortly after
the bell rings at 3:19. A lot of them
are involved in extracurricular or
have jobs that take up a few extra
hours of their afternoon.
Not to mention the class load
many take.
Pick just about any college tour,
and you’ll hear the same spiel about
how every student that managed to
get in had great test scores, a high
GPA, loads of extracurriculars and
challenging classes. Challenging
classes. That’s why most of us take
all the APs, isn’t it?
Many students make the deci-sion
to enroll in 5 or 6 AP classes
in order to impress these colleges
not taking into consideration the
amount of work that will actually
require. In reality, many AP classes
require hours of work on home-work
and even more for studying
or working on projects or papers.
After a 7 hour school day, that load
can seem unmanageable.
The Sword & Shield
With a workload like that, all
sorts of things tend to fall through
the cracks be it friends or family or,
most likely, sleep. In this, students
also lose a key part of learning that,
truthfully, the education system it-self
seems to lack these days: learn-ing.
Instead of students pursuing
comprehension in a subject, they
do the work and studying neces-sary
in each class in order to make
the grades.
It’s a simple question of depth
or breath. When taking many
challenging classes, students are
not able to delve into the informa-tion
they are learning, but instead
pursue shallow understanding in
everything they can. As a result,
students are able to get through the
tests and assignments and prompt-ly
lose that information once they
move to the next topic. Straining
to learn it all only forces them to
understand each topic less.
The problem, however, is not the
individual teacher’s assignments
or the student’s activities. The root
cause of student’s overextending
themselves in school is the over-achiever
culture when trying to
compete for a higher class rank or a
spot at a university. This idea that a
college will reject a student for not
taking that one extra AP class or
being in that one extra club, forces
students to do it all and leaves no
time left to breathe.
The simple solution is that
students seek out their challenges
in moderation. But, in all hones-ty,
every student knows that that
answer is not as simple as it seems
because it too has tradeoffs. So
when next year’s seniors continue
the longstanding tradition of taking
an inordinate number of challeng-ing
classes, my only advice is that at
midnight when you still have more
work to do, just go to sleep.
Photo by Brooks Glover
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION: The Mountain Brook School system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or age in any
of its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries re-garding
nondiscrimination policies: Dr. Dale Wisely—Director of Student Services (Title VI), (wiselyd@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Mrs. Sylvia Harper—Personnel Director (Title IX),
(harpers@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Dr. Missy Brooks—Director of Instruction (Title II), (wildman-brooksm@mtnbrook.k12.al.us); Mrs. Shannon Mundy—Special Education Director
(Section 504), (mundyl@mtnbrook.k12.al.us). Contact Information: 32 Vine Street, Mountain Brook, AL 35213, 205-871-4608.

2013-14 Volume 5: March

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