A

The
shnoca

Is World Peace a Possibility? 6 How Millennials Are Reshaping Elections 10 New Faculty 3

PINES AND LAUREL

ashnoca.org

October 4, 2016

Whats Going on in the Ville?

THE

ASHNOCA
201617

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Serenity Harris
MANAGING EDITOR
Gelsey Beavers-Damron
OPINIONS EDITOR
Bo Johnson
A&E EDITOR
Campbell Davitt
SPORTS EDITOR
Luke Mitchell
DESIGN EDITORS
Cindy Biao Ivana Xu
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORS
Nina MendozaWill Casse
FACULTY ADIVISER
Jessica Bayer

Jessica Lyu (6th) was recognize by the Southern Teachers Agency for her acrylic piece, Checkmate(Above).
Lyus work is featured in the STAs 2016-17 Academic Calendar.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Sha Sha YanRobert Harlan
Mac WatersKendall Greene
Jeffrey WongEva Pfefferkorn
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A Letter From The Editor

Dear Readers,
This issue marks the beginning of the 87th
year of The Ashnoca. Since its commencement in 1929, The Ashnoca has evolved
with the school, and every staff has left a
unique mark on the paper. Although Journalism is not a subject Asheville School
students can pursue in a classroom, we
have one of the longest running newspapers in the state and a dedicated group of
students every year. Consider the changes
my staff and I have made to the journal as
a jumping off point for whats to come. As
the Editor-in-Chief, I want my

staff to take chances in their writing and designing. Because we are not in a classroom,
we are not driven by our GPAs. Each member wishes to pursue a different facet of
journalism, and it is my job to give them an
adequate and encouraging space to do just
that. I want to thank Mr. James Gardiner
and Mr. Bob Williams for their advisement
in design and implementation.
Sincerely,
Serenity Harris
Editor-in-Chief 2016-17

October 4, 2016

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Dinosaur Jr. in Concert:

A Glimpse of What Used to Be
by: Campbell Davitt

Campbells Bae Mascis Playlist

Listen to Me J Mascis
Do You Want New Wave or Do
You Want the Truth? Minutemen
Lost

On September ninth, Dinosaur

Jr. played a rather disappointing show with Cloud Nothings
at the Neighborhood Theatre in
Charlotte. Unlike Ashevilles own
stellar venue, The Orange Peel,
the Neighborhood Theater was
sauna-like and crowded. The PA
system was sub-bar with copious
amounts of feed-back because
of the venues small speakers.
Earlier this year Dinosaur Jr. released their new album, Give a
Glimpse of What Yer Not, a love
letter to their 1988 record, Bug.
The new album is far better than

many of their more recent LPs,

such as I Bet on Sky or Beyond.
Even though Dinosaur Jr. is one
of my favorite bands, I would
not recommend seeing them
live. It was a sad scene, watching a group who were popular
thirty years ago chasing their
former glory. Rather, I would
suggest waiting until J Mascis
(the groups front-man) goes on a
solo acoustic tour. He often plays
in small venues, featuring cult
favorite tracks, such as In a Jar
or his cover of Peter Framptons
Show Me the Way.A

Meat Puppets

Indian Summer Beat Happening

Spit On A Stranger Pavement
Just Like Heaven Dinosaur Jr.
Guns Before Butter Gang Of Four
Smothered In Hugs Guided By
Voices
Web In Front Archers Of Loaf
Freak Scene Dinosaur Jr.

Faculty Kid Spotlight: Connor Smith

by: Gelsey Beavres-Damron

From a young age, Connor Smith has always

been interested in Triathlons. Being an avid runner,
swimmer, and biker, it only made sense that he
would get involved with a competition that hones all
three of those skills. This summer, Connor competed in the IDAPH Asheville Triathlon. He competed
and placed first in the youth race and 16th overall,
an honor that is not easily earned for someone his
age.
Connor has been doing Triathlons since he
was little. He began when he was five. My father
was the one who got me into them, Connor says.
Since he liked them, it made sense that I would
start them too. Connor also attributes his interest
in triathlons to the fact that he has been swimming
for many years with the Asheville Swim Club, cycling
with Asheville Cycle Across, and running with CDS.
These clubs and groups have also helped him with
his training. Connor
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says that he swims about six times a week and

goes on many runs and bike rides as possible to
stay in shape.
Doing this, however, is not easy for someone
his age. Although he does do youth centered Triathlons, he tries to focus more on adult competitions.
The difference is very big. In adult competitions,
Connor says, there is more competition and more
athletic skill needed. You have to be stronger and
the distances are longer. Even with this, Connor
stays determined to win. He works hard and trains
hard. Connor says that at certain parts you want to
quit, but I never make it an option to. I just keep going. To Connor, the race is part hard work and part
mental focus. It is important to keep your mind in
the race and on a goal. Conners advice to anyone
who wants to pursue similar goals is to train hard
because it will help you in the long run. If you dont,
you could end up worse at the end. A
October 4, 2016

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Mr. Hakim Chenault

(Asst. Dir. of the Learning Center)
New York City, NY (Manhattan)

Mr. Michael Schill

(Asst. to the Athletic Director)
Asheville, NC

Ms. Sarah Harger

(Asst. to the Athletic Director)
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Alma Mater: Asheville School

Touro College & City College of New York

Alma Mater: Asheville School

Sewanee, the University of the South

Alma Mater: University of Michigan

College/High school nickname:

Keem De Chenau

High School Celebrity Crush:

Jennifer Aniston

High School Celebrity Crush:

Christian Slater

High School Celebrity Crush:

Mariah Carey

Whats something you have seen in

a movie that you wish you could do
in real life?
Turn my apartment into a hot air ballon like in Up (one of the greatest
films in cinematic history).
If you could commit one crime without getting in trouble you would..
Rig the lottery.

Whats something you have seen

in a movie that you wish you could
do in real life?
Dance :)

Whats something youve seen in a

movie that you wish you could do in real
life?
Ride a horse along the great
plains with the Sioux Indians and hunt
for Buffalo alongside Kevin Costner in
the movie Dances With Wolves.

If you could commit one crime

without getting in trouble you
would...
Im a rule follower, so maybe just

Ms. Shar Hampton, (Humanities Intern)

Philadelphia, PA
Alma Mater: Spelman College
High School Celeberity Crush:
Michael B. Jordan
What's something you have seen in a movie that
you wish you could do in real life?
Play the cello in a swimming pool
(Like Sunday, Like Rain)
If you could commit one crime without getting in trouble you
would....
Raid Zendaya Coleman's and Rihanna's closets and "borrow" some items.

October 4, 2016

*These are seven of the new teachers and faculty members. We will bring you more teachers in the following issue!

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Ms. Deavours Hall (Dir. of the

Learning Center)
Atlanta, GA
Alma Mater: Emory
High School nickname: Bunny
High School Celebrity Crush:
Jeff Bridges
Whats something you have seen in
a movie that you wish you could do
in real life?
I wouldnt mind living underwater in a pineapple...
If you could commit one crime without getting in trouble you would...
I would love to free all the
chickens on factory farms, put them
on the lawns of a couple of politicians where they could relieve themselves, and then find them homes in
the country where they could fall in
love and have lots of little pink and
blue chicks at Eastertime.

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Ms. Connie Foss (Spanish)

New Jersey & Brevard, NC
& Louisville, KY.

Mr. Larry Kollath (Math,

Dean of Faculty)
Upstate New York (originally)
South Central Utah (recently).

Alma Mater: University of Louisville

High School Celebrity Crush:
College/High School nickname:
Conna or Almon Bean
High School Celebrity Crush:
Jackson Browne
Whats something you have seen in a
movie that you wish you could do in
real life?
My Side of the Mountain when I was
in 6th grade I wanted to run away
from home and live in a giant hollow
tree in the wilderness.
Sometimes I still do

I did not have a celebrity crush.

There was less celebrity culture
back in the day. My crush was a
Scottish girl in my French class. We
dated after I asked her how to spell
the name of the clothing item she
wore around her neck (It was a bandanna). We still talk often these
many years later. She lives in Richmond. How could one have a crush
on someone not real, someone who
is more brand than person?
The things you like to do are...

If you could commit one crime without

getting in trouble you would...
One crime? really?
Interesting, I was quoted in my HS
yearbook that I wanted to have a
marijuana farm legally (always the
political activist). I was just joking,
and could never had imagined that
this would one day be a legal reality
in several states. It would also be fun
to live in a foreign country and bypass
immigration.

count stars, fish small mountain

streams, watch and draw birds,
tinker with a scroll saw, laugh at
circumstance dont figure prominently in movies. If forced to
choose I guess I would like to be
able to play Flight of the Bumblebee like the actor in Shine except
replace the piano with a banjo or
hammer dulcimer.

October 4, 2016

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Trunnells work Peace So Unexplainable is pictured to the right.

Photo by Nina Mendoza and Anna Gouveia

An Art Interview with Cheyenne Trunnell

by: Sha Sha Yan
The International Day of Peace
approaches, so does the art of
Cheyenne Trunnell at Asheville
School. Following the United Nations International Day of peace
on September 21st, from September 22nd to October 19th,
Trunnells exhibition, A Sense
of Peace, corresponds with the
15th anniversary of the twin
tower attacks on 9/11. Asheville
School art teacher Casey Arbor,
who organized the exhibition,
said that the reason [she] asked
Cheyenne Trunnell to be the
exhibiting artist at this time is
because her artwork captures
a sense of peace and serenity
that many artists strive to seize
to no avail. The textures, colors,

October 4, 2016

and sense of space are impressively compelling and soothing.

She was especially drawn to
Trunnells statement that reads,
Each painting seeks to capture
the essence of peace through
elements of nature, by exploring
the relationship between light
and form.
Having graduated with a masters degree in Art Therapy from
George Washington University,
Trunnell focuses on the healing
aspect of art and nature. For
her, painting is a peaceful moment of prayer and meditation,
especially following her grandfathers death in 2009. She aspires
to create a sense of peace for
people who fight diseases or

hardship in their life through her

paintings.
Arbor thinks Trunnell is clearly
thoughtful in her brushstrokes
and her intentions. [Direction
of Picture] is one of her oil on
canvas artworks that she created this year, entitled, Peace
So Unexplainable. Through this
painting, observers can really see
the essence of peace through
elements of nature that is in the
statement mentioned above.
On her website, a quote of
famous artist Leonardo da Vinci
really sums up Trunnells work
Where the spirit does not work
with the hand there is no art.
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YAN: How did you become interested in art?

TRUNNELL : Well, I started painting and drawing when I was twelve. And I
wanted to become an artist from that point on. I think I just love how I can state and process my life and
think about things on a different level. Then I saw my first abstract piece of art when I was twelve, I just
knew thats what I wanted to do.
YAN: Whats the story behind the title of this collection, A Sense of Peace?
TRUNNELL : All of my work focuses on capturing the light of God and capturing the peace that is in nature. Then when Casey asked me to do the show, she said it was International Peace Week, and it was the
15th anniversary of 9/11, so I started thinking about peace and what that meant. So the first few pieces
of the show are specifically about 9/11, the three that are on that wall over there about 9/11 and how it
made me feel. And the rest of the show just captures the light of God and his truth in nature.
YAN: What do you want your audience to learn from your collection?
TRUNNELL : I would love them to learn that peace can be found in nature and to learn to seek Gods
truth. A

by: Eva Pfeerkorn

Modern Day Mozart: Mac Waters

If you ever find yourself caught

up in the stress of an academic
day, take a trip over to the art
room and you might be lucky
enough to hear a few notes
drifting down from the music
room. The melodies you hear
are composed and performed by
members of the Music Theory
program. Mac Waters is one of
those students who rounds out
his schedule with a challenging
musical program.
Mac was drawn to music from
a young age. He began piano
lessons in the fourth grade and
viola the following year. He finished composing his first piece
before high school and in recent
years has begun seriously composing. Over the many years as
an evolving musician, his taste
has matured and become more
diverse in his compositions.
When I first started out it was
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all Mozart, Beethoven, that sort

of thing. But now Im listening
to a lot of twentieth century,
twenty-first century classical
music. And I feel like thats really
shaped my style as a composer.
Mac has recently been able to
participate in summer programs
that have allowed him to throw
himself into composing. He was
even able to accomplish a major
goal at a summer symposium program and have one of his pieces
performed.
But his musical goals didnt end
when he came back to school. By
taking applied music as a sixth
class he has been able to mix his
academic and artistic goals. The
class gives a him a block almost
everyday to focus on composing.
The class has also allowed him
to add a credit on his transcript
and gain feedback on his work
through a graded course. He

hopes to continue his musical

goals by attending more summer
programs and taking additional
courses during the school year.
Next year he plans to take AP Music Theory which will step beyond
Ashevilles applied music course
and allow him to work with his
music towards an exam and AP
credit. Looking even farther into
the future, he plans to eventually
attend a college with a respected
music conservatory that would
also have a large enough campus
for him to be able to take academic courses as well as pursue
music. For now, Asheville School
is allowing Mac to cultivate his
musical talent. A

October 4, 2016

What do We Want? PEACE!

When Do We Want it? NOW!

Dwayne Barton of Hood Huggers Int. (Above) Representative Susan Fisher (top, right) Colin Neiburger from WNC4PEACE (bottom, right)

Photo by Nina Mendoza and Anna Gouveia

by: Mac Waters

n the International Day of Peace, the Asheville School community gathered in Graham Theater to take a moment to talk, listen, and meditate.
Last Wednesday, September 21st, is recognized
by the United Nations as the International Day
of Peace, a day to recognize global development
and an international day of ceasefire, and we as a
community participated by coming together to hear
three distinct guest speakers, each talking about
their personal journeys, roles, and discoveries on
8

October 4, 2016

the topic of peace.

First, North Carolina representative, Susan
Fisher, came to speak to us about her advocacy for
peace in our federal government, and how these
goals are actively discussed on a national level.
Shes contributed to education reform, health
reform, environmental protection, and many other
causes on a state and National level. As she has
represented the 114th district of North Carolina for
several terms, she understands the problems in
the area and actively tries to get real solutions on a
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level.
The second speaker was Colin Neiburger,
known colloquially as Papa Bear. Neiburger talked
to us about his local activism in the organization
WNC4PEACE, whose objectives are to collaborate
with peace organizations around Western North
Carolina, promote peace and justice in the community, in the state, nationally, and globally, and nurture a culture of nonviolence and peace in Asheville.
Neiberger spoke to us briefly about his extensive
history of activism, and how he has fought against
gender, race, and sexual orientation inequality
around the country. One of his core beliefs is that
peace is the most fundamental right of all human
beings, and this was evident in his speech about
inspiring peace across various types of communities. He concluded by spreading the conspiracy of
peace to our student body, leading the theater in a
call and response chant: What do you want? PEACE!
When do you want it? NOW.
The convocation ended with a poetry reading/introduction to poet, sculptor, and activist
DeWayne Barton, which was followed by an art presentation with art teacher, Casey Arbor and a poetry
workshop with humanities teacher, Randy Mengel.
In his speech, Barton discussed how his personal
experience as an African-American male has inspired and influenced his activism in the community. Barton is the president and organizer of Hood
Huggers International: an Asheville-based non-profit
whose mission is to rebuild Affrilachia. Affrilachia,
Barton explained, is representative of the historically African-American communities in the Appalachian
region of the United States. Barton uses his experience as a visual artist and poet to influence his
activism, closing with a reading of one of his poems,
in which the school community was encouraged to
come forward as a hood hugger, spreading the
message of his activism to our community.

from whats going on in the outside world. I think

that when you talk about Asheville and about whats
going on here in our community, thats really important. Though Asheville Schools Community is often
so detached from the outside world, its a privilege
when we get speakers from outside of our bubble to
come and talk to us about what has inspired their
life decisions. The hope of these speakers and the
hope of this community is and should be what we
can do to inspire a culture of peace at Asheville
School. A

Ms. Leiner introduces the speakers.

Photo by Nina Mendoza and

Anna Gouveia

The response to the convocation was extremely

positive around the school. One-fourth former said,
[the convocation] was nice. The speakers were
great, and Im glad that were having these conversations at school. Another claimed that it was
engaging. It was nice that we discussed peace and
whats being done in Asheville, not just whats going
on in the world, because often, people are detached
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October 4, 2016

SPORTS

Man of the Issue: Paul Hill

By: Robert Harlan

2016 has so far proved an exciting year for Blues

football, and defensive end Paul Hill is ready to go.
Paul is a junior this year and he has some ambitious goals for the season. He hopes to get more
than ten sacks on the quarterback, in addition
he is optimistic that everyone on the team will
improve. As far as the team goes, Paul says the
team has become far more powerful and determined than they were last year. This is a promising statement from an integral member of the
team. Pauls job on the field consists of protecting
the Blues quarterback on offense and containing
the opposing quarterback on defense. He has
exceeded all expectations by getting three sacks in
the first game against the Tennessee Silverbacks
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October 4, 2016

and one in the following game against the Asheville

Saints. Paul explains his talent through his extensive training throughout the summer. Besides
natural ability, strength, speed and agility are the
factors which allow him to play so well. Make sure
to look for number 66 on the field next home Blues
football game! A

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Woman of the Issue: Sarah Abernathy

By: Luke Mitchell

Sarah Abernathy, a sophomore tennis star has been making her mark by winning several matches over the last two
years. As a freshman, Sarah helped to bring her team deep into the playoffs. As a sophomore, Sarah is currently undefeated
and looking to carry her team even deeper into the playoffs. She puts in countless hours on the courts and it is finally starting
to pay off. The entire Asheville School community is very pleased with the way she has been playing over these last two years,
and it looks like she will only be getting better. I caught up with Sarah recently, and was able to ask her a few questions about
her passion.
How many years have you been playing
tennis?
I have been playing tennis since I was four
or five, but I started playing competitively
when I was ten.
What is your favorite part of the sport?
I like that tennis is both an individual and
a team sport. When you are on the court,
it is you versus your opponent and nobody
else. While tennis may seem completely
individual, at the same time, your team is
there for support and encouragement. More
importantly, it is the contribution of each
teammate that helps us win.
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Do you have a player that inspires you?

Gael Monfis has always been my favorite
tennis player; he is extremely entertaining
to watch.
What is your greatest strength and your
greatest weakness?
My groundstrokes, forehand in particular,
are probably my greatest strength and my
volleys are most definitely my weakness, I
tend to whiff.

What are your goals for this season and

beyond?
My goal for this years season is to continue
doing well in doubles with Rachel, who is
incredibly good. Last year we lost only one
match in the season and we hope to make it
through with none this year. My other goal
is to survive Coach Pharr and Robersons
insane workouts. I believe they think we are
training for ironman competitions rather
than tennis matches. As for college tennis I
dont see myself going somewhere for the
sole purpose of sports, but I might possibly
October 4, 2016

11

OPINIONS

S N O I N IP O

How Millennials Are Reshaping Elections

by Bo Johnson

Millennials have been brought up frequently during this

election. According to Pew Research, Millennials and
Generation Xers now make up 44% of the electorate,
a record and growing share. Millennials drew headlines
for their overwhelming support for Bernie Sanders in
the Democratic primaries. In important states such as
Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, more than 80%
of voters below the age of 30 voted for Sanders over
Clinton. Yet questions still remain about the impact of
young voters and what role they play in our elections.
As stated, above, Millennials and Generation
X, our two youngest voting generations, now make up
nearly half the electorate. This should be good news
for Democratic candidates. Millennials overwhelmingly
back Clinton over Trump (44% to 23% according to a
NextGen survey), and backed Obama four years ago by
a 23-point margin. On top of that, 43% of Millennials
are non-white, and half of all babies are now minorities,
and minorities tend to lean Democratic in elections.
However, it is a little early to say Democrats
have a lock on the future. For all their numbers, Millennials punch far below their weight in elections. According to Pew Research, 69% of Baby Boomers voted in
2012, but the Millennial turnout rate was a dismal
46%. This gap in voter turnout causes potentially

12

October 4, 2016

decisive Democratic victories to become far closer. This

turnout gap affects elections around the world. While
73% of 18-24-year-old British voters voted against the
Brexit, 60% of those 65+ voted for the Brexit. 55-yearold+ British voters had a 29-point advantage in turnout
over those 18-34, so the referendum was skewed in
the older generations favor. Another reason Democrats
need to be cautious is Millennials are less loyal to their
political parties. That 80% who voted for Sanders voted
against the candidate the Democratic leadership inarguably preferred.
While it may not have been a conscious vote
against the leaderships choice, it did show that Millennials as a whole are more likely to vote for their favorite
rather than the likely winner.
So how will young voters impact this election? Its hard
to say. While most do not like Trump, young Democratic
voters generally did not get their preferred candidate,
leading to an enthusiasm gap that could keep them
away from the polls. However, in fast-growing states like
Virginia and Colorado, their votes could be decisive as
both are considered swing states. Itll all come down to
who shows up on November 8. A

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