We can all agree that we miss the summertime; being out of school, the warmth of the sun, and all of the other qualities. But, as everyone knows, the changing of the seasons will never stop.

As we entered the autumn of this year, we’ve begun to feel cold temperatures the past few weeks. While most of us want summer back, there is one thing many can appreciate about the wintertime: snow! 

There is a bit of skepticism about snow coming this year, mainly due to it not being cold enough, the lowest temperatures being near 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit, and that the precipitation we’re getting is mostly rain. 

But this year might be different! According to many different sources, we are expected to get above average snowfall this year! 

According to WRAL meteorologists, “During an El Niño, the northern branch of the jet stream stays mostly up in Canada, keeping the coldest air north of us. Meanwhile, we have an active subtropical jet stream over the southern United States. It’s fueled by warm, moist air over the Pacific, so we expect some drought-busting precipitation over the southern half of the country” (Wilmoth). 

However, for the first time in four years, we are in this El Niño pattern, meaning that there should be some colder temperatures, which lead to freezing and cold snow! 

By looking at the 3 month average of the ocean’s surface temperatures, we can determine whether the pattern will be strong or weak. Anything above 1.5 degrees is considered strong or very strong.

Of course, we’ve been getting snow in other areas of North Carolina as well! 

According to Fox 8, in early October of this year, half an inch of snow was recorded at Black Balsam Knob in the Blue Ridge Mountains (Schneider). 

 We have an even bigger chance of getting snow this year! So for snow lovers, it seems that we have a chance of getting snow soon.  

Either way, make sure to get warm and cozy for this chilly season! Let’s see what the weather conditions hold for us.

Sources: 

Wilmoth, Aimee, et al. “2023 NC Snow Outlook: A Colder Winter and Good News for Snow Lovers.” WRAL.com, 6 Nov. 2023, www.wral.com/story/how-much-snow-NC-2023/21128901.

“See The 1st Snow of the Season in the North Carolina Mountains.” Fox News, 13 Oct. 2023,

myfox8.com/weather/blog/see-the-1st-snow-of-the-season-in-the-north-carolina-mountains.

Accessed 12 Dec. 2023.

Can it ever be “too early” to put up Christmas decorations?

By: Monica Truhe

Many different traditions influence how individuals celebrate during the holiday season. One specific way to celebrate is the decoration of homes. 

Sophia Franks celebrates Advent, beginning four weeks before Christmas. According to Sophia, Advent is “the Christian season of preparation before Christmas…Four Sundays before Christmas starts.” This is when she usually begins putting out her Christmas decorations. 

There are four celebrated tenants of Advent and one is celebrated each Sunday; “[The] first Sunday is hope, the second one is peace, the third one is joy, and the last one before Christmas is love…everyday throughout Advent my family lights an Advent wreath.” The tenants are, “Things that Jesus brings to us…we try to cultivate in our lives in preparation for His coming,” says Franks.

Other than her family’s Advent wreath, Franks also has a tree; “We have a Christmas tree every year, and we decorate it together.” They also have lights outside, stockings, stars, and nativity scenes throughout their house.

Franks places an emphasis on waiting until Advent to put out her Christmas decorations; “I like waiting until Advent to start playing Christmas music…decorating…making Christmas cookies…buying gifts…more of that time is going to be devoted to actual preparation for Christmas.”

Mr. Landphair and his family decorate his house as soon as possible. He puts the decorations out, “Pretty much right after Halloween. Mrs. Landphair is a decorator…she does all the decorating…I get the tree ready, ’cause we still get a real tree…I kind of decorate by making cookies, as well. I’m decorating my stomach.”

Kaitlyn Parker doesn’t have a specific time in which she begins celebrating by decorating; “We typically put them up really just whenever we have time…December is a crazy month… Typically it’s somewhere around thanksgiving. We still get a real Christmas tree every year…We have an elf that comes, and my little sisters absolutely love trying to find it in the morning which is always something fun. I have a Christmas tree in my bedroom, and each of my grandmothers give me a new ornament for it every year.”

Family traditions also influence how Parker decorates; “Every year we go to my grandmother’s house and me and all of my little cousins make gingerbread houses…when we were younger it was a competition, and my grandfather always judged it…Now there’s superlatives and awards.” After her family decorates the houses, they place them on the counter to serve as a sort of decoration for the remainder of the Christmas season. 

When do you decorate for the holiday season?

A Frosty Weekend

By: Kaitlyn Parker

This year’s homecoming weekend was packed full of many fun events to get spirit up as we approach winter break and the end of the semester.

The weekend began with the girls and boys high school basketball games where our homecoming court was recognized and Princess and Queen were announced. The homecoming court was made up of two seniors, two juniors, three sophomores, and three freshmen who were all nominated by their peers.

Our 2023 Homecoming Court Representatives were Naomi Brannon, Rebecca Jones, Julie Lowe, Emma Burns, Ella Moye, Emily Ruiz, Addison Bandy, Keyana Kohns, Addison Guldberg, and Brecklyn Wilson. Each of these girls were recognized at the pep rally and the homecoming game. 

These ladies represented our student body wonderfully and were all very honored to be on the court. Our 2023 Homecoming Queen, Brecklyn Wilson said, “I was just honored that my classmates nominated me and it was fun to see everybody else get on court and how excited they were to be on it too.”

The girls weren’t the only ones excited about being on the court, their parents were too. Wilson said, “I told my mom. That was my first reaction. I screenshotted it and sent it to my mom.” Our 2023 Homecoming Princess’s parents were excited too. Sophomore Emma Burns said, “We walked out and my dad said when everyone clapped, ‘Oh, it’s for me’. So yeah, my dad won.”

The court was one of the highlights of Friday night, but Saturday only came with more events in store. The homecoming formal started at 7pm Saturday night, but preparation began far before that. 

Student Council Vice President, Monica Truhe said “Preparation for the dance started around 9am. All of STUCO and some wonderful teachers and student volunteers showed up for about 3 hours.” Of course it was not just decorating though. Truhe said, “We jammed out to Christmas music and had a great time!”

Many students began getting ready much earlier in the day to go take pictures and eat with their friends. Students took pictures everywhere from High Point University to Old Salem to Harmon Park. Kostandinos Mellonas said one of his favorite parts of the night was “eating.” Some restaurants filled with NCLA kids Saturday night include Don Juan’s, Mad Greek Grill, Mario’s, and McDonald’s. 

The homecoming dance was themed the Frost Formal this year with a wintery theme. It took preparation, but turned out great. Freshman Rebekah Franks said, “the theme was cute and the decorations were done really well.”

Of course there cannot be a dance without music. Some favorite songs of the night were Mo Bamba and Love Story. Overall, it seemed that students enjoyed the songs that they could get really hyped up about or sing at the top of their lungs. Mellonas said the best part of the night was dancing with his friends.

There were many highlights from the night. Sophomore, Abigail Nelson said the best part of the night was the Taylor Swift songs. Franks said the best part was “Ms. Kerr dancing in the mosh pit.”

Overall the dance was a huge success with over 280 students attending and the whole weekend was packed with fun events for both our court and student body. Huge thank you to the chaperones and staff that made it possible, with Ms. Kerr being voted the best dressed!

Sources

Bearne, Adam. “When should you put up Christmas lights? A new survey illuminates an evergreen debate.” NPR, 28 November 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/11/28/1139388772/the-debate-dividing-america-is-it-too-early-to-put-up-christmas-lights. Accessed 13 November 2023.

Spirit Week @TheNCLA

By: Sophia Franks

This week, the NCLA had its second spirit week of the school year, this time for Homecoming. Each day, students dressed up in accordance with a specific theme. On Monday they rocked the red carpet with Met Gala looks. According to sophomore Corbin Tucker, the best part of the day was “seeing how different people dressed up for the festive event”. Corbin himself rivaled them all for festivity in a spirited holiday suit with real lights, pictured below (left). 

Seniors Alyssa Pickle and Sydney Lohr also made a notable appearance for the Met Gala. Alyssa told reporters that she “loved seeing everyone’s creativity and the variety of outfits people came up with, the good and the bad, it was like judging the real Met Gala”. As evidenced by the photo above (right), Alyssa did indeed bring a competitive style and spirit to start the week out strong.

Tuesday was Polar Express day and saw students hanging out in their pajamas and Christmas sweaters. To add to the spirit of the day, the student council put on a showing of the Polar Express in the gym during lunch and sold hot chocolate to go with it. The movie was a big hit, with roughly seventy people in attendance. 

On Wednesday, there was a class spirit competition. All four grades showed up in their class colors, and competition was steep. However, when the results were announced at Friday’s pep rally, it wasn’t much of a surprise to hear that the seniors had won. In the words of Ms. Faenza, “Our seniors have spirit!” Five such spirited seniors are pictured below, wearing senior jeans. 

Thursday was Generations Day, another event popular among the student body. Creativity on this day was unmatched, with freshmen wearing onesies and seniors coloring their hair gray. When asked about her favorite part of Generations Day, freshman Nora Link replied, “getting to twin with my bestie Rebekah”. The pair is pictured below (left) in matching onesies. 

On Friday, the student body prepared for the homecoming basketball game that evening by wearing all white in concordance with the Ski Lodge/Whiteout theme for the games. During lunch, the student council put on a pep rally to get everyone excited about that night’s events. The pep rally’s games and competitions must have worked, because that evening the gym was packed with enthusiastic fans. Juniors Lauren Day, Ella Lanier, and Allee Davis were among these fans, pictured above (right) showing their spirit in all white.

Both the girls’ and boys’ games resulted in a resounding victory over our longtime rival, Cornerstone Charter Academy. After such an exhilarating display of school spirit each day, the homecoming basketball games and later the dance were a perfect way to end the week.

Senior Spotlight

By: Cooper Wingate

As the first semester draws to a close, our Falcon seniors are making important decisions: applying for scholarships, researching different majors, but most importantly touring and deciding on which college or university they’re going to attend. Here are a couple of our Falcons talking about their future landing spots.

“My goal after college is to pursue a career in law and eventually one in politics.” Student Council president Will Swisher is between Rochester University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,“I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge in the field of political science.”

While some students are looking out of state to continue their education, many are staying close to home. Both Lucas Zoellinger and Aiden Cartagena are going to attend Forsyth Technical Community College,“I’m excited to explore criminal justice and forensic science as potential majors.” Lucas told The Leader, “I want to be a cop!” he added ecstatically. Aidan had a different view on his continued education:“I’m not decided on my major yet. I’m hoping to find my path later in my educational journey and enjoy the college life while it lasts.” 

Even for those remaining in state, the Class of 2024 is still spreading their wings and venturing out to the different regions of North Carolina. Andy Alvarado-Escober is planning to go to Appalachian State University for an interesting group of studies, “Communication science and disorders really caught my attention when I was looking for majors.” Andy’s passion for auditory studies was one of his main driving factors towards App State. “I really want to be an audiologist and Appalachian has a great program to help me achieve my goals.”

Matthew Siewart is juggling the pros and cons of Campbell University and North Carolina State University, “I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I want to study mechanical engineering– that much I know for sure!”

Whether in state or out, decided or undecided, the Class of 2024 has proven themselves more than capable of doing great things, having already raised over 2 million dollars in scholarships. We’re excited to follow the departing Falcons through their next walk of life and we can’t wait to 

An NCLA Homecoming

By: Carsyn Queen

The NCLA basketball teams made their fellow falcons proud with their performance at the homecoming games. 

The women’s game began with a foul from Emmy Guldberg. Cornerstone made the first free throw and a rough start for the Falcons. After a foul shot and a layup from E. Guldberg and a successful shot from Ali Faenza, the Falcons were in the lead. After another shot from Faenza and a streak from the Cornerstone team, the score was 6-6. Will Swisher, the student body president, could be heard loudly shouting from the chants in support of the team. He explained, “[He] like[s] to yell and chant for the team.” After a successful free throw from Brooke Swigert and two layups, the Falcons took the lead again. Two more foul shots from Swigert and a layup from Faenza put the Falcons on a streak but the game soon came to a halt. Addy Guldberg was escorted off of the court as blood gushed from her nose. Fred Guldberg wiped the blood off of the floor and the game continued. At the end of the first half, the score was 20-14. 

A rousing halftime show reenergized the crowd as both the Falconettes and the Falcon Cheer Team enthusiastically demonstrated their performance skills. Sophia Dolesh, a Falcon Cheer team co-captain, was ready for the show, “I’m happy to have the cheer squad back and I’m so excited for the rest of the season”.   

A. Guldberg came back in the second half with a nose full of gauze and a vengeance. She gave her all to defense and successfully blocked Cornerstone time after time. The clock counted down to the end of the third quarter and E. Guldberg made another shot in the last ten seconds. 

The third quarter began with another goal for the Falcons but Cornerstone was keeping up. With a shot from Faenza followed by a three from Emmy, the Falcons were on fire. Laila Gonzalez made the final shot of the fourth quarter with just ten seconds left bringing the final score to 49-30 and securing the win for the Falcons. 

Will Swisher got amped for the men’s game; “This is going be screaming worthy”.  

Caleb Foster won the tip-off with a successful pass to Caden Ryker. However, a foul shot put Cornerstone in the lead at 0-1. A three pointer from Graham Hronich put the Falcons in the lead. Will Martin soon got his second consecutive score after Ryker jumped out of the court to save the ball from going out of bounds putting the score at 12-1. Between foul shots, layups, and a goal from Landon Burleyson, the Falcons had a solid lead at 18-6. Walt Martin made an impressive three which brought the score to 23-11 but was soon followed by a three from Cornerstone.  After a free throw and a layup from each team, Foster furthered the NCLA lead. A three from Burleyson brought the score to 35-19 just before half time. 

With the bleachers now packed, the Falconettes and the Cheer Team put their all into the halftime show as each member perfectly performed their choreography. Kimberly Mead,

Student Council Social Media Chair, praised the performers, “The cheerleading squad and the dance team killed it. And the pep band- the pep band was so good this year. Everyone really gave it their all. This was a great year for everybody”.

The third quarter was off to a good start with a three pointer and a layup from Burleyson. Soon, Ryker scored a layup and a three consecutively which were followed by a fall and impressive push up recovery. Another layup from Walt Martin put the Falcons in a comfortable lead. A foul shot from Burleyson soon followed as he proved to be a great asset to the team. A layup from Lucas Blakely and a foul shot from Ryas Ferguson were followed by screams from the crowd. Another foul shot from Walt and a three from Ferguson put the Falcons even further ahead. With only seconds remaining in the third quarter, Ethan Lain stole the ball from the check and made a buzzer beater to end the quarter at 65-38. Dolesh recounted her belief in the team’s abilities, “This year, overall, the men’s and women’s basketball team is exceeding expectations”.

The fourth quarter began with back and forth scores from both teams. The audience began chanting “We want Ryan”and Ryan Taylor was soon subbed in. The chants began to change to “Let’s go, Ryan” as he took to the court. Taylor showed why he’s an audience favorite as he earned 2 points during a free throw. Maddux McNeill made the final free of the game with only 32 seconds left. The game ended with Will Bovender holding the ball and a final score of 82-51.

Christopher Cornejo showed his school spirit after the game, “The real MVP was the Falcons we made along the way.”