November 2, 2023.
Inside the NCLA
October 28th Fun!
By: Kaitlyn Parker
October 28th was a big day for the families at the NCLA. From kindergarteners to 12th graders, the day was packed with exciting activities.
NCLA hosted a trunk or treat for the elementary school students and it had a great turn out. So many kids showed up that the school went through four wagons of candy.
There were 26 trunks overall at the trunk or treat. A fan favorite trunk was the school bus, but all of the trunks were very creative and fun.
Students showed up in all kinds of costumes- from soccer players to barbies to ninjas to princesses. It was a beautiful day and the trunk or treat was a huge success. Elementary school assistant principal Mrs. Jenna Guldberg said, “The warm weather definitely was an added bonus to a great day!”
While the elementary schoolers were enjoying trunk or treat outside, NCLA’s middle schoolers were attending their first dance of the year. Students were invited to come out in their costumes and enjoy a fun afternoon of dancing with their friends. The biggest costume hit of the night was the inflatable dinosaur costumes hit of the night was the investable dinosaur costume worn by both Linley Tucker and Eden Anderson.
Photo Credits: Mr. Gonzalez
Photo Description: Senior, Panagiota Mellonas, hugging freshmen, Amy Koo, after receiving her senior gift.
When polled, the middle schoolers said that their favorite things were the food and getting to hang out with friends. For 25.6% of the students surveyed this was their first dance and it certainly did not disappoint.
The students loved everything from the food to the music. Some of the student’s favorite songs include the wobble and the cupid shuffle. The middle schoolers loved when everyone got excited and came out to the middle to dance together.
After trunk or treat and the dance, the night wrapped up in an epic battle between Landphair’s Army and the Herricanes at the 2023 powderpuff game.
The game started with the teams getting hyped up and running out to Rock You Like a Hurricane for the underclassmen and Womanizer for the upperclassmen. The upperclassmen started with the ball and the first half of the game passed by quickly. At halftime the upperclassmen were winning, but it was a tight game.
Halftime was a favorite part of the night for many people. It began with the beloved cheerleaders representing both the under and upperclassmen. Both groups were full of energy and definitely provided a source of entertainment.
The underclassmen cheerleaders won the cheer trophy, but both grades put in hard work. Sophomore Ella Moye, who worked with the underclassmen cheerleaders to choreograph their routine, said, “The boys worked so hard and I could not be more proud of them and their performance! It was definitely a hard earned win but they deserved it […] It felt amazing for us to win and that our hard work paid off. Choreographing this year’s routine was definitely a challenge but I couldn’t have done it without Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Gunnel-Beck!”
The underclassmen cheerleaders won, but the upperclassmen boys also put in hard work for their routine. Senior Monica Truhe, who worked closely with Mr. Tucker to choreograph the upperclassmen’s routine, said, “The boys did really great and I’m proud of them. I think the boys had fun and that’s what matters.”
is so important that everyone had fun because ultimately the night was all about bringing the student body together. Many students and teachers also expressed that the seniors getting recognized was their favorite part of the night. The senior girls were asked to come to the center of the field and as they were recognized, underclassmen girls surprised them with gifts.
Photo Credits: Mr. Gonzalez
Photo Description: The PowderPuff trophy sitting on the announcer table
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Underclassmen coach, Mrs. Danielle Landphair said, “There was a lot of comradery between both teams and I think having that senior moment during halftime really kind of bonded the two together. It kept everything in perspective that the whole point of powderpuff is really to bring everybody together and celebrate as a school. That was probably my favorite part, just seeing the two teams coming together”.
It was special to see the teams come together to celebrate the seniors and it was an emotional moment for many of the girls. Senior Sophia Franks said, “At halftime when all the freshmen came up and gave us our gifts it was very emotional and so sweet. I almost cried. It felt like a good way to close things out”.
As halftime wrapped up, it was time to get back into the game. Both teams fought hard to win and the game ended up being closer than many expected. Upperclassmen coach Mr. Phillip Landphair said, “The underclassmen played even better than I expected them to. They played really well on defense and kept our running game very closed in. I was surprised at how close the game ended up being, but I am happy it was a good game and everybody had a lot of fun.”
Ultimately, Landphair’s Army took the win with a final score of 20 to 18. This marked the first time that this year’s senior class had won a powderpuff game, so it was a monumental night for many.
In the end, the whole day was about the students having fun and enjoying themselves. We saw a great turn out for all 3 events and whether students were in elementary, middle or high school they all experienced a day full of friends and fun which is really all that matters.
NEW TEACHERS AT THE NCLA:
Mr. Boone
By: Hermiony Wisnasky
Meet Mr. Boone, this is his first year at NCLA. He is the 11th and 12th grade English teacher, and coaches men’s varsity soccer. His athletes enjoy his guidance on and off the field, and he has led them to many wins.
Mr. Boone has two kids, Maddie, and Jonah. He enjoys reading books, coaching high school varsity soccer, pulling for Arsenal, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
Before working at NCLA Mr. Boone worked at Southern Alamance High School for two years. He attended college at NC State and studied education.
His favorite color is Arsenal red. He enjoys eating eggs, peanut butter, dark chocolate, nuts (macadamia, pecans, almonds), and he loves a good burger. He thinks mayonnaise is the worst.
An NCLA Student’s Take on Taylor
By: Nick Swisher
Congratulations to the winner of the two Taylor Swift Eras Tour Movie tickets, Addison Pacific!
The Taylor Swift Eras Tour Movie tickets were provided by Trex Cinema of Kernersville.
The Eras Tour Movie showed all the behind the scenes work it takes to produce such a show- coming in at an estimated $1 billion gross revenue for the tour (Cain). When asked what Pacific’s favorite part of the movie was she had this to say:
Reputation…I loved the intro- they showed the big snake and everything”
Pacific continued to comment, saying she has been a Swiftie since 2014, with the majority of her most listened to songs being by Taylor Swift. When asked whether the movie lived up to her expectations, Pacific said:
“Oh, yeah! 100%. There were some people singing and dancing as well-we definitely got to sing along, too.”
Reputation has been a widely popular section of this movie, being one of many for the film. This section (Reputation) gives the viewer an insight into, “[Taylor Swift’s] freest, most ambitious singing and movement” (Morris). It also divulges the theatrical productions that go into producing such an elaborate and extravagant concert.
More of the behind the scene aspects were touched on by Pacific, with her saying how she enjoyed seeing the chants and supportive mantras done by the stage crew during the scene changes, helping support Swift during her performance.
Picture Credits: Addison Pacific
Photo Description: Pacific standing next to the Eras Tour the Movie banner at Kernersville’s Trex Cinema
Overall, the concert was rated a 10/10 by Addison Pacific. The Falcon Leader and Trex Cinema could not be more happy to give this opportunity. Congratulations again, Addison!
The Falcon Leader Staff is incredibly grateful to the generosity of Trex Cinema, and we encourage you to go out and support them!
Student Submissions
Hear from the NCLA’s most creative minds on:
“What would you do if you were a teacher for a day?”
Ms. Manuel’s 4th grade class says:
Ava Pornmany
If I was a teacher for a day I would try tomake it fun but safe. First, I would let them talk on a whisper level for SSR even though it’s for silent reading. Second, I would let them have recesse a bit early somtimes on Friday. Then, for science I would let them do projects for any topic they learned in the classroom. Then also I’ll let pick their partners for the projects. Third, during anytime they’re working I’ll give them piceses of candy if they’re working hard. Finally, I’ll let them pick where they sit but they have to be good.
Nicholas Nuccio
If I was the teacher for the day I first get out of bed and take a shower. Then I would get dressed in a white tee-shirt and cacky pants. Then I would get in my care and go to schooL. Once I get there I would figure out what to Right on the broud and then pass out morrning work. It would be vocabe they would cut and pass-it. Then My studnts would go over there vocabe. Then It would be time to swich classes. Once we do that I will Right on the broad “we are starting S.S proget cut and pass this make it coular full. Once done come to me and check it. If good you may Read a fiseull book. Then after we are done we would go to do some Reading. It would be Reading chappter 1 of L.WAW. Then we would Right M.I and 3 S.D. Then we could swich bake to houme Room well doing that grade youre snack. After snake we would go to specials. Once we come bake we would do the same thing as the Last grop. Then we would go to Lunch after Lunch we will go to Resses. will do wighting. and after righting we woud do dissmisLe! And houmework is do friday.
Alli Oakley
If I were the teacher for the day I would buy Bojangles for the class. Then we would head to the gym and do P.E., yes I would play in PE too. During lunch highschoolers, teachers (inclduing me), and college students would preform a play for elementry kids. After lunch we would have an hour. When we come back they would write a letter to someone random from the grade below them. As they pack up I will give them their paper with one plus one on it as their homework. Finally as kids start to leave They can Q & A me.
Fifi the Falcon
Life
A Monumental Trip to DC
By: Wenda McLaurin
Many of the students at the NCLA go on road trips, whether it be for fun and relaxation, or even for productive reasons. 12th Grader, Sophia Franks, just recently attended a trip to Washington D.C. to make a change.
Franks went to D.C. with ASP, The Appalachia Service Project. Their goal is to provide high quality home repair for Appalachian families, in order to make homes safer, warmer, and drier! They want to build relationships with the future homeowners. This trip was the second part of a youth leadership summit, their goal was to talk to lawmakers about the issues being faced in these rural areas to see if a change could be made in the future!
A section of Franks trip was for training in leadership and advocacy, having many people speaking about the issues going on, such as the racial wage gap. There were many parts of the trip that she got to enjoy, some of which were touring the monuments and taking the metro. Franks definitely wants to go back, and is thinking about living there for a while!
She says that, “Something that came out of this weekend for me is a passion and a love for advocacy.”
Franks was fascinated to learn more about these topics, and would love to go back to advocate for these families, keeping the issues on the minds of lawmakers. She enjoyed building relationships with the government officials, and seeing how exciting the city was.
A piece of advice Franks would give to someone going to D.C. for the first time is, to have a purpose to be there, because there’s so much to do, which can be overwhelming.
Franks’ trip was filled with excitement and fascinating things. She had a great time, pursuing her passions and being able to learn more about the subjects that mattered to her!
Halloween Traditions
By: Hannah Simcic
October 31st, Halloween, is the time when people of all ages dress up. The night is full of children going door to door saying “Trick or Treat” in order to receive candy in return. But how did trick or treating start?
Trick or treating became popular in the 19th century when Scottish and Irish immigrants brought some of their traditions along with them.
In Scotland and Ireland families participated in a tradition called guising, where a child would go door to door dressed up and sing a song, recite a poem, tell a joke or perform a trick before receiving a treat in exchange. This tradition created the haunting night we know as Halloween.
The haunting parts of Halloween came from Celtic cult ceremonies where followers would pay homage to the dead by dressing up in animal skins circling a fire, with sacrifices such as food, in order to keep the bad spirits away.
Today trick or treating is more of a lighthearted family friendly tradition, where children dress up, to go trick or treating for candy.
Some of the most popular costumes over the years have been superheroes such as Spiderman, Batman, and Hulk, princesses, such as Elsa and Anna, Cinderella, Belle, and Star Wars characters, Darth Vader, Storm troopers, and more.
NCLA students are getting excited about their Halloween costumes. 9th Grader Kai Holland is dressing up as a fancy vampire, 11th Grader Aiella Dorsinville is dressing up as the Queen Bee herself, Beyonce.
10th Grader Elle Moye is doing a partner costume as the Wicked Witch of the West and Dorthy.
This Halloween, are you ready for a trick or treat?