T He Was Too Young

Volume LXXX Issue V FocusThe The Berea High School Focus Berea High School 165 East Bagley Rd. Berea, OH 44017 The Focus Staff Staff: Val Arko, Eric Babbits, Kira Byers, Christian Cervantes, Ian Editor In Chief: Walt King Dalton, Mollie Davis, Billy Davis, Nate Grandt, Chris Horner, Callie Adviser: Mrs. Marcia Roach Kho, Gabe Lopez, Wes Meadows, Kylie Mooney, McKenzie Powell, Adviser: Ms. Amy Garritano Caleb Rodgers, Breanna Ryon, Elena Santora, Kayla Scheimer, Chad Squires, Bree Svigelj, Dan White, Jordan Woods, Brian Yusko Cover by Kylie Mooney Dear Focus readers, Free clip art courtesy of: free-ex- We want to hear from you! If you have any comments, suggestions, tras.com, craized.com, office.micro- and/or concerns, please email us at [email protected]. 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To find a complete explana- January #2 Berea High Focus Will the thrill Writing this article is particularly baseball, basketball, football, and ran track hard for me. Paying tribute to a man who has for Lincoln High School. had such a positive impact on so many lives, “I can barely wake up in the morning including my own, is not an easy task when to drive to school, and he’s playing four sports you have a word limit. So, I’ll begin with a in high school! How ridiculous!” joked Tommy week after his birth, in Alabama. Hans, senior at Berea High. “I can’t remember when I didn’t play But what sparked my interest as a baseball. My uncle played in the early stages young baseball player was seeing a Baldwin of the Negro Leagues, and my dad had a Wallace graduate who had been drafted into chance to play but he was too young. My the MLB, played for two years in the minor grandma, my dad’s mother, loved baseball so leagues, and then called it quits. He tallied up much that six days after I was born, she had 13 hits, in 37 plate appearances, in the Gulf a full baseball uniform, with little baseball Coast league spike booties, for me. So, I’ve always been “It wasn’t my choice. I was drafted into around baseball,” laughed Will Avery (also the military, and I had a low draft number in known as Will the Thrill). the summer of ’69 when I graduated. I was He grew up living by the motto: “Don’t due for the physical in April, and you needed be denied,” which is really reflected in the to be a full time student to be exempt; either early stages of his life. During his childhood, that, or go to Canada,” laughed Avery. “So, it his family moved around a lot, which forced was between CSU and Baldwin Wallace, since Avery to attend eleven different schools they were the only schools at the time that before 7th grade. His family finally settled in had processed my application. I chose BW so I the Valley View projects in the Tremont area. could play baseball and football in a campus From 7th grade until he graduated, he played setting,” said Avery. He played Connie Mack baseball with all the “high school stars,” if you will, at a very competitive level. Avery then continued on into college, and eventually the pros. In college he met “the best thing that ever happened to him”, Mrs. Avery, his wife of 37 years. “He’s a good example, and is probably the best athlete I’ve ever met. He’s missed maybe three shots in basketball in his career. He just makes it look easy,” chuckled Chris Harrell, Berea High student. However, Mr. Avery wasn’t born into an (Will Avery eats lunch at his desk 4th mod everyday) easy life. January #3 Feature Avery’s young parents had five children; Will form, or moving his lower body at all. was the oldest. His father worked a lot to sup- As senior year gets closer and closer port his wife and children, so Avery learned to the last summer before college, and a lot on his own. He was the first one, on both as I look back over the few years that sides of his family, to graduate college, and to I’ve know Mr. Avery, the one thing that earn a master’s degree. surprises me is that I cannot remem- “I wanted to initially help African American kids ber a time that I talked to him that he who lived in the projects; particularly boys. I didn’t give me a better, more positive realized that, I’m not that smart, and if I can perspective on life and it’s struggles. get it done, why aren’t so many other people? Whether it be his always positive atti- I figured out that it’s not having the right male/ tude, his infectious laugh, or his words of father figure in ones life, so I strived to be a wisdom, I always left his presence smil- mentor for these kids. When I left business, I ing or laughing. So seniors, this being got my degree in education because I wanted my last article of high school before we to do that,” said Avery. all leave for college and head out into “It’s like I tell the kids: have a purpose, focus on the real world, I want to leave off with that purpose, and stay consistent. I try to live this: in the words of Mr. Avery, “Have a by that”. purpose, focus, and stay consistent”. Being such an incredible motivator and example for kids, Avery says that the things that make an honorable man are to be kind and good to your children and wife. He also be- lieves that his best influence was his father because of all the positive life lessons that he taught him. “Mr. Avery is an all around great guy; he’s a great influence. I think we should have Will Av- ery day, and call off school,” said Eric Kne- zevich. Along with volunteering to mentor inmates at Ohio prisons, staying involved with church, and being an active member of anti-drug and (You can find Mr. Avery teaching his alcohol organizations, Mr. Avery still stays in classes here) close contact with his two daughters. For many students, Mr. Avery has exhibited his, as senior Chris Horner calls it, “un-human” core strength, by doing the “Will-the-Thrill” pull up where he exhibits the perfect form of a pull-up, while keeping his legs at a less than 90 degree angle. Many students struggle with regular pull-ups, while he can do 29 without breaking Gabe Lopez Staff Writer January #4 Feature ‘, Seniors give the ‘lows and highs’ on Marijuana It looks like the ‘normal’ senior student in high school is starting to change throughout the United States. Studies are showing an increase in smoking marijuana, and a decrease in not only cigarettes, but also alcohol. Studies show that the increase in marijuana use has been about 3% from last year. On the other hand, alcohol and cigarette use has gone down 3% from last year. These studies, refl ected at monitoringthefuture.org, have been conducted since 1975. Some students think that kids smoke marijuana to be rebellious, or that they just like to do it in groups because it is fun to do. These students think that it is something to do with your friends to just chill out, and not go out and get in trouble. “Students smoke marijuana for the thrill of doing it, and to rebel against their parents. I believe if legalized, the use would go down because there to end in high school, but also goes through college. College would not be as much of that thrill,” said senior Brad students have also had an increase of 3% over the last year. Church. A study done by The Harvard School of Public Health suggests Legalizing the drug has been up for that “frequent marijuana use may be physically and emotionally debate for many years.

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