Chemistry, that infamous class sophomores dread, leaves students stressed and up late finishing homework. NC teachers Jordan Tidrick, Nena Tippens, Veronica Cook, and Herman Wood all teach chemistry, but only one of the them offers a special extra credit opportunity for student to excel without the stress and restlessness.

“I never knew how lucky I was to have Mrs. Tippens as my chemistry teacher until the moment she offered the class an opportunity of a lifetime,” sophomore Candice Butler said.

Unknown to NC faculty members and students, Tippens spends her free time working for the National Genetic Preservation and Cloning Institute (NGPCI). Tippens started her research at the NGPCI early after earning her degree in applied chemistry and genetic study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology when she graduated top of her class.

“I was a very smart student, and I never let anything—or anyone—get in the way of my success. With hard work and dedication, I was asked to start research for the National Genetic Preservation and Cloning Institute, my side project,” Tippens said.

Despite the NGPCI’s state of the art research facility, Tippens felt she could benefit more with independent experiments and research. The NGPCI sets strict rules regulating their staff’s research with intense background checks and security cameras. Tippens, a genius at heart, managed to secure the data from the NGPCI onto her Cobb County laptop and avoided all advisers’ attention.

“It wasn’t very difficult to do since the company could definitely improve their security a lot, but I’m not complaining or planning on informing my advisors,” Tippens said.

With all the data and technology right at her fingertips, Tippens can achieve the impossible—and she does. The cloning technology just started with the boom of new information in the past three years, but Tippens defies all the other science institutes and universities by cloning organisms right in this moment.

“Well yeah I’m a genius. Only geniuses can clone animals and humans. So yes, I am definitely a genius,” Tippens said.

She first began cloning small animals like wild rabbits and bunnies, but then, once she mastered the technique, advanced to larger mammals like giraffes, elephants, and monkeys. She quickly became bored of the zoo forming in her massive backyard, so she conducted more intensive research on human cloning.

Puzzled how she would find candidates that would consider helping her with her study, she remembered that for seven hours every day she teaches eager students who beg for passing grades and A’s in her rigorous course. She went over the proposal in her head multiple times, and decided to start this special extra credit opportunity in the middle of the 2016 spring semester.

Once the class period was almost over in her first period, she announced that all students interested in a major extra credit opportunity should stay after class to speak with her. Seven of her students stayed behind to speak with Tippens, none of them knowing what she soon planned to ask them.

“After the other students left and she closed the door, we all got kinda nervous about what she was going to say. Once she told us, I couldn’t even believe what I was hearing. Mrs. Tippens is crazy. She has lost her mind,” sophomore Jackson Reed said.

Students, surprised by Tippens’ assignment, all eventually agreed to her proposal and stayed after school with Tippens for the start of the experiment. All students needed to give a sample of their saliva, hair follicles, nails, blood, and skin cells. The students left by 6:45 PM for Tippens to complete the project and put each student’s samples together in the incubators.

“I mean cloning isn’t that big of a deal, it’s pretty rad actually. If it will keep me from failing chemistry, I’m 100% in,” sophomore Mike Johnson said.

With the students’ excitement after their grades shot up five point, more students asked Tippens for the same opportunity, some even coming back more than once. The amount of students earning A’s in Tippens class increased tremendously and this impressed all her colleagues, including NC principal Bucky Horton.

“It’s so amazing to see kids really enjoying Mrs. Tippens’ class now since students used to complain about the workload a lot. Actually the rate of A’s had gone up at exponential rates. Huh, interesting,” Bucky says while pausing to open his laptop. “I think there is a problem here. Hey, Revard can you come look at this—I’m sorry I have to go now,” Horton said.

After Horton became more interested in Tippens’ class, she quickly shut down her experiment, but plans to start her research back up again soon. Under the suspicious radar of Horton’s questions, Tippens declined a final interview.

Will Tippens continue with the study? No one really knows, but as far as students go, they may end up seeing doubles walking the halls of NC.

April Fool’s, you fools!

XOXO,

The Chant