THON is still important, even if it is mini

Jacob McCloskey

Staff Writer

Despite being renamed as Mini-THON, this school years’ event is setting the bar even higher. Taking place from 7pm January 8th to 7am January 9th, 2016’s THON is partnered with Penn State Hershey’s Four Diamonds Children’s Hospital, where the $50 minimum per person of fundraised money will go. The hospital will use this money both to provide financial support to cancer patients and to provide money for research teams looking for a cure.

Not only will this year’s hotline bling themed THON benefit great causes, but it will be even more fun for the students of new hope than in years past. People who are not able to join a team or stay the night may attend the dance from 7-10. For the rest of the night, along with constant music, events and caffeine, sporting competitions will provide eligibility for students to win a hoverboard, the most in-demand gift of the year. At some point of the night, everyone’s favorite teachers will be dressing up as sumo wrestlers, battling for the Mini-THON title.

Each year at THON we break new records for how much money is fundraised, more people get involved, and our school becomes more optimistic and spirited. This event has proven to show the best of new hope’s student body, and from what we can see so far, this upcoming THON will be even better.

America’s Islamophobia and how history is tragically repeating itself

Lexi Anderson

News Editor

In the midst of World War II and as a result of Pearl Harbor, approximately 6 million Jewish people were killed in a mass genocide in Germany known as the Holocaust and Japanese internment camps kept those living in the United States of Japanese ancestry isolated from the rest of the country. We see both these events as international tragedies, yet if we observe our world now, it can be seen that history is, in many ways, repeating itself.

 Islamophobia is a very real and very tragic thing. With the rise of ISIS, now more than ever, people overgeneralize all Muslims as terrorists and cold-blooded killers. In truth, however, Islam is a peaceful religion that has been plagued by a handful of extreme fundamentalists, causing a nearly universal fear of and prejudice against Muslim people.

 Blinded by this fear, the United States has taken in only a small fraction of Syrian refugees, while thousands more stay stranded in war-ridden Syria. Sound familiar? Less than a century ago, the United States refused Jewish refugees from Germany during the Holocaust, partly due to economical reasons but mainly because of anti-semitism. Nearly 6 million Jewish people were killed. We see that part of history now as a tragedy, questioning how we could of let that happen. Yet here we are, taking the same path that we did only decades ago.

 The main reason the United States has denied the entrance of refugees into the country is because of fear that a few terrorists will slip in with the refugees. This fear is understandable, but is it really right to deny tens of thousands of people simply because there might be, on the off chance, a few bad seeds? In regard to Trump’s supporters, this is fear stems from internalized and in many cases, explicit Islamophobia and the irrational idea that all Muslims are killers. Truthfully, the refugees are the terrorized, not the terrorists, and it would be inhumane to decline them entrance into the country.

 Recently, Donald Trump has succumbed to Islamophobia, stating his mission that, if elected president, no Muslims would be let into the country and those that are already living in the country would need to be registered as Muslims. This is disturbingly comparable to the World War II Japanese internment camps that were established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. The incarceration of Japanese-American citizens was a racially charged act, all too similar to Trump’s recent Islamophobic idea to register all Muslims in the country. Once again, we see the mass organization of Japanese people as a mistake, yet it is something that is being revisited today. Unfortunately, many people in the electorate aren’t against the ideas voiced by Trump whose poll numbers have increased, surpassing 40% for the first time.

 We live in an Islamophobic time where religion has determined the way one is seen by others and portrayed in the world. People are so eager to defend their claim that Muslims are the ones causing all the violence in the world, yet white-extremists have killed almost twice as many Americans in domestic terrorist acts than Islamic-extremists have done since 9/11. We are overgeneralizing to the point that we are becoming inhumane as a country, turning down once again those that fall into our ignorant and misinformed interpretation of Islam and all of those who follow it. It is time to realize the dangerous consequences of prejudice and start to see each Muslim person as an individual, or else we’ll once again be reflecting on ourselves decades from now thinking: How could we have done that? How could we have been so cruel?

Black Friday leaves shoppers with empty wallets

Caroline Maloney

Staff Writer

Logging onto my online PNC Virtual Wallet account to see a balance of -$1.37 was certainly a great wake up call that I needed to rethink my financial priorities. Staring at the screen in utter disbelief, I asked myself- How did I let this happen? There was only one answer: Black Friday.

 Each year, dedicated and determined shoppers like myself wake up at the earliest of hours with hopes of scoring big deals and steals. Stores like BestBuy, Target, and Walmart introduce “doorbuster” sales to customers, which occur only once a year. Whether one is buying a 55’’ LED HD television or a new handbag, good deals are bound to be found. However, amidst all of the bargains and discounts, it is very easy to drain a bank account in the blink of an eye. I, sadly, learned that the hard way.

 Numerous New Hope-Solebury students have also taken advantage of the sales. Junior Taylor Selbst said that her experience was great. “I bought a lot of new clothes, but spent too much money,” she said.

 Junior Molly Rothblat said that she “ had the intention of buying gifts for my family and friends, yet that didn’t seem to work out. I got some great deals for myself, however.”

 Junior John Sharkey says the best deal he bought all day was a full set of all Harry Potter DVDs from Amazon.com. “The sale sent me straight to flavortown.” John said, explaining that sales such as these occur not very often.

 Students, such as Sharkey, choose to skip the long lines and grouchy shoppers and take a more virtual route: online shopping.

 Junior Caroline Rubino said, “I did most of my shopping online. It’s easier.”

 Online shopping has been a trend for shoppers to resort to, and there now is a holiday dedicated to online shopping, otherwise known as Cyber Monday.

  Whether online or in store, manage your dough wisely next year with hopes of scoring big. Spending money is fun, especially when you love to shop, but make sure to be extra careful and cautious on this holiday in order to avoid seeing negative signs in your bank account statement.

Are People Starting To Celebrate The Holidays Too Early?

Charlotte Haigh and Victoria Siano

News Editors

The holiday season has always been an extremely popular time of the year. With so many different events: Christmas, Hanukkah, and even the start of the new year, it is hard not to get wrapped up in all of the excitement. With the exuberance, though, also comes a desire to make the holidays last longer.

  This hope is understandable. With all of the stress and pain of daily life, it is only natural to crave an extension of the joyous spirit that always ensues this time of year. The ways people have done so have ironically only managed to diminish holiday spirit while also annoying those that want to take the holidays one at time.

 For one, many retailers have taken to advertising commercials and decorating their storefronts with mistletoe and jingle bells far before the holiday has even arrived. Even television stations start celebrating too early, such as Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas, which begins on Nov. 1.

 With such an early start, people have come to lose the true excitement and spirit that this time of year always brings. People tire of Christmas music sooner, purchase gifts earlier, and decorate faster, so that by the time the holidays actually come around, they have become old news. As much as people want the holidays to be around forever, they tend to get old really quickly.

 This early start to the celebration has also taken to undermining the holidays before it, like Halloween and Thanksgiving. You can hardly ever find a store that sells decorations for these two holidays without having a section filled with Christmas goods right beside it. Nordstrom is one of the few stores that has vowed to only put decorations for holidays out after the previous holiday has ended.

 Every holiday should have its own chance in the spotlight, so take the time to appreciate the joy that each celebration brings.

Social Media is Toxic

Riley Brennan and Katie Hunt

Staff Writer

Social media is normally a fun way for people to communicate, share, and browse, but it may actually be detrimental to our health and well being. It’s no secret that social media has changed the way our world operates. It has opened the doors to limitless opportunities, letting people experience other parts of the world and communicate with friends without having to leave their homes. But is it possible that society depends too heavily on social media, to the point where it’s gotten unhealthy? Unfortunately, thanks to recent studies, we know that it has; the social media craze has gotten to the point of addiction.

 Social media has changed the way people interact with one another. When hanging out with friends, more often than not everyone is accompanied by their phones. Chances are, phones make many appearances throughout the time friends are together. And sadly, in some cases more time is spent snapchatting a friend across the room than actually talking to him or her.

 Socializing with people has gotten tougher with everyone starting at their phones or focusing on taking a picture to post on a variety of different social media platforms.

 These apps and websites are designed to entertain and entice people, so are we  really to blame? In some ways yes; after all, we are the ones signing up for these websites. But there was no warning about Instagram being unhealthy when we made accounts. Can we actually be held accountable for being obsessed with something we didn’t know would become addictive?

 Obviously addiction is a negative attribute to social media, but the list of downsides doesn’t stop there. Too much social media can cause people to suffer mentally, which can then lead to serious issues. In order to avoid the negative attributes of social media, limit the amount of time you spend on it. Social media can be great, as long as you know when to turn it off.

Are some lives more valuable than others?

Lexi Anderson
News Editor

The night of November 13th brought ISIS to the Western world for the first time as attacks left hundreds either dead or wounded, a tragedy that has resulted in the love and mourning of people from every corner of the world.

 In light of the Paris attacks, support has spread from one side of the globe to the other, the world has been blanketed by the French flag, with the Empire State Building and Sydney Opera house donning its colors in solace. Facebook even went as far as providing a safety check for the French, which provided them a way to see if their family and friends were safe, allowing them to rest easy during the distressing time.

 The Paris attacks were of course a tragedy, there is no denying that these are dark times. Obviously, the love and support being provided by the media and people all over the globe is well deserved and appreciated, but the problem lies in the media coverage and the corresponding outpouring of love that has not been granted to countries such as Beirut, Nigeria, and Baghdad.

 In Beirut specifically, 40 died and over 200 were wounded when two ISIS operatives blew themselves up in a crowded marketplace, just one day before the attack in Paris. This attack is the worst Beirut has seen in many years, and yet the attention and coverage of the attack has been vastly different than in Paris.

 The attack in Paris was described as an attack on the youth, people simply enjoying their night out at a concert, while the attack in Beirut was seen as ISIS striking a war ridden area, containing supporters of Bashar-al Assad’s regime. Beirut, however, isn’t just that. It’s a diverse area containing people of all different countries and religions. People from all these different groups were killed in the suicide bombing, not just a certain group. Women, children, and elderly were lost but somehow this event isn’t deemed as an “attack on humanity.”

 There was no Facebook safety check, no colors of the Lebanese flag projected on signature architecture or used as a filter for everyone's profile picture. It is understandable that Paris hits us closer to home, but it’s simply unfair that one group of people deserves less collective mourning than another.

 Places like Beirut, Iraq, Syria, and many more have been collectively expected to live with bombings, mass killings, death. The West has deemed these events as a usual occurrence, the grieving the world may have felt is overshadowed by the conditioned apathy felt towards these places of war. How long does it take for a tragedies to become ordinary?

 It is a tragedy in itself that apparently where you live determines the amount of compassion you deserve.

 Yes, the attack on Paris was an attack on humanity, and it deserves all the love it is receiving, but all of the tragedies around the world, all the mass killings, whether weekly, monthly, or yearly, whether in Beirut, Syria, Baghdad, Nigeria, Cameroon, Iraq, or Paris, are attacks on humanity.

Don’t forget your compassion, a life is a life.

Quarterly exams brings even more stress to the end of the quarter

Bailey Hendricks

Features Editor

The first marking period has made its way to the end. As usual the end of the marking period brings a cram of tests, homework, and projects. Students tirelessly work to make sure they get everything in on time and make sure their grades are up to their standards. However, this year things are changing. The introduction of the Quarterly Exams, brought a new look to the marking period’s end.

The Quarterly Exams have been introduced in efforts to create less stress for students around the midterm and final exams. Rather than two exams worth 10% of your final grade, four smaller tests will be administered after each marking period each worth 5% of your final grade. While the idea seems optimistic, not all students feel the same.

Junior Elizabeth Both says she does not  “personally like the quarterlies, but it gives you more of a chance to rise up from a bad grade unlike the midterm and finals format.” The new format, being worth only five percent of your grade, gives you a better chance to recover from a bad grade on one of the four exams. Senior Hannah Mui says, “ I think the quarterlies are not good for seniors especially with sending mid year grades to colleges, the tests can bring down the student’s overall grades. It is also a new format to get used to at the very end of our high school career.”

While the students understand the logic behind the testing, it is still difficult to add in even more tests in an already stressful time. The last week of the quarter is stressful enough and with some student taking more than four or five tests in that week it becomes even more stressful. The idea of smaller tests is helpful, but when administered during a regular school week when the workloads from other classes remain the same, it is hard to balance homework with studying and other extracurricular and out of school activities. The Quarterly exams will still add up to 20% of your final grade for each class, so many students are still feeling the same pressure to perform at their best.

The secret behind overtesting students

Jackie Gouris

Arts & Entertainment Editor

As of the 2015-2016 school year, a drastic change has taken place that will affect all students. The addition of quarterly tests will revamp cumulative tests, like midterms and finals. The idea behind quarterlies is to de-emphasize the anxiety around the weight of midterms and finals by splitting up the material and points, says the Dean of Students, Mr. Cook.

He is the man behind this initiative, believing that by having more frequent, smaller summative tests will take some stress out of the process. Still, Mr. Cook thinks that students today are over tested. “There is no magic bullet. People want to know how the students are doing, and this is the best way to do it right now,” Mr. Cook says. President Obama’s administration is saying that today’s students are being over tested, and calling for a reduction in testing.

This year’s graduates, the class of 2016, are the first class to have gone through 1-12 under the No Child Left Behind Act. After twelve years under these regulations, there is now an opposing push to de-emphasize testing. These two new initiatives are contradictory and confusing for students being pulled in all different directions. Instead of looking at arbitrary data that may not be applicable or legislation from people who are far removed from the school system, perhaps educators should look to the people who matter in this situation for answers: the students. Hopefully, all of these changes will be for the better, but in the meantime, students will continue to do what they do best: test.

IPhone 6s amazes Apple users

Heather Borochaner & Joseph Giunta

Staff Writers

 Apple never fails to amaze its customers by showing off what technology can do. Every year, they reveal many new products such as the new iMac, iPad Pro (with a keyboard and Apple Pencil), new designs for the Apple Watch, and the most anticipated of them all, the brand new iPhone 6s/6s Plus, featuring the brand new color, Rose Gold, a brand new iSight 12mp (megapixel) camera that’s capable of shooting 4K video recordings, a brand new 5 mp camera, a new 3D touch, faster LTE speeds, and best of all, the phones don’t start to bend after long exposure to your pockets.

 When I first got the iPhone 6s Plus on the day it was released, I was shocked at how fast it was, including speed improvements on the touch ID compared to the iPhone 6 Plus. The touch ID was 10 times faster! The 3D touch was a very unique feature to have on a phone. It was actually sensing how hard you pressed! The only downfall is that since the iPhone just got released, the developers for all the apps didn’t update their apps to support 3D touch. The new 12 MP camera isn’t that different compared to the previous model, although it does show more detail in the photo and is way more vivid. The camera is also amazing at taking close up photos. The new camera also takes Live Photos which is a new feature only on the Iphone 6s and 6s Plus. If you have it activated it will take a regular photo but when you use 3D touch and press harder on the photo it will show about a 2 second video, 1 second before and 1 second after the photo is taken. The front facing camera is where there is a huge difference. The front facing camera went from 1.2 Megapixels to 5 Megapixels. There is a lot more detail in the photo and the quality is so amazing! When I go on the internet the speed is really fast, everything loads a lot faster.

 When I first opened the phone at the store, I noticed that the phone was a noticeably thicker, also it was also a little heavier. When I felt it in my hand it felt more solid than the previous model. A huge issue I have with this phone is that the battery life isn’t that good compared to the previous model. While the previous model lasted me about a whole day and I still had about 20% extra battery. With the current model I have to charge a couple hours before I go to bed, which is still pretty good because I do use it all day long.

 In conclusion, the iPhone 6s has many amazing features that continue to improve the experience of modern technology, and the downsides of the phone are heavily overshadowed by the positives.

I don’t want your roses, Prestige Portraits

Anna Sirianni

Editor-in-Chief

Years from now, we will reflect on our time at New Hope-Solebury by looking back at senior pictures.

 On August 24, 25, and 26, rising twelfth graders were photographed by Prestige Portraits in the high school cafeteria and were sent proofs of the portraits several weeks later. Males were dressed with a tuxedo and females with a gown-like drape. The photographs vary, capturing different angles and poses.

 One pose struck a nerve with me.

 Towards the end of my photo shoot, the photographer handed me a fake red rose, wilted after years of senior portraits.

 He draped my unpainted fingernails across the rose in some sort of precise way. He told me not to grasp it too tightly or else it won’t look “nice.” But I didn’t care if it looked nice; I didn’t want to hold a flower at all.

 As if my blonde hair and bulging curves weren’t enough, my femininity had to be represented with a blooming red rose.

 Women are more than pretty flowers.

 Some women on television obsess over being awarded a rose on shows such as The Bachelor to know that a man thinks they’re worthy of love. When women get angry in movies, a handsome man tosses a flower her way to get her back. In our culture, women’s legitimate emotions are often too-soon dismissed by bouquets of roses.

 Girls should strive to get more out of life than a bunch of flowers.

 By my graduation, I will have endured one torn ACL, seven AP courses, four spirit weeks, three SAT tests, and (at least) one volleyball BAL title. But what better way to mark my accomplishments and fortitude than by planting a rose in my hand?

 Roses represent eternal, undying love, but that’s not what I got out of high school.

 I got maturity, talent, and peace of mind. I established solid relationships with teachers and proved myself through clubs and academics. I made friends that I am forever thankful for. But I did not get red, hot love. Nor did I attempt to.

 I am a woman, but I will not be represented by a flower. I am a tsunami. A rainstorm. A second-look-worthy not-to-be-forgotten human being. A flower can not dissolve my anger or ease my worries, nor can it win my heart.
As if Prestige Portraits were still not convinced that I’m a proper lady, they handed me a white rose too.  Maybe next year the graduating girls will get pink roses as well! I’m sure they’re excited.

Student suspect illnesses are spreading due to hall passes

Nina Coughlin and Katie Tangradi
Staff Writers

A plastic yellow rectangle is single -handedly infecting myriad students with common cold symptoms just months before the flu season arrives.
  Students walked in day one, expecting to receive the typical passport/planner. PLOT TWIST, students were introduced to the aforementioned slab of yellow plastic, also known as the new hall pass for the 2015-2016 school year.
  To exit the classroom, students fill out the hall pass with the time and destination. The hall pass accompanies the students to their destination and back. This process is not only unsanitary but vile. Students should not have to be concerned about the hall passes history prior to the student’s use.
  The hall pass is generally taken to the bathroom, which is the most germ-infested location in the school according to many students. If there are 20 students in every class, eight times a day, then there is a possibility of 160 students touching a single hall pass every single day. Some of those students may be sick, while others may fail to wash their hands after uses the lavatory. Either way the hall pass poses a health risk.
  Within the first three weeks of school about two-thirds of every class experienced cold symptoms. Our hypothesis leads to the hall passes being at fault for this school-wide illness. It is beyond disgusting that this piece of plastic goes everywhere with students, and is shared by the entire student body. Hygiene is a personal issue.
  “The new hall passes are bogus if you ask me,” Senior Dylan Waterman said. “I think it is super gross and unhygienic to be carrying the same hall pass that many others have just brought with them into the bathroom. Who knows what is on these disgusting passes, and I’m sure it is nothing I want on or near my body.”
  What was thought to be good idea is now causing illness throughout the high school. The majority of students are against it. This policy needs to change before flu season arrives.

New Keycards Throw Off Student Routines

Alec Coburn
Staff Writer

This school year NH-S students and staff arrived to school with a not-so nice-surprise: The keycard receptors on the doors of the school had been changed.
  Nobody could get in the building and many were late for their first period class. By homeroom the students discovered that these new receptors were linked to new key cards that also double as our school ID’s. Because we all use our school ID’s right? My old key-fob that I have used for the past three years is now obsolete. So, why the switch?
  Mr. Malone addressed the situation. “Because of the new construction we thought we should update the security system,” Malone said. “Having our name and photo on the keycard will make it more personalized.”
  There are many students, including myself, who are not fans of the new security initiative. I am all for updated security systems and keeping the student body safe. Let’s be honest here folks, we live in New Hope. What is going to happen? Either way, a little notification would have been nice. I was late to my first period class for the test. Also, the concept of a card is backtracking. The “fob” was compact, easy to have on your lanyard and put in your pocket. These new cards are cumbersome to have attached on your keys. There are those who just put it in their wallets, but does anyone really carry their wallet around school? I know I don’t.
  Senior Nic Patino said that he does not like the new key cards because they do not “fit on his keys.”
  If you like the new key cards then that is good for you. More power to you. I am just glad I do not have to deal with them after May 13 thanks to the APEX project.

Is Cheerleading A Sport?

Alexandra Mangano & Eliana Slater

Staff Writers

Whether cheerleading is a sport or not is a controversial topic. Most cheerleaders will immediately argue that it is a sport, which is understandable. Cheerleaders endure constant criticism and disapproval of their sport.

 “I do not understand how people can disrespect a sport they have never been a part of,” said Junior Brooke Black, a cheerleader.

  Cheerleading checks off every qualification that activities require to be considered a sport. The first requirement is that it must be a physical activity that involves propelling a mass through the air; stunting does exactly that! Cheerleaders lift and throw girls in the air frequently. Bodies weigh more than a typical sport’s equipment, and that shows how much strength it takes to be successful in this sport.

 The second qualification is contesting or competing against an opponent. Cheerleaders spend hours of practice running through routines, stunting, tumbling, and cheering. They do this because competitions are extremely difficult and require dedication. Just like football players create plays to run, cheerleaders create routines to perform.

 The last qualification is it must have rules that govern the activity, there must be a set time, space, purpose of the contest, and the conditions under which a winner is declared. There are different rules for each level of cheerleading and for school cheerleading. Points are taken off of the score sheet for each illegal stunt performed at each level.

 Cheerleaders are often considered weak athletes. As said previously, it requires a lot of muscle to stunt. Stunting also causes major injuries that are just as serious as any other sport.  After all, the injuries that cheerleaders endure are ranked second among all sports. Motions have to be sharp and voices have to be loud. 37,000 cheerleaders go to the emergency room every year. This statistic just goes to show that cheerleading should be weighed as heavily as other sports.

 Cheerleading is a sport because it meets all of the qualifications needed to be one. While doing cheerleading, every member is physically active whether they’re throwing girls in the air or doing backflips, but it’s fun too.

Losing Money Quickly? The Truth Behind The School Cafeteria Prices

Justin Fischetti

Staff Writer

If you have bought lunch from the school cafeteria, it is likely that at some point you thought that you were overpaying, especially over the past couple years. Maybe you saw your account money continue to tank quickly every school day. The truth is, you are right - partly. While indeed, the prices of the menu items from the cafeteria can get a bit pricey, there is a little trick that can help save you quite a bit of cash.

 The prices of lunch items vary from one another depending on their category. Side entrees, such as fries and rice, cost only 85 cents, but main entrees, such as pizza and chicken nuggets, cost $2.60. Many students in the past may have bought only a main entree and a side entree, but may have been surprised to see the price climb up to near $3.50.

 Since you will also will probably buy a drink to go along with the buy, you may be thinking that this is just unfair overpricing. Well, yes, you would be right. However, there is a trick not all students are aware of that can help you save money; the discounts. There is a very helpful discount within the school lunch system. In order to get this discount, you must buy a full meal at lunch. This meal consists of a main and side entree, a drink, and, what students typically miss, a ½ cup of a fruit or vegetable. If you buy these four items, you will need to pay only $3.10 for the meal, saving well over a dollar as a result.

 Some students seem unaware of this discount and assume a full meal will be too pricey, when, if you just a little bit of healthy fruits or vegetables on the side, you could be saving more money than you think. Even if you aren’t into that healthy stuff, you can easily ignore the fruits or vegetables and eat the rest of your meal.

 You may be wondering how the lunch management comes up with the lunch item prices and what is behind the reason for the discount. School District Food Service Director Kim Keller explains the reasoning in an interview:

 “School lunch prices are regulated through the state and federal government through something called school lunch equity. Prices are based on state averages and the economy's inflation”.

 This means that the school lunch prices are in a way controlled by the government, so not much can be done to change them. Only the snack items, such as cookies and ice cream, are determined by the school.

 Also mentioned in the interview is how the National School Lunch program offers a discount if students buy a full, healthy lunch with fruits or vegetables included, which explains the discount; the program wants to encourage students to eat healthy!

Say NO to barefoot dances!

Jackie Gouris

Editor

Ladies, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. The world (high school) is divided into two types of girls, those who keep their shoes on at dances, and those who will lose to natural selection.

Each year at homecoming, the same pattern of behavior can be seen. As the first dance of the year, the freshmen tend to nervously glance around the dance floor before escaping to the bathrooms, unsure if the dance culture will look more like the Winter Formal in Mean Girls or the Halloween Dance in A Cinderella Story. Sorry freshman, New Hope has an atmosphere all its own. You are just going to have to experience it for yourself. If Chad Michael Murray shows up in a Prince Charming costume, I will be the first to let you know.

One behavior that you will see is girls in beautiful dresses, running around barefoot! It defies all laws of natural behavior. Who said it is socially acceptable for girls to go barefoot at high school dances. Not only are you walking around on the ~gym floor~ barefoot, but you are in serious danger of losing a foot when someone stomps on it in the typical jumping-up-and-down motion that apparently is a form of dancing. Let’s be the generation to end barefoot dances!

So ladies, we have three options. Option one: grin and bear it. Your feet may be cramped, your toes numb, but you have miraculously gained a few inches and your piggies are safe inside your heels. It’s no secret wearing heels is a major confidence booster (as long as you don’t trip). Brag about your ability to last three plus hours in agony, you have the blisters to show for it!

Option two: Wear flats. Nobody is looking down at your feet, and you will be infinitely more comfortable. Although most girls do seem to choose to show up in heels, flats are (and always will be) one hundred percent in style. News flash ladies, high school boys aren’t even that tall. Chances are, those heels might be moving you from eye level height to the very dangerous zone of taller than him!!!! if that’s something that bothers you. So why not give flats a try?

Option three: Bring a change of shoes! We have access to the locker rooms, so why not bring a comfy pair of shoes! You will be spending half of the dance in there anyway, so why not have a reason to go back and forth with every song change. And remember: SOCKS ARE NOT SHOES! When you get stabbed in the foot with a six inch stiletto with only socks on, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Whether or not you decide to keep your shoes on, you will undoubtedly have a great night at Candy Land Homecoming 2015.

Your resolutions are all about attitude

Bailey Jaronski
Staff Writer

People usually open the new year with goals and a vague hope of realizing a better future. For instance, a lot of people view the new year as a reason to change; therefore, they are very motivated. People usually have common goals like eating healthier, working out more and having a  more positive attitude.  Do not get me wrong, I think it is good to have long and short term goals and the desire to be better. But in reality, it’s just another day. Nothing is going to happen between December 31 and January 1 besides your mindset.
  The internal struggle to change is the hardest part of improving yourself. It is easy to say “I’m going to eat healthier and work out more,” but you have to do that. Your mindset needs to be realistic in terms of the challenges of changing your lifestyle, or else you will give up after short period of time.
 Other people tend to look at the new year, not as a reason to have goals all of a sudden, but as a new start. I like that; events shape a person and every single person had a previous year of ups and downs. Therefore, a new year gives people the opportunity to move on.
  I agree with the people who want to have hope for a better year. However, I disagree with the people who view the new year  as a reason to change themselves. I believe in the power of a day. One day gives you endless opportunities to change something. No one knows how many days he or she will experience. Therefore we need to learn how to seize the day. Yes, some days it is hard with work, stressors, and “bad days,” but once one has the realization that a day is powerful and shall not be taken for granted, a more positive life shall follow.
 Waiting for the next year to change something is taking life for granted. Once one stops acting like tomorrow is guaranteed, they will really start living.

1:1 is worth it

Sam Lombardi
Staff Writer

Recently the school administration made a decision regarding the one to one devices, and the policies surrounding them. Ever since the first day they were given to us, there have been numerous counts of broken screens and other damages to the computers. For this reason, it will soon be mandatory to purchase and use a case for the device if you want to take it home.
  The decision was poorly received by the student body, and many people feel its unfair to require us to pay $25.00 for something we didn’t ask for. However, it seems like many people are forgetting that the devices were given to us for free, and the case is only needed if you want to bring it home. If you are arguing that you never asked for the the tablet and you don’t need to use it, then you also don’t have any reason to take it home after school.
  Although I do think it might be unjust in some respects, it’s the most reasonable solution for both the students and the school.
  Lots of people will be quick to bash the school for doing this, but we shouldn’t shoot the messenger. The whole reason for all of this is because the school had to file too many insurance claims in such a short amount of time. Instead of getting angry at the school, we should be recognizing the fact that we all were given these devices for free, and a $25 investment to keep them working isn’t ridiculous to ask for.

Students question new fees and regulations regarding 1:1

Matt Steele
Staff Writer

As more and more One to Ones end up in the infirmary, new rules regarding laptop cases aim to cut down on damage after break.
  About halfway through the school year, there are more than 30 One to Ones currently out of commission. As it becomes more of an issue, the school administration is looking for ways to cut down on the growing problem. Their newest idea is the implementation of mandatory cases for the One to Ones. These cases would cost $25 and be available for purchase in the library.
  Students are wondering how the office plans to enforce these new rules. When asked, Principal Malone told me that he is still looking for ideas, but they are starting with a service charge or $25. Each time a student broke his or her laptop, they would need to pay this fee instead of simply buying a case. Also, Ms. Schwander said that it’s possible that students without a case will not be allowed to take the One to One devices home.