Earth Day? What's That?

Earth Day was started in 1969 at a UNESCO conference in San Francisco, so it is a relatively new holiday.  But what is the purpose of the seemingly uneventful holiday?  Could it be another Hallmark holiday? Imagine receiving a card from your grandmother in the mail wishing you a "Happy Earth Day" with a picture of an anthropomorphized, smiling Earth on it.  Surely Hallmark isn't making much money off of this holiday.  So what is the significance to Earth Day if there is no celebration?  Well maybe holidays doesn't require a celebration, but bring about awareness.  According to wikipedia (the most reliable source on the web), Earth Day was created to support environmental protection.  In fact, it's a bigger deal than one might expect.  It is celebrated by 192 countries around the world.  The thought of 192 countries coming together in the desire to protect the Earth that we share is remarkable if you think about it.  Even if Earth Day seems insignificant, the basis behind it is just the opposite.  If nothing else, respect the Earth and respect the one day that we celebrate it in unity.

Webster's Dream
Hot sheets$
Cold nights$
Green linens$

Sulfide bubbling hot dog
do not eat.

Seriously!$
Some poetry coming at you from Joe Hansma.Senior year is supposed to be a time of happy lasts and growing up but for some they can't help but cause drama.  With 20 days of school left in my high school career I cannot help but notice the amount of drama that is going around.  It's prom and graduation and AP tests and everyhting else in between but we are never going to see each other again.  I don't understand it and probably never will.  With school coming to an end I am happy to be done and ready for college.  OSU is going to be so awesome next yaer and I can't wait to never have to have a hall pass again.  I won't have a class before nine and won't have to clean my room because my mo won't be there to say anything.  I have nothing left to say now so I'm signing off!

Yours Truly,
Margaret Gearhart

Senior year is

Social Networking

The social media is generally a negative thing. With an increased popularity in the recent years, it turned from an interesting, new concept to a consuming portion of many young and old people's lives. Many of the not-so-appealing qualities are recognized by those who use these sites daily, as well as those who stay strong and refuse to jump on the social networking band wagon, yet millions of people log on daily, wasting time that some cannot afford.
Specific reasons the social media is bad:

• It causes drama.
• It endorses cyber-bullying and harassment.
• Lowers self-esteem. While you're sitting home on the computer, you see lovely pictures and posts of people having a good time. Or, people can be a little too honest.
• Leads to isolation (in some cases, or every once in a while)
• It wastes time that could be spent doing schoolwork.
• No one cares about your updates, statuses, "tweets", etc.
• Even if they do, they shouldn't:
• If they were there, they were there. I'm sure they do not need to be reminded. 
• If they weren't there, it's none of their business. 
• If they need to know, you can/will tell them yourself. 
• If they want to know, they can ask you themselves.
• If it's about them, tell it to their face. Simple as that.
• Possible/current colleges and employers can acquire access to your pages. Bad news for those with some...interesting posts. There is no privacy and teenagers especially are not careful about what they post!
• Decreases the need for face-to-face contact, reducing social skills.
• Makes interactions with friends, family, co-workers, whoever less personal, less sentimental.
• Social networking is ADDICTIVE!

While Facebook, Twitter, tumblr., Instagram, or whatever are helpful with connecting with old friends and family, making new friends, or keeping in touch with "friends", your friends should already know how to contact you. There are many positives that have came out of this new age, such as business opportunities, spread of awareness on topics, and blossoming new love and friendships, I truly believe the negatives outweigh the positives of Social Networking.

Think twice about what you post. Resist the urge to get on the internet.

Julia B.

So I have been looking at the posts before mine, and listening to the people around me and realized life is mostly about preparing yourself. I remember all the teachers in Jr. High preparing us for high school, and then all of high school preparing us for college, and then college will prepare us for life. There is always something to get ready for. As of right now, college is a huge topic even for us juniors (though I’m sure it is a lot more stressful for seniors). Our classes are based on what college will be like, our jobs revolve around how to get into college, and even some of our after school activities are chosen because they look good to colleges. Sometimes it seems like we just can’t just focus on the present. I know that seems a little dramatic, but it’s true. We may be living in the present, but the future is pretty much looming over us where ever we go. This is really taxing because it never stops; there will always be a future. We will always be preparing for another day. And I know we should definitely be thinking about the consequences of our actions, but since we don’t know how everything will turn out, we should also enjoy the moment.

With that said, enjoy today because you can’t always count on tomorrow.

~Emily S.

I Wonder What Kobe Bryant Collects....

        As a new teacher this year, I've found myself answering all sorts of questions.  Undoubtedly, the two most popular ones are:

1) Did you really take a charge from Kobe Bryant?
2) Why do you collect typewriters?

        Here's my best attempt at #2, lovingly typed on my 1931 Royal Model P....

    

Writer's Block and How to Deal With It

By: Kelly Shelton

                                

Writer's block is a pain that every student and writer comes across when writing their research paper or creating the next classic novel.  I always get stuck in the worst possible parts of my paper like the conclusion or those super stellar attention getters and I've always wanted to find a quick way to get me back to writing. So, I decided to research some methods online and from other teachers for helping with writer's block and put them on here to be a caring person because God knows I will probably come back and read these methods myself on the next paper. So here you go world.  Let's be friends and get through this together.

1. The Claus Method: Write down your ideas on a separate sheet of paper and just follow your train of thought.  Don't worry about flow just write down your ideas as they come to you and go with it.  Once you feel you have written a sufficient amount of information that could be used in your paper, cut up the sentences and place them where you think they should go in order of your paper.  It may be a little tedious but it will get you somewhere in the end.
2. The Muscle Method: This method encompasses a couple different ones that I found.  This includes stretching and just getting away from your paper for a bit.  Stretch your arms and back then get down to business.  This refocuses your mind in a clear way to be more apt to write.  If this still doesn't work, go get a snack or walk around.  Save it and come back to it later when your mind is fresher and more ready to get your sweet writing skills on.
3. Talk About It: Sometimes it helps to go see a teacher and have them read it or have a friend read it as well.  Other people could give you a nudge into what you might want to write down next.  They might just have to point out another angle to consider and your thoughts will start coming faster than you can write them down.
4. Revisit:  Another method is to revisit the mental or written outline that you have for your paper.  Seeing where you want to go next can refresh your mind into how you want to make your paper flow.  The breakdown of it can give your mind a step by step way of trucking through your block.

Well these are just a few methods and I'm sure there are other specific methods like drinking tea or playing with your cat or someone else's cat or petting a baby bunny that could work just as well (THE BUNNY!!!). But those are more specific to the person so I just gave you the ones that the all-knowing internet talked about the most and that I've personally found helpful so enjoy it, live long and prosper and all that jazz.
... Bye!

College Decisions

College Decisions

By Jessica Mertens

    Senior year is by far one of the most stressful years of your life. You are expected to make decisions about your future career and acknowledge the responsibility you will be taking on. Although high school can prepare you for college in many ways, it may not help you decide on a career. Even if you decide to enter college as an undecided major, as many choose to do, the choice still preoccupies your thoughts. As a senior who has gone through most of her senior year already, here are some things that I have learned.

1. When you are applying to colleges, apply to places that you want to go because you actually like the atmosphere or education ect. Don't let others decide for you. You will make new friends and your family should always support you no matter where you are.
2. Think carefully about what you enjoy doing. This may help you decide on a future career and even help you select your future college.
3. Apply for FASFA and any other scholarships as much as you can. Any money that you can get for college only helps you in the long run. Especially those who cannot afford college. I hear so many people complain that they can't live on campus at school because they are too expensive and they don't want to take loans. Of course, that's a personal choice. But when you really want to do something and loans can help and be paid off in the future, I think you should take advantage of every opportunity you have.
4. ENJOY YOUR SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL! It's the last time you will be with everyone. Everyone is anxious to move on to the next chapter of your life, but you still need to stop and "smell the roses".  Take advantage of your opportunities and maybe even try something new! Enjoy the time you have with your friends and make the most out of your experiences. Don't stress so much that you can't have fun. Everything will work out the way that it is supposed too!