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|  | Teen Editor's Welcome: May 17th-20th, 2012
Goodbyes and Hellos
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
I considered writing this in letter format, starting with "Dear Readers" and ending with "Yours Truly", but that sounds a little bit too much like something in a mystery novel, so I won't. Maybe I've been reading too many mystery novels lately?
This is my last editorial post in the high school stage. No worries - I'm not going anywhere. Eric at Stage of Life has been awesome, and hence I will now be writing in the college stage.
The end of this week, I will graduate high school. Yes, (by jove), isn't it crazy? I'm one AP exam and a bit of homework away from being done. Forever. Until college in the fall. (That's not forever, but who cares?)
I'm already there. I'm ready to be done with senioritis and other high school games. But I'm slowly coming to realize that despite how much I want (yearn) to, I cannot skip this summer and the changes (transformations) that will come with it.
Is it odd to want to just go to college and skip summer? I know. You're welcome to call me crazy, a workaholic, etc, but it's true. I'm not sure it's the summer I want to skip, but maybe I just want to bypass the process of ending this stage of my life. Severing those detrimental friendships that need to be severed, wrapping up my continual involvement in various groups and activities, and trying to realize what is important to keep close to or pull away from.
I'm not even done with high school, and this process has already begun.
On the bright side, I'm looking forward to moving into this new stage of my life. At a time when I'm continually examining and reprioritizing, the good things that I've already achieved in the college admissions process give me a goal to work towards.
Sometimes, I think having a goal to work towards is more important than the struggles along the way. They say that the journey is more important than the destination, but it wouldn't be much of a journey without a destination, would it?
Keep working, my friends, towards your goals. You can do it.
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 | Teen Editor's Welcome: May 15th-17th, 2012
School's Out for Summer!
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
Hopefully you all know “School’s Out For Summer” by Alice Cooper, because that’s what I’m blasting in my room right now. Why? I’m officially done with my junior year of high school! **Insert fifty-seven more exclamation points here.**
Normally, once school’s out I’m inclined to stay up till o’dark thirty reading dystopian novels, sleep in as late as my 6:30AM circadian rhythm allows, and loll around the house like a lazy bum. Now that I don’t have weekly lessons, I don’t practice the piano. Now that soccer season’s over I get lazy and don’t practice as often as I do during the season. Now that I don't have to read literature for classes, I head straight for my usual barrage of New York Times bestselling YA novels.
However.
I just finished taking a class called “Rising Above Cultural Mediocrity” this semester. Uh-huh, heavy-duty stuff right there. Part of the class’s purpose was to help you seize your time and use it wisely. While taking the class I realized that I’m pretty good about seizing my time during the school year . . . but not so much during the summer.
So this summer I’ve decided to create some goals to aim toward so I’m not a big slobbering scalawag come August. My goals include:
1) Read at least two classics per month.
2) Juggle the soccer ball/practice drills for half an hour a day.
3) Walk the dog every day. Poor dog. He gets kinda chunky during the winter.
4) Not sleep in past 8AM and not go to bed past 1AM (with occasional exceptions for sleepovers and such . . . heh heh).
5) Practice piano four times a week.
6) Volunteer for some event at least once a week.
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How about you? What goals do you have for this summer? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest! |
 | Teen Editor's Welcome: May 1st-6th, 2012
Grad Bash Review
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
Last weekend, our senior class attended Grad Bash: a fun filled event at Universal Studios exclusively for Florida high school seniors. In previous years, Grad Night was the popular end-of-year event, but the change was made to Universal Studios this year, and honestly I was not disappointed. I’ll admit, I had my doubts. I was dreading the long lines, hectic confusion and the inevitable exhaustion that would hit me around 1am, but I was thoroughly surprised. The lines, although long, seemed to move quickly, and because all the people there were high school seniors, chants about the “Class of 2012” were sung while waiting in line, proving that no matter how different a person was, everyone there had that one thing in common. Also, Harry Potter World was incredible and the diabetes-inducing Butter Beer was enough to keep me awake and energetic until 2am. Everything was fun and exciting and we were all getting along until some seniors found themselves in quarrels when interacting with students from other schools. As a side note, not all the seniors at Grad Bash, or at any “seniors only” function, are going to be friendly, and for those juniors who are thinking of going next year, be sure to not cut lines because, if you do, there are some girls out there who will threaten to “cut you.” (I know this from personal experience…. fights broke out, nails were broken.) Aside from the minimal confrontations, however, Grad Bash was a success and the rides, along with the musical stylings of Pitbull, ensured a good time for everyone. I really hope all you seniors out there are having an AMAZING last couple days of school and I hope your transition to college, or to wherever you may go after you graduate, is smooth and brings you happiness.
Love, Mere
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 | Teen Editor's Welcome: April 23rd-30th, 2012
The result of too much music...
By Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, High School Editor
The beautiful noises we made
Stain my heart, soul, & brain
With feelings I’ll never feel again
We touched the highest of stars
And the depths of the sea
Now you’re just so far
Away from me
My mind plays tricks and there you are
In my dreams
Waking up is harder than it seems
Eyes open staring at the ceiling in a sleepless state
Emptiness is the only thing laying beside me
I want to cry out but my voice makes no sound
What’s the point of living
If you aren’t around?
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: April 14th-20th, 2012
Simplicity
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
Today, instead of writing a long, drawn out post on my college-related experiences, or goodness-only-knows what, I’m going to share with you a short essay I wrote. It details my thoughts in regards to Thoreau’s thoughts on simplicity. In case you didn’t know, Thoreau is the bomb-dig. You either love him or hate him, but something about his writing strikes at a truth deep within us all. I know that I sound like the broken record that may be your English teacher. I’ll stop explaining now, and let you read my response to Thoreau’s call for simplifying life.
“Like pygmies we fight with cranes”. So states Thoreau in the opening sentence of an excerpt, quoted from Where I Lived and What I Lived For. Thoreau’s basic thesis is that “our life is frittered away by detail”. With this basic premise I agree, and although Thoreau and I come to the same conclusion from different beliefs and experiences, our lives are impacted by the way we live this conclusion.
I have lived on a farm for the entirety of my life. I have picked vegetables for that day’s meal, butchered chickens, and watched life paddle by on our creek (in the form of wildlife). As humans, our life revolves around providing for our bodies. In Thoreau’s time, most people provided for themselves and their neighbors. Less so nowadays. Modern Americans often have the convenience of food security - we no longer have to wonder what meal will be our next. Instead, we decide what to pull from the freezer or where to eat out.
From my experience, the less we focus on where our next meal will come from, the more we allow our lives to be frittered away by detail. We allow these details (work troubles, pay raises, Internet, political affiliation) to live our life for us, and these details dictate what we will eat, wear, and how we will act (in many cases).
Many illnesses are caused by stress from these details. Stress weakens our immune system, and allows bacteria and pathogens to enter. All of this is caused by detail, yet we refuse to focus on simplicity.
Simplicity is not worrying about everything. Simplicity is eating healthy, and taking time to exercise. Simplicity is finding a way to connect with where our food comes from, or even better, to grow it yourself. When you rely less on modern convenience, especially highly-processed foods that destroy your body, you allow simplicity to let your “affairs be two or three”.
Children in Africa who eat only once a day have smiles upon their faces, yet we who eat three a day are stressed by detail. Humans have existed for thousands of years, yet only with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of food security have our lives been ruled by detail.
In an ever-evolving, ever-complicated world, we can find simplicity by focusing on the nourishment we put into our bodies, and not the Internet. Simplicity cannot be manufactured. Only by reverting to the past can we abolish the tyrannical rule of thousands of details. “Our life is frittered away by detail”, so “let your affairs be as two or three”, for the sake of simplicity and your own wellbeing.
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: April 9th-15th, 2012
Avoid Writers Block!
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
Considering you’re taking the time to browse this fantastic blogging site, I assume that most of you are readers and writers. And as writers, I’m sure you’ve all experienced that dreaded yet inevitable disease “writer’s block.” Ugh ugh ugh. This is exactly the experience that caused me to list “Banging My Head Against a Wall” to my list of “Activities” on Facebook.
And over the years, in the profundity of my seventeen-year-old wisdom (Gasp! Am I really so aged so soon?), I’ve accumulated several How-To-Kick-Writer’s-Block-In-The-Patootie Tips. They are as follows:
1) Read. I think my writing ability is analogous to an algebraic function: the output relies on the input. If I'm not "inputting" a constant flow of creativity (via novels similar to the one I'm writing), my output diminishes dramatically. Heck, it doesn't just diminish. It goes splat, never to be seen again. *slides finger over throat*
2) Freewrite. And by “write” I really mean WRITE. Not typing. Not texting. But actually, honest-to-Godiva writing. On paper. (Do people even do that these days?) Personally, I like to write in a giant 11 by 14 sketchbook with a deliciously inky black uni-ball pen. Oh yes. Just sit yourself down, open up your sketchbook/notebook/Mad Libs-book and go to town. Don’t worry about grammar or consistency or coherence. Just write out your thoughts until a) your hand begins violently cramping, or b) you really have nothing more to say. From past experience, “a” is much more common than “b.” We’re writers. Is it even possible for us to have nothing to say?! Stream-of-consciousness is the key phrase here.
3) Talk a walk. No, seriously. It’s great for stimulating creativity. The experts agree with me. “Moving around is good for creativity,” writes Will Shetterly. “The next line of dialogue that you desperately need may well be waiting in the back of the refrigerator or half a mile along your favorite walk.” Similarly, A. Bronson Alcott instructed that a writer should “sleep on your writing; take a walk over it; scrutinize it of a morning; review it of an afternoon; digest it after a meal; let it sleep in your drawer a twelvemonth,” etc., etc., etc.
4) WRITE, don’t EDIT. This is my own Achilles’ heel. I’m a chronic editor. I can edit an essay to death. And I do the same thing to my books. I edit and edit and edit and edit until pretty soon I have the most beautiful first chapter you’ve ever laid eyes on. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is still buried somewhere in the recesses of my (slightly screwed up) brain. So even if you’re unsatisfied with the first few chapters of the book (even if they make you want to run to the nearest toilet/bucket/spherically-shaped-receptacle), just let it sit. Write through the first draft, and remember that you can always come back afterward to fix the dangling participles and cringe-inducing typos. As Ernest Hemingway said, “The first draft of anything is [crap].” (This is Hemingway we’re talking about, so I had to insert a euphemism.)
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: April 1st-7th, 2012
Hungry for Some Hunger Games?
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
This past week, the long awaited Hunger Games movie was released in theaters packed with die-hard (no pun intended) fans willing to kill each other for tickets to the premiere (okay, pun intended here). I would consider myself to be one of those fans. However, I am not a movie fan as kids my age so often tend to be--I am a book fan who has read all of Collin's trilogy and didn't just go to watch the film adaptation. I really hate that so many people who call themselves "fans" didn't even bother to read the books. It's not so much that I'm disappointed by their laziness (which I am) but more so I believe that being a fan of the Hunger Games movie takes on a whole other meaning than being a fan of the book. The book and the movie are two completely different animals. The core plot is not different but the complexities of the sub-story lines are lost in the condensed "we don't have time to introduce central characters" movie version. Also, the movie portrayal of certain main events such as the fire costume entrance are lackluster and disappointing--not as I pictured in the novel. Lastly, the initial fight scene in the hunger games arena and the final scene with the wolves are both confusing and hard to watch because of the shaky camera and odd vantage points which almost brought me to an epileptic fit. Over all, the opinions of those coming out of the theater after the movie differed according to whether or not they read the book. Those who didn't read it thought the action was awesome and were genuinely surprised when Prim was chosen to be tribute, but those who read the book were just counting the differences between the two and waiting for Haymitch to fall off the stage--which he never did.
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: March 21st-27th, 2012
The World at your Fingertips: Instagram
By Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, High School Editor
So I joined the craze and got an iPhone a few months ago, and I downloaded the fun apps we all love:
Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, YouTube, Shazam, Temple Run, Fruit Ninja, Draw Something, Flixster, Pic Collage, AE, Rage Comics, Tweegram, Mustache me, Lunapic, camwow, photosplash, cool finger faces, sketch me, pimp my text, pici booth, camera FX, goodreads, Netflix, starwalk—among many others, but my favorite app would have to be instagram.
A lot of people who’ve never used instagram think it’s just a photo editing app when really it doesn’t offer much to alter your photos, just a few filters. What really makes it addicting is that it took what everyone loves about Facebook (newsfeed, photos, likes & comments) and combined it with what we all want on twitter (followers & real celebrity accounts) and created a way for us to make friends, share, & view photos from around the world.
You can personalize your account so that its private or public, you can block people you don’t want on there—you really are in control of your account. There are lots of negative things that can go on in the world of instagram though. In my time on there I’ve seen accounts dedicated to drugs, eating disorders, cutting, and other inappropriate things. That’s where user discretion comes into play, you see something you wish you hadn’t, you block & report it, simple as that. Another negative thing is that I believe they should have an age restriction because anyone with an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad can have instagram, and I see lots of young kids on their well under 13 who should not be exposed to instagram and should not post pictures of themselves for pedophiles to look at! I strongly believe they should make it 13 or older like other social networking sites.
Negatives aside, I think of my instagram addiction as a positive one. There are worse things to be hooked on, and there is no harm in instagram! I love all of the interactions I have with my followers, I always reply to their comments, and whenever I get a “like” I always go check out that person’s page and like their pictures in return. I have followers from all over the world, France, Italy, Korea, Sweden, Greece—you name it! I also follow people from all over the world.
The difference between instagram and going on Google images is that when you click in Paris, you don’t only see the Eiffel tower, you can see anything, and all of the pictures are personal encounters. You can see a café someone went to that day, or a park they enjoyed, things you’d never have seen unless you actually got to spend time in Paris without being just a tourist. In exchange, since I live in New York, I like to take pictures of things I see here to share with my followers. From me they won’t only see the statue of liberty, and the New York skyline, but they’ll see places I go, people I meet, things that I do here in the city that they may not have experienced or may never get to experience. There are pictures of fashion, architecture---everything, and it helps you learn trends before magazines spot them because instagram is by people, for people.
It’s also a major confidence boost, when I post a picture on instagram, I get way more likes on them then I would if I posted on Facebook. That’s because most people on instagram are just strangers, they are completely objective. On Facebook, your friends and family may like a picture but not click like for whatever reason and so on. But instagram is just a friendly place. No one really fights on there because no one knows each other. Of all my 217 (and growing every day) followers, less than 20 of them are my friends in real life, the rest are all people who just find my photography interesting and decided I’m worth following. Sometimes it means more to be liked by outsiders then by your own friends and family because they kind of have to like you, these people don’t have to like you because you’ll never see them.
After all of this, my final statement is, GO DOWNLOAD INSTAGRAM & FOLLOW ME (if you are over 13) and always remember to be safe online, because when you use technology the right way, it can be a fun & enriching experience.
Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, & Subscribe to my YouTube channel: @AlwaysWrite28
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: March 14th-20th, 2012
Accepting Reality
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
Sometimes reality can be intimidating. During the college application process and after receiving acceptance letters, I was truly excited for college. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still very excited. However, as the reality that yes, I have been accepted into my top school, and yes, I am in the honors program begins to settle, I have to face the facts.
It’s really difficult. I don’t want to leave my job. I’m unsure about leaving my home and church. Oh wait – confession. I just lied about being unsure about leaving home. I’m actually pretty darn excited about it.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve started to wonder if I could just pull a little-blue-envelopes trick and buy a one-way ticket to Europe. If you’ve read 13 Blue Envelopes, then you might get the reference. (But really, what parent would let their 17/18 year old kid go to Europe with no way of contacting them? Really?)
Back on subject now. I promise.
Sometimes it’s easier to dream up a way to escape reality. To escape anticipated pain and difficulties by choosing an entirely different route. To prove everyone around you wrong by pulling a 180 degree change of interests. But in the end, I know I want to go to college and major in journalism. I know I want to move on with my life, and create my own fortunes while I’m “young and stupid”. (A friend spoke about his daughter that way recently, and I thought it was fitting.) But it’s the process of the leap that is admittedly terrifying.
The next few weeks will be spent studying and going to work as per usual. By the time you hear from me next, I’ll have a little more than a month left of high school. {Can it be possible to want high school to be over with as much as I want it to right now?} But in the back of my mind, I’ll be working on confronting reality without being overwhelmed by it.
I have no definitive conclusion for this post. No bright ideas on how to face the reality that I’ll actually be leaving the place I’ve always lived in. However, I’ve put it down on paper (for the whole world to read). And that my friends, is a very good start.
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: March 7th-14th, 2012
College Hunting
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
Two words: college hunting. *Thunder booms and lightning crashes for effect.* Oi vey, where do I start?
When I was a freshman, college was nothing more than a big hazy question mark filled with strange, energy-drink guzzling, TI-83-wielding beings congregating in mysterious Greek societies. In other words, an alien world. And I didn’t much care to pursue any answers to the mysteries of college. It was four years away, for crying out loud! I had all the time in the world.
Now suddenly I’m a junior and people are asking me where I’m going to go to college and what I want to study. What? College? I’m sixteen! I have to start thinking about college now? You gotta be kiddin’ me. All the same, I spent the better part of first semester frantically scrabbling through CollegeBoard, searching for The One. The Dream College. My (scholastic) soul mate.
I had my heart set on Swarthmore in Philadelphia. Ah, Swarthmore. An aspiring writer’s dream school. And located in Philly (gorgeous Philly!) of all places. And . . . What’s that? $41,000 a year for tuition? $12,000 for room and board?! And we gotta put THREE kids through college?!?! Can’t the other two just go work at McDonalds for the rest of their lives while I party it up at Swarthie? No?
Oh.
Dreams. Shattered.
After realizing that Swarthmore wasn’t an option, I resigned myself to TrumanU, located in itty-bitty Kirksville. Practically splat in the middle of a cornfield. Great, I thought, now I’ll probably live in a log cabin and study English in a field of grazing cattle.
I thought that since I wasn’t going to go to a big-name school, I wouldn’t get a big-name education either. So when my dad and I drove up to Truman this past Tuesday, I wasn’t expecting much.
But, wow. W-o-w. Truman was cool. It was beyond cool. It had gorgeous, modern, sprawling facilities, great dorms, great classrooms . . . a library with 400,000 books. O_O
As we walked around with our tour guide and he explained the ins and outs of college life, I had something of any epiphany. I thought that in going to Truman, I was somehow going to get a sub-par education. However, I realized that regardless of whether you go to Harvard or community college, ultimately your education rests on your own shoulders.
So what if you can’t go to a $41K East Coast school? You can always rely on your own indomitable auto-didacticism. You don’t need a big-name school to get a big-name education. You just need to have a passion for learning and the willingness to work hard for that education.
![]() All the 4 people/groups of people above have inspired me in so many ways and I want to thank all of you! Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: March 1st-6th, 2012
4 people who inspire me
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
I decided to write this blog on the four people who inspire me the most, as a way to pay tribute to those who have truly changed my life throughout high school.
1) My Family (they count as one)
My family has been there for me my whole life. Although we’re not perfect (and really, what family is perfect?), we still support each other and have so much love for one another. My parents work so hard and have been so successful in their lives and inspire me to be as good of parents as they are and to work harder in every aspect of my life. I strive to be as incredible as them, and hopefully one day I will be. My brother and sister also inspire me. My twin brother and I may get into fights often, but growing up together is a bond that can never be truly broken. He is a star athlete and is great at math and science, my two worst subjects, which he always offers to help me with. I love him, even though I don’t say it enough, and he inspires me to do better in school and to try my best to succeed. My sister and I don’t see each other very often, but when we do we have so much fun together. She is an excellent lawyer who is so outstandingly intelligent, and yet can be the life of any party. She inspires me to keep a balance between fun and work and shows me how to enjoy my life to the fullest.
2) My Expository Writing teacher, Mr. D
My teacher, Mr. D, inspires me in so many ways. He has been an incredible teacher and mentor to me all throughout high school and developed my passion for writing and journalism. I would have never become the writer I am today without the skills he instilled in me. He was sometimes harsh, giving me B’s on my articles, but that was because he knew he could cultivate my writing abilities if he challenged me. Now, an editor of the school newspaper, I owe my achievements to him. He inspired me to be a writer, and still inspires me every day to become a teacher in the future. I want to mentor students and help them discover their talents, just as he did for me. Thank you Mr. D!
3) My Boyfriend
My boyfriend is a continuous source of inspiration in my life and has taught me what dedication truly means. A straight “A” student, he still finds time for so many other things, including playing several instruments (well, I might add) and holding a job. I really don’t understand how one person can do so many things and be great at all of them. Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair, and I used to be a little jealous. But during our relationship, I learned that he had something that I didn’t- dedication. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not lazy or anything, but his dedication is far more astounding than mine. He practices guitar, studies hard, goes to work, goes to band rehearsal, practices drums, reads….and for every single one of those he puts in 110% effort. He inspires me to be a better me- to be a SUPER me. He inspires me to dream big and to dedicate more time to the things I love.
4) Those who created StageofLife.com
You guys at StageofLife, especially Eric Thiegs, inspire me through your ability to bring this website to life. Honestly, without StageofLife.com I would have never been able to voice my opinions so openly and so publicly. Also, being a part of this amazing website has led me to many opportunities (people think bloggers are really cool!)
![]() All the 4 people/groups of people above have inspired me in so many ways and I want to thank all of you! Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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 | Teen Editor's Welcome: February 21st-29th, 2012
IMPULSE
By Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, High School Editor
Saying one is an artist is a vague term these days considering its contemporary meaning, before I ![]() ![]() even elaborate, the word artist alone can trigger your thoughts to a recording artist, someone who paints, perhaps martial arts, someone wearing a beret in France. The word artist means something different to everyone who possesses it, but in the end it means one thing-that you live and breathe expression, that you have something special inside you, a way of thinking that is all your own and that you want to share with the world.
Dance, theater, modern art, poetry, music (guitar/lyric writing) ---those are my types of art. I don’t sing, and I don’t have a black belt in karate (I will someday!!!). All of my types of art are like trees, they have branches, they have different styles, different media and mediums, different sounds, different aesthetic qualities.
Let’s start with dance. I was practically born in the dance studio because my mom was a dancer, then as a baby I was in the studio too. Seeing the Nutcracker at the New York City ballet in kindergarten was one of the major moments that told me I wanted to be a dancer, I wanted to be on stage doing what they were doing. So I’ve been training my whole life in just about every style I could get a class on: ballet, lyrical, jazz, modern, hip hop, tap, pointe, musical theater. I train for over 20 hours a week and perform and compete anywhere from 4-7 full shows a year. I’m going to continue in this passion by majoring in dance in college and opening my own dance studio. Dance’s cousin is also a friend of mine, theater. I study acting and I have a deep love of the performing arts as a whole.
Modern art is much like modern/contemporary dance in that it has a background, it has a young history, yet it is very open to interpretation and there are no rules, you can incorporate anything to make it your own, which is what makes art, art in my eyes! I’ve been practicing mixed media art for as long as I could remember. Though I grew up in a home where my mother, also an artist, was painting beautiful landscapes and nature scenes, I had a style all my own. Ask me to paint a tree like my mom, it would never happen, but give me some paint, some markers, some magazines, a scissor, glue, a camera—everything but the kitchen sink, and I’ll give you art.
 Ever since I was in 1st grade and wrote a few sentences about my trip to the science museum with my mom and drew a picture in the box above it, I knew I wanted to be a writer. In 3rd grade I began embracing poetry, and by 5th grade I’d say my stuff was actually starting to be worth reading. Every poem I wrote from age 11-15 I self-published as a poetry collection called “Alternative” the summer I was 15, and let me tell you there was a lot of poetry in there, the book is 110 pages. Sure I look back at it now and kind of laugh a bit at the style and the level I was at at that time because every single day I’m learning and improving my style choices as a writer. Similar to what I was saying earlier about modern dance and modern art, another word for modern is contemporary which is also applied to art and dance as a style—but it also applies to writing (writing is also art, because I use it to express myself). The modern/contemporary style of poetry is free verse, though I am also classically trained in various poetry forms I still tend to mainly use free verse which is anything I want it to be all wrapped up in a poem. Looking back at that last sentence I couldn’t help but smile at how this is all coming together and how there’s a continuity among all of my art forms, because I said I was classically trained in various poetry forms, just like I was classically trained in ballet and I use it as a basis for my freer contemporary forms. My current status as for poetry is my monthly piece here at StageofLife.com and I also teach a poetry workshop once a month at Barnes & Noble Fresh Meadows which I have been teaching since I was 15. Who else can say they’ve been teaching poetry since they were 15? It’s one of those things that I’m really proud of. I’m really proud of a lot of my accomplishments as an artist thus far and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me.
 To wrap things up I’d like to say that the biggest reason that I call myself an artist is that it consumes my lifestyle. The way I dress, act, think, live—are all reflections on myself as an artist. Most of all I act on my impulses. If you see the picture I drew on the last page, I titled it “Impulse” because the day I started drawing it, I had no idea what I wanted to draw, I just knew that I wanted and needed to get something out, there was something in my head and I seriously had not a clue what it looked like. I let my state of not thinking consume me and I let my marker touch the blank white page and that picture is the result. I called it “Impulse” because that’s how it was drawn, on impulse, it wasn’t planned, but also the drawing itself reflects that, plus impulse is my way of life, my way as an artist, and I know that will never change because its engraved in my soul.
I know that in life I’d never be able to grin and bear it in a suit in an office. I’d be much better in a studio, in dancewear, pointe shoes, with a pen and a paintbrush as chopsticks holding my hair in a bun, with a guitar nearby.
![]() It’s a very reassuring feeling to finally know exactly who I am, and sure we change every day, but I will always be an artist. Now ask yourself, who are you? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
Follow me on Twitter & Instagram @AlwaysWrite28, e-mail: AlwaysWrite28@aol.com
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: February 14th-20th, 2012
Creativity – Express Yourself!
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
Let’s just get it out there – I’m a huge fan of creativity. I love to see how people have made their ideas come to life, through thousands of different formats. Creativity, for me, is self-expression. We all have our varying talents, and the way in which we express our ideas highlights these talents. You’re probably reading this, wondering when Amanda will stop talking about stuff that sounds like college application essay advice. It’s all good, I promise. I don’t mean that in a self-flattering way.
How do you express your ideas? Some of us, including myself, enjoy expressing our ideas through writing. When you’re writing, your choices of words and form are limitless – after all, some of the most renowned writers in history were the ones who followed the road not taken. (Got that literary reference? You totally rock.)
If you’re not that nifty with words, there are so many more places for you to express yourself. Arts like photography, painting, and sculpting allow you to channel your inner Van Gogh. (Or if you do all of those, kudos. You’re now Leonardo De Vinci.)
Not quite into creating an artistic masterpiece? Try organizing your inspiration. The website Pinterest allows you to “pin” pictures from all over the web onto your personal “boards”. If you’re like me, you might enjoy something a bit more physical. Try creating your own inspiration scrapbook. All it takes is an empty scrapbook and some magazines you’re willing to cut up. Plus, it’s a great way to document your interests and inspiration without having the pressure of scrapbooking your personal life.
If those suggestions were a little too artsy for you, there are plenty of other ways to creatively express yourself. Playing sports or playing with numbers, you’ll still find a way to channel your creativity. What are you waiting for? Go on, express yourself a little.
(For those of you who are not poetry fanatics, the literary reference was to Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”. Yes, I am a geek. Thank you very much. )
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: February 7th-13th, 2012
Values
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
Last night at dinner my dad – amidst an accompanying chorus of melodramatic groans – broke out the dry erase board and his trusty red marker and announced we was going to discuss our family values.
Values? What on earth qualifies as a value? was my first thought. And I regret to admit that my second (very much unenlightened) thought was, Who cares? My brothers seemed to share my opinion. It was already seven o’clock and an intense evening of TeaGames.com and “Glitch” demanded their immediate and undivided attention. (For those of you who are as videogames-illiterate as I am, Glitch is some sort of online game that – judging from my brothers’ devotion – is slightly less addicting than heroin.)
Nevertheless, together, my mother, brothers, and I spouted a long list of things people generally value as Dad scribbled them down on the whiteboard: relationships, possessions, traditions, achievement, status, power, affection, knowledge, goals, intelligence, technology, mobility, religion, kindness, aesthetics, wisdom, excellence, respect, security, communication, travel, approval, social standing, health/fitness, etc.
Then Dad asked each of us to pick our top three priorities out of everything on the list. Ooooh, now it was all coming together. I was a tad reticent about divulging my top priorities – I wasn’t sure if this was some ploy Dad had set up to demonstrate how skewed and meaningless our lives were. Of course, this wasn’t his intention. He was just wanted us to see for ourselves where our priorities lie.
It was surprisingly interesting what our choices revealed about our own personal values. Originally my brothers only half-jokingly listed videogames and cars as their top priorities (Cars? I couldn’t help but wonder. They can’t even drive yet – how on earth are cars one of their top priorities?!), but after my parents encouraged them to answer “seriously,” they (thankfully) reconsidered. (I say “thankfully” because I can’t imagine a life completely structured around cars and videogames, but that might be because I’m lacking in the testosterone department.)
Here’s how our choices ultimately played out.
Brother #1: relationships, possessions (*cough cough* cars), achievement
Brother #2: intelligence, kindness, technology (*cough cough* videogames)
Mother-dearest: relationships, social standing, respect
Daddio: knowledge, achievement, health/fitness
Moi: achievement, knowledge, travel
While we all assumed I’m-bored-you’re-cutting-into-my-free-time expressions, I think everyone in the family was sincerely interested in dissecting our values. It was something we’d never really considered in depth before. My dad pointed out that our values will manifest themselves in where we put our time and money. My values definitely fit where I spend my time/money: achievement (contests, musical instrument, writing, etc.), knowledge (school), and travel (my recent trip to Europe reduced my bank account to a one digit figure). I never really noticed this about myself before.
What about you? What are you values, and what do they say about you? You might be surprised at what you learn about yourself.Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: February 1st-6th, 2012
What we’ve all been waiting for...
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
Four years of high school were spent working up to this moment. After studying for hours, balancing extracurriculars, cramming, going to school for 34 hours a week, and enduring enormous amounts of stress, the hard work has finally paid off.
I WAS ACCEPTED TO COLLEGE!
But maybe I should tell you the whole story….
Ever since 5th grade, the only school I’ve wanted to go to was The University of Virginia. I can remember bragging to my friends about how I would be going to “the most beautiful school in the world.” I can’t remember why I had initially set my heart on it, (I think we were learning about Thomas Jefferson),but as time went on my love of the school grew as I learned more and more. I visited the campus my freshman year of high school, and it was decided- I WOULD go here.
I know this doesn’t happen for everyone. I know sometimes students wait until senior year to decide on a school. But for me, my decision would not be difficult; I just knew.
Last week I checked the UVa website over and over again, easily more than 100 times. The decisions came out at 5pm, but the website crashed from the 11,753 prospective students all checking at once. I sat there and cried from the stress and from the suspense- in retrospect, I was a tad over dramatic. Then at 5:56, after 56 minutes of waiting (really 8 years of waiting) my destiny had been decided.
My future was no longer uncertain- I was accepted to my dream school!
Now I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging or sound annoying, that’s not how I want this letter to come off. Why I’m telling you this is because I want you all to know that the moral of my past editor letters aren’t just cliché. You really CAN achieve your dreams with hard work. Don’t ever give up or think something is too hard for you or is impossible.
My odds were awful for acceptance; only 1,637 students of the 11,753 were accepted from out of state.
But I was one of those 1,637 students!
Work hard in high school! Work through the peer pressure and the distractions! Do not fall victim to the temptations of being a teenager! I want all of you to be successful and I want all of you to be happy and to be able to look back on your high school career without regrets.
That’s what I want you to learn from my blogs. That’s what I’ve been trying to convey for the past two years. Don’t give up on your dreams.
Love,
Mere (WAHOOWA)
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: January 21st-27th, 2012
Beautiful Disaster
By Amanda Perlmutter, High School Editor
Why am I after
Such a beautiful disaster?
Its you I love to hate
Around you I can’t concentrate
Yet I’m focused all the same
With just the sound of your voice
As it speaks my name
Feelings that my heart can’t contain
I was inches from the ground
But you stopped and started my fall
I guess it’s okay to fall after all
Letting go
Giving in
I said I’d never change
But I’m starting to begin
Changing from careless to carefree
From guarded to secure
Why am I after such a beautiful disaster?
Well I’m not so sure
But he’s everything I’ve been longing for.
©copyright 2012 Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: January 14th-20th, 2012
Knowing Stage of Life January 2012
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
There’s something wonderful about knowing. Knowing what direction to go in order to not get lost, knowing how to speak with someone from a different country, and knowing what you’re doing tomorrow. Similarly, when speaking in terms of the mysterious “long run” or “future”, it is wonderful to know what the next stage of your life looks like.
This knowing was my favorite gift this holiday season. The week before Christmas, I found a letter from my top college in my mailbox. To be more correct, this was a huge packet with the letters “You’re In!” spelled out upon the side. Needless to say, I was ecstatic.
Those of you who are also seniors may be looking forward to those acceptance letters rolling in. You may have already received your acceptance letters (congratulations!). Those of you who are juniors and sophomores may be scoping out the college application process, or studying for the SATs/ACTs. Freshmen – you don’t even have to think about that yet. Just rejoice that you’re entering your second semester of high school. Regardless of where you are in the High School stage of life, you probably have a lot going for you right now. Maybe you just got a job after school. Maybe you’re on the honor roll this semester, or are making really good grades.
Take some time and think about the good things, not the bad. (We all have the bad – it’s just a fact of life.) Then, take a few minutes and be happy. Be happy about the good things. Be thankful for where you are right now. Be grateful for knowing. After all, the long run is our future, and it’s nice to know where you’re headed, don’t you think?
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: January 7th- 13th, 2012
Resolutions
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
If anyone out there reading this is like me, then you’ve made a humongous list of New Year’s Resolutions about taking more classes, studying harder, doing homework earlier, etc. . . . Which is all good and fine until your brain spontaneously combusts.
After working myself into a frenzy last week trying to get back into the school groove, I found myself half-dead and completely unmotivated by the weekend. I literally didn’t want to do anything that involved neurons or synapses or frontal lobes, much less think intelligently.
Over the years, I’ve realized that I’m most productive when I give myself time to revamp in between study . . . and least productive when I make myself go and go and go without any hope for a break. Hence, this is my list of How Keilah Recharges Her Batteries in Half an Hour or Less. I’m sure everyone out there can do something similar.
· I get on Just Dance and wiggle my booty around like an inebriated duck for twenty minutes (you can squeeze a good five songs into that amount of time) and then take a hot shower. HOT shower. See how red your skin can get without passing out. (Footnote: Please don’t actually pass out since I’d rather not get sued in the near future.)
· I read a “downtime” book (i.e., a non-school related book). For example, today I halted a four-hour research blitz in its tracks, sprawled on the floor like one of those dead grizzly bear rugs, and read David Brooks’ The Social Animal simply to get my mind to get my mind off schoolwork.
· I eat brain food. I take a break, grab the bag of Veggie Chips from the pantry or an apple from the basket and aimlessly wander around the house nibbling away until the food has reached my brain and revitalized its Veggie Chip Intake-o-Meter (your science teacher was lying when she said your food goes DOWN your throat to your stomach).
· I take my dog Toby for a brisk walk around the neighborhood. No iPod allowed. Just walk quickly, listen to the silence, and let your mind wander. You’d be surprised where you end up (both physically and mentally).
· Sleep. Just zonk out. Ever heard of power-naps? Set the alarm for twenty or twenty-five minutes and you’d be amazed at how much better you feel when you get up, especially during finals week when you’re running on less hours of sleep than you have fingers on one hand.
Things I do NOT recommend:
· Surf Facebook/the web. Need I say more? I think there’s already enough statistical data testifying to how much time we teens squander online.
· Stare at the wall. Seriously? Even a power-nap is more productive than this.
· Eat non-brain food. I.e., the entire bag of Doritos, the entire box of Pop-Tarts, your brother’s year supply of candy corn from last Halloween, etc.
I know I know: Half an hour might seem like a loooooooong time to someone taking a bajillion classes with a bajillion tests to study for and a bajillion essays to write, but you’d be surprised at the boost in your productivity when you just rest your poor, overheated brain for a few short minutes.
Give it a try sometime. See how it works for you. Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: January 1st-8th, 2012
Boring
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
Who dropped the ball on decent movies? and other words of wisdom
The movie New Year’s Eve hit theatres not too long ago, and to get in the spirit for the holiday season I decided to go see it (mistake #1).
Imagine a bowl, so filled with vegetables that it’s hard to determine which is which and what is what. Eventually they all taste the same; like a bland, unappealing stew.
That is the best way to describe New Year’s Eve. The director obviously thought he could compensate for the absence of a plot by adding celebrities by the handfuls. In one shot you see Katherine Heigl and Jon Bon Jovi, in the next you see Robert De Niro, Halle Berry and Hilary Swank. Ashton Kutcher, Glee’s Lea Michelle, Sophia Vergara and many others also make appearances, adding to the over-whelming mixture. The character’s story lines are poorly interwoven, such as with Sara Jessica Parker who is the mother of Abigail Breslin who is the niece of Zac Efron who is trying to help Michelle Pfeiffer get a life, and so on. Last year I made a list of my New Year’s Resolutions, and after seeing this movie, “Avoid chick-flicks, especially ones that have holidays in their titles” has been added to the list.
But why be so pessimistic! It’s the New Year! Let’s celebrate making it to 2012, even though it is the year the world is supposedly going to end. Honestly, I think that is one huge lie, but many people believe and have started preparing for Armageddon. This fear and anticipation has reminded me of another New Year’s Resolution, “Enjoy life each and every day because you never know when your life, or the lives of your loved ones, will end.”
For instance, on Christmas Eve my family and I noticed that our dog was having trouble walking. That weekend was the worst- he lost all function of his legs in such a short amount of time. On Christmas Day, realizing our dog was dying, we came together and cherished the last moments with the dog we had loved for the last eleven years. His name was Max and we had to put him to sleep the day after Christmas. Through his death, I discovered my own mortality and reflected on my life and realized that life is so short and I need to start making the most of it.
Those are my final words of wisdom to you. Really enjoy life and make the best of it because if you were to die tomorrow, how would you feel about what you have done? It’s never too late, so start now.
Life <3 Happiness,
Mere
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: December 21st-27th, 2011
He Told Me
By Amanda Perlmutter, High School Editor
He told me
I couldn’t sleep before you
Now I’m scared to even try
Memories crawl up to the surface
Choke me till I wanna cry
Your kiss was the sweetest goodbye
I take deep breaths
Don’t know what to expect
Sometimes there really is no reason.
One day you’ll break and I won’t be around
To blame
But I’ll be there to pick up the pieces
Those
beautiful
broken
p i e c e s…
I put a lock over the highway for you
Without you here, what else could I do?
In love I’m not at peace.
What’s meant to be
Is gonna be—he told me, he told me…
Written by: Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter ©Copyright 2011-2012
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: December 14th-20th, 2011
It's that Time Again
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
First of all, I'd like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It is insane how quickly time goes by, isn't it? I think my brain is still in October and November.
Speaking of time, in less than a year, I'll be a legal adult. I'll be in college, studying journalism. While reading blogs throughout cyberspace, I found an idea for listing your goals and dreams for the next year. Take your age, add one year, and then list that many goals for the year. It's an effective organizer and way of sharing your uniqueness with the world around you.
Eighteen Before Eighteen
1. Enroll in college
2. Graduate high school
3. Visit a major newspaper's press room
4. Shoot senior pictures for at least one friend
5. Travel out of the United States (again)
6. Meet another online friend in person
7. Visit DC
8. Read all of Agatha Christie's books
9. Start piano again
10. Host a photo challenge on my personal blog
11. Finally get my provisional/license
12. Compose a piano piece
13. Go into a cheese shop and take too many pictures
14. Go into a chocolate shop and do likewise
15. Earn As in all high school and college classes
16. Study at least one book of the Bible
17. Participate in a theatre production
18. Brush up on my French/learn a new language
While you're enjoying your well-deserved Christmas break this year, take an hour or so and reflect on your dreams for the next year. What are you looking forward to accomplishing? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: December 7th-13th, 2011
Scrooge
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
I don’t know about all you other Scrooges out there, but personally, I have trouble getting into the Christmas spirit. It seems like it’s the same old spiel every year: The same old songs, the same old decorations, the same lights and ornaments, the same Christmas parties, the same candy-cane shaped cookies... All the “magicalness” of the season started to disappear a few years ago when school began playing a more dominant role in my life. Instead of “tidings of comfort and joy,” my Decembers – and the Decembers of teens across the nation – are more like “tidings of final projects, essays, and exams.”
But this year, as I slumped on the couch furiously typing out an essay for my honors project, my dad brought the Christmas tree down from the attic to the living room – the same artificial tree we’ve had for the past decade. It’s a particularly pathetic specimen of evergreen, missing a few branches and faded a noxious pea green. I think most of its few remaining needles would fall off at the lightest breath of wind, leaving us with nothing but a big plastic pole stuck in a rickety metal stand. Not much to get excited about, if you ask me.
Normally I would hardly have noticed Dad and our deplorable Christmas tree. Some years I glance up and think, Oi vey, before turning back to my work. This time, however, my eleven-year-old brother galloped into the living room behind Dad, grinning ear to ear.
“Do we get to decorate it?” he asked excitedly, dancing in circles around the coffee table. “Do we? Do we? Do we? Can I help? Please? Pretty pretty pretty pretty please!”
It was touching to watch his eyes light up as he and Dad set up the tree, unpeeled its gnarled branches, mummified it in lights and ribbons, and delicately hung up homemade ornaments accumulated over years of Christmases.
I never felt more Scrooge-ish than as I worked on language arts homework while my father and brother chattered happily and decorated the Christmas tree. Eventually I got off my lazy butt and offered to help with the finishing touches – a little too late to do any real work, of course, as my dad jokingly pointed out.
All in all, it was a nice reminder that December – and the impending Christmas season – doesn’t just have to be one long nightmare of work and stress. You get occasional fifteen minute breaks to hang up corny (literally) ornaments you made out of food and tissue paper when you were in preschool. You get to watch your brother’s eyes light up as he draws out each new ornament from the ornament box, cupping it in his hands as it’s a priceless treasure. And you get a little extra time to spend chitchatting with your dad . . . Before you get back to working on your essay.
Everyone has to deal with the finals crunch, but try to keep a little of the Christmas magic alive too. Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: December 1st-6th, 2011
“De-stress-ember”
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
At my school the college counselors turned the month December into “De-stress-ember.” This play on words is supposed to be indicative of how high school juniors and seniors, struggling with standardized tests or applications, should “de-stress” in the month of December when things are less hectic. In addition, the counselors created a list that has everything one might do to “de-stress.”
This list, although somewhat helpful, contains hilarious scenarios that no high school student would ever do or even think about doing.
The following are a few I chose from the list. Hopefully you will be as confused as I was….
“Tickle a baby”
“Prepare for the rain”
“Avoid tight clothing”
“Buy a flower… smell the flower”
“Teach a random child how to fly a kite”
I laughed so hard reading these. However, these actually did make me feel less stressed. Because my blog was due today, and today was the first day of December, I did those 5 things as quickly as I could today to make sure it was authentic “De-stress-ember.” My advice is to take your time when doing this….in retrospect it would have been better had I not rushed. Tickling a baby made me smile because it was so cute (unfortunately I couldn’t find a baby to tickle, so I swapped in a puppy for the baby. It was essentially the same thing) Preparing for the rain made me less stressed because although the sky was ominous, I wasn’t worrying about being unprepared because I had an umbrella in my car. Avoiding tight clothing made me feel far more comfortable while doing homework this afternoon. Crunched for time, I bought a flower by the beach, smelled it quickly, ran up to a kid with a kite and attempted to teach him how to fly it. He already knew how to fly it, but I insisted. His reluctance to give me the kite actually made me more stressed than before.
So yeah! Do those things and you are pretty well off this December! No need to worry about stress bogging you down. Just tickle a baby and you’ll be fine. Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: November 21st- 28th, 2011
What's Next...
By Amanda Perlmutter, High School Editor
Re-begin
Take off your shades
See the light of day
My trust in you
Has faded away
If I thought it’d make a difference
I’d clasp my hands
and pray
but we all know you’ll never change
anyway
memories of the past shift around
they rearrange
how we thought it’d always last
those memories smell sweet as sin
I close my eyes
They open again
Now it’s your time
To re-begin
Written by: Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter ©Copyright 2011
Is it time for you to re-begin? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: November 14th- 20th, 2011
What's Next...
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
For the first time in a while, I have something more than scattered thoughts to piece together regarding colleges, applications, and the dreaded process. Over the past two weeks, I’ve seen all the colleges I have/will apply to. My thoughts are finally clear.
My original list was very long. Not too long ago, I was going to apply to six or seven different schools. Two weeks ago I visited one of my top choices, and realized that I didn’t have to apply to as many as I thought. Now, with only one application left to go, and several acceptances under my belt, I’m ready to be finished with this process. To all you sophomores and juniors who are thinking about college right now – don’t be afraid to know (or not know) what you want. High school is a time for discovering and learning about you. Don’t be afraid of change. It will happen.
Until last spring, my career track was music. It always had been. I knew what I wanted, but when life got busy I could no longer keep up with lessons and practice schedules. Music was no longer a love, but a duty. At that point, I dropped plans of pursuing it as a career, and fumbled for a while. When you have taken a certainty for granted for so long, not having that certainty there is like wandering around in the dark with a mask over your head.
Writing and photography became my passions, and I decided to pursue journalism. There is nothing in the least that I regret about that choice – only that I didn’t have that revelation much sooner. It’s okay to pursue different interests. Go with where your gifts and heart lie. If you pursue what you love in high school, and continually grow in it, colleges will notice.
High school students – where do your passions and talents lie?Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: November 7th- 13th, 2011
Daylight Savings!
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
Daylight savings! Particularly in the fall, most people hear this phrase they do a quick happy dance and wish old Ben Frank was still alive to give a big wet smooch. Most people also think, “Yes! Extra hour of sleep!” I’m thinking something more along the lines of, “Yes! Extra time to finish that homework I procrastinated on!”
Procrastination. Ugh. My personal nemesis, I used to think. But according to a recent study, procrastination is the nemesis of many others as well: an astonishing 85% to 95% of students have “problems associated with procrastination.”
I wouldn’t go so far as to label my procrastination problem “chronic,” but then again, I am sitting here at eleven at night furiously typing up this Stage of Life blog that’s due tomorrow. (Or should I say ten o’clock? Thank you thank you thank you, Benjamin Franklin!)
So to all my fellow procrastinators, here are some ways I’ve found that help me study and “non-procrastinate”:
1) Stay organized. Buy a planner. Buy a calendar. Buy one of those funky little assignment books with the little checkmark bubbles at the end of each line. Buy something, but more importantly, use it. Write down your assignments as soon as you get them. Yes, I know you have a brilliant brain the size of Megamind’s, but as Will Ferrell so comically illustrated, brain size doesn’t necessarily correlate with intelligence. Even if you’re sure you can remember an assignment, write it down anyway. More often than not, we procrastinators procrastinate because we forget about something until the last moment. Don’t let this happen!
2) Prioritize. I tend to do this lovely thing where I finish the big mega project due in three months and forget all about the essays, interviews, math sets, physics problems, and articles due within the week. Whoops. List your homework in order of due date and work down the list from things due soonest to things not due for the next thirty class periods.
3) Remove distractions. Turn off your cell phone. Log out of Facebook (I know! I know! It’s like chopping off a limb but I know you can do it!). If you’re distracted by music, turn off the radio. Close Pandora. Go hide your iPod in the deepest darkest cranny in the basement and then forget where you put it. (Either that or have your younger sibling feed your dog your headphones, which effectively cripples iPod usage for those of us still stuck with third generation pieces of junk that don’t have exterior speakers.) You’ll get much more done in a shorter amount of time if you are 100% focused on your homework instead of half-reading about centripetal acceleration and half trying to memorize the words to Eminem and Royce da 5’9”’s latest collaboration.
Don’t rely on daylight savings to help you catch up on homework. Be the 5% that actually gets seven hours of sleep a night and turns in their work on time! Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: November 1st-6th, 2011
Phobias
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
Hi everyone!
Recently, I wrote an article for my school’s newspaper about the many different phobias students at my school have. Delving into the minds of students I discovered the strangest things you can imagine. Now, I myself am afraid of odd things like storm drains and the monster under my bed (it really exists!), but nothing to the extent of these students’ fears.
Have you ever heard of Bananaphobia? Well it’s a real thing apparently. Over three students at my school are so afraid of bananas that they refuse to touch them or smell them- one girl can’t be in the same room as one!
On the topic of food, one student is so afraid of Jell-O that even the word makes her gag. She refuses to go to the grocery store because she worries that she might come into contact with Jell-O (life is going to be pretty rough for her…..).
A guy at my school cannot go to public pools- not because he is afraid of germs or the water though. He refuses to go because is biggest fear is seeing a Band-Aid floating in a pool. Regular Band-Aids on the floor at school bother him a lot too, but seeing them in a pool makes him crazy!
Hearing about all of these while I was writing my article made me laugh because I never thought people could be so afraid of the most random things. One phobia really surprised me though, even more so than the previous ones I mentioned.
A girl at my school cannot have sleepovers or sleep on the floor ever because she is afraid that a person wearing stilettos will step on her head while she is sleeping and pierce her temple and kill her instantly.
Wow, there are no words to describe my reaction to that one.
She is 100% serious too!
Those, in addition to the fear of fruit cups, dentist chairs, door handles and many more made me realize how strange we all are and what one person might consider normal, another might be intensely afraid of it.
I hope you enjoyed reading those. Please write about any irrational phobias you have! I’d love to read about them! Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: October 21st-31st, 2011
Reckless
By Amanda Perlmutter, High School Editor
I want to cry, but I just can’t
Can’t deal with it all
The way I pretend that I can
Can’t handle it all
The way it seems that I’m strong
I’m strong?
No I’m not
I’m spineless and weak
I flip out like some kind of freak
Freak?
Not how I used to describe myself
Myself?
No I’m not
Not at all
Myself
Who is that?
Who is this?
I could have had it easy and said I’d never try
Instead I set myself up with the life
of someone who cares
but I don’t
I don’t care
This life isn’t mine
This life belongs to that strong girl
The one I left behind
Along with my heart
Attached to my mind
She took it and ran
Run girl run!
Beyond the moon
Past the sun
While you run
I’ll load the gun
And 1,2,3 BAM!
Maybe the next life
Will be more fun
Written By: Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter ©Copyright 2011
High schoolers, and especially seniors – make the most of what you’ve got. It’s your time to shine. Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: October 14th-20th, 2011
On Senior Year
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
The first thing I’d like to do in this post is to denounce the superstition that senior year is the best year of high school.
Let’s face the truth – when you’re a freshman, senior year looks amazing. When you’re a senior, you’re constantly swamped with AP coursework, college applications, and loads of commitments with extracurriculars. Regardless of what kind of schooling you experience, your fourth year is the best preparation for life after high school that you can have.
Because I’ve been able to go to high school online, I’ve been forced to deal with procrastination more than the average student. When there are no due dates for assignments, it’s pretty easy to open up Facebook and tell yourself that you’ll write that paper later. Most of the time, however, later does not exist. I can’t tell you that I have my procrastination habits conquered – I don’t think I ever will. But you know what? I’ve gotten better over the past three years.
Procrastination is just one of the bad habits we’ll have to deal with in college. Senior year is your chance to practice effective combat against these bad habits. Need to work off that extra weight? Start jogging, or get a job that requires a lot of movement. Hate yourself for procrastinating? Make a schedule every Friday for the homework you’ll get done over the weekend. Want that leadership position in the photography club? Practice, practice, practice, and put together a portfolio a week or two before the deadline.
Even if you’re not a senior yet, you can take these habits and turn them on their heads. All it takes is a bit of effort that will pay off in the long run. Preparing yourself for senior year is a good thing to do as well. If you want to take multiple AP classes in senior year, take one or two during sophomore and senior years to learn how to manage the workload. Most importantly? Get involved in what you love so that you can enjoy yourself despite the busyness of senior year.
These things pay off. Starting early on college applications means more acceptances early in the school year. Jogging every day for a couple months will help you stay healthy. Balancing school with your social life effectively will make you less stressed.
High schoolers, and especially seniors – make the most of what you’ve got. It’s your time to shine. Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: October 7th- 13th, 2011
Death of a Visionary
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
As most of you probably know, Steve Jobs died yesterday (October 5), and per the usual reasoning that "dead people are much more interesting than living people," I promptly read his (hopefully-accurate) Wikipedia page. I was extremely surprised to learn that he attended Reed College for a whole semester before dropping out (I recently got a periodic table of elements from Reed in the mail; don't ask me why), was so poor as a college student that he had to return "Coke bottles for food money" and "get weekly free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple," and that he called his experimentation with LSD "one of the two or three most important things I've done in my life." Wow.
From the occasional glimpses of his balding gray hair, glasses, and narrow face that I had seen on Yahoo! News, I had taken Jobs for a much more down-to-earth individual. You know, the kid in high school who spends his free time reading the appendix of his physics textbook, researching $100,000 science scholarships on Fastweb, campaigning for DARE, sewing badges onto his Boy Scout uniform, etc. But traipsing around India in search of Hindi gurus? Uh . . . no.
So once again, I'm writing about not boxing people into stereotypes, a theme I don't think I can emphasize enough. Thrown into the ultimate stereotype melting pot (i.e., highschool: ever heard of jocks, airheads, geeks, nerds, Goths, etc.?), we teenagers often judge people too early and too harshly. We see someone wearing a Pokemon shirt playing Dragon Quest on his DS and we think, Nerd. We see someone with a buzz-cut wearing a football jersey walking around in that heavy-footed gorilla swagger and we think, Jock. We see someone with platinum blonde hair, pink blouse, pink miniskirt, pink lipstick, pink nails, and pink heels, and we think . . . Wow, that’s a lot of pink . . . or maybe just, Airhead.
But who knows? Maybe Pokemon Boy is actually the star on the wrestling team (I use this particular example because my nerdy, Pokemon-loving, bespectacled little brother really is the star of his wrestling team). Maybe Buzz-Cut loves to play Mendelssohn on his violin. Maybe Pinky wants to pursue a degree in philosophy.
Ultimately, think about how others would stereotype you? Are their stereotypes even remotely accurate? All I’m saying is, don't judge people too early. As you get to know them better, you may learn nuances of their character and personality, or past history, that can really help you empathize with who they are in the here and now.
And maybe you’ll realize that the creepy looking Goth kid with the bull-ring in his nose is actually one of the nicest guys you’ve ever met, or that the teacher who always looks like she smells something bad really actually cares about helping you understand trigonometry, or that the dignified founder of Apple was actually a crazy twenty-something-year-old at one time who ran around India wearing an orange sari.
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: October 1st-6th, 2011
Halloween
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
Because Halloween is coming up, I decided to make a list of what I find to be the scariest movies of all time. I think the best way to get into the "spooky" mood of October is to invite some friends over for a scary move night, which is why in October my Saturday nights are dedicated to scary movie marathons in preparation for Halloween!
If you are easily frightened by gore and violence, I suggest you stick to costumes and candy; but for those of you who can stomach such terror, I recommend you watch the following movies.
- The Shining
- The Exorcist
- The Ring
- The Strangers
- Poltergeist
- The Crazies
- Paranormal Activity
- Scream 1
- Friday the 13th
- The Thing
- 28 days later
and last but certainly not least, Jaws. It's not really of the "horror" genre, but it is deserves to be!
If any of you are like me, after a scary movie I ALWAYS have to watch something uplifting to clear my head before I go to sleep. After watching The Crazies I had awful nightmares because the images from the movie were the last I saw before I went to bed. So, as a disclaimer, horror movies may be disturbing so have a backup plan in case you are afraid to sleep afterwards! Watching happy movies after really stops the nightmares- and helps me not have to sleep with the lights on!
So, if any of you are looking for some post-horror movie entertainment, I suggest the following films.
- Anchorman
- Bride Wars
- Juno
- The Sound of Music
- The Proposal
- Legally Blonde
Those are just a few of my favorites. I hope you all have a great Halloween!
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 | Teen Editor's Welcome: Sept. 27th-30th, 2011
Tied together
By McKinzie Step, High School Editor
These past few weeks, I’ve been given the opportunity during my senior year to build numerous relationships and get connected with the three thousand students within my high school. If you’ve ever looked into a high school, or even a middle school, you’d understand the massive amounts of diversity that walk along the halls and in between each row of desks or lunch room tables. The drama students, athletes, art club, brains- the misfits, the lone wolfs, and the ones just looking for their purpose in all of this change- they all wear the face of similarity in at least one thing: they’re all looking for something more.
This may sound a little deep for a high school editorial, but in reality we know it to be true; that high school seems to be the landing ground between sheer adolescence and thriving adulthood. Knowing this, I’ve considered it a blessing to begin to make friendships with these different social standings and walk a mile or two in their shoes. So I’ve written this poem in an attempt to put into words the experience, and if only for someone else to know that know matter where we stand in high school, we all have personal turmoils and stories that bind us together.
 Every person has a pain,
and everyone can lose and gain;
Smiles hide a bruised up heart,
and laughter shields the broken parts.
small facades just get them by,
Until we kiss the wounds goodbye.
Love somebody- feed them care,
For all this world is too unfair.
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: Sept. 21st- 27th, 2011
The Age of When?
By Amanda Perlmutter, High School Editor
I transform misery
Into poetry
Because that makes it seem less real
I shower in my tears
So I can trick myself out of how I feel
Trick myself into believing
They were never there
I spend more time missing those who I loved
And who loved me and have long since been gone
Then I do loving those who were stupid enough
To stick around
I spend more time wishing and wanting
Then I do appreciating and trying
Inside, I’m dying.
Sometimes I’m numb, other times I succumb
To loneliness
Allowing myself to feel too much
All at once
The cascade of emotions weighs heavy on my heart
With no one to break down boundaries for
I’m ready for more but no one’s ready for me
I want to love but fake is never enough
And real is too far from my reality
Is age a friend or an enemy?
Trapping me in what feels like limbo
Ready to let it go
And move on to the next road, the next chapter
But when will it begin?
Written by: Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter ©Copyright 2011
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: Sept. 14th - 20th, 2011
Dust in the Wind
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
“…nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
All your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind”
I have recently gotten into what we call “oldies”. You know; music from the 70s and 80s? (I’ve had to avoid using the term oldies around my parents though. They just laugh at me. I wonder why?)
The lyrics above are from Dust in the Wind by the band Kansas. It’s songs like these that give me a focus when the stresses of senior year make me want to rock back and forth on the floor in a fetal position. The cultural expectations that make getting into college important don’t matter in the long run. Don’t read that wrong – college matters, but the cultural norms don’t have to shape your life.
As I’m filling out my college applications, in the back of my mind there’s a little voice. Are you sure this is what you want? Why not depart from the traveled road? This is probably because my education has always been different from the cultural norm. Just by the virtue of the fact that I’m homeschooled, this has allowed me to look at the college process from a different angle.
The question I must now answer is whether the road less-traveled is the one I should go down. This doesn’t mean skipping college. It may only mean taking a gap year between high school and college. Who knows? One thing is sure – if I knew, I could easily decide.
Part of the adventure, however, is in not knowing. Because I’m a spontaneous person who thrives on a rigorous schedule (yes, you read that right), I want to know. I want to plan it out. The spontaneous side of me says just to go for it. Just go for it.
You know what? I have a feeling that I might be better off just going for it. It, whatever that may be, must be better than rocking back and forth in fetal position, right?
Good. I have four words for you. Just. Go. For. It.
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: Sept. 6th - 13th, 2011
You Only Get One Childhood
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
Once the school year begins, I tend to bury my nose in my work and not look up again until May. My writing hand turns gray with pencil lead. I wear the numbers off my calculator. The back of my desk is more familiar than the faces of my friends. I start seeing notebook paper lines everywhere I look. I question my sanity.
Metaphysics becomes a very pressing issue. I lie in bed at night outlining my Teen Eagles speeches and walking the fine line between vector and scalar quantities. On holidays, even brief ones like Labor Day, I find that I’m at a loss on what to do after I’ve completed my weekend homework. I wander around the house, stunned at this unexpected free time, until my mom gets sick of my aimless wandering and makes me fold laundry.
I’m so nervous about ACT scores and colleges and scholarships that I begin to live in the future rather than the present. And, however sadly, I’ve noticed this same phenomenon in other high school students besides myself. Many of my friends are similar. I also see many very driven, very intelligent, very accomplished people on Stage of Life with incredible course loads and commitments writing about analogous situations.
We high school students often become so embroiled in our future, collegiate plans that we fail to recognize the beauty of our current lives. We get so caught up trying to get into a good college so we can establish a good career and retire with lots of money and enjoy ourselves then – forty years from now – that we forget to enjoy the present.
Although we don’t like to admit it, we’re still – from a legal standpoint – children. Instead of rushing it along, we should hang on to youth. Childhood is such a precious, fleeting thing that we only come to appreciate later. When else do we get three month vacations every year? When else are we free from the cost of food, clothing, housing, and laundry? When else can we get away with wearing blue eye shadow and Converse High Tops? The next thing we know, we’ll be adults fighting for two weeks off out of fifty-two, exclaiming at the steep-prices of laundry detergent and dog food, miserably boxed by our own dignified fashion sense.
So even as you work on creating a well-rounded transcript and fight for that GPA that will make colleges go gaga, remember that you only get one childhood. Enjoy it. As we’ve heard a million and one times, stop every once in a while and smell the roses. Then, feel free to get back to the soporific effects of your math homework.
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: Sept. 1st- 6th, 2011
Senioritis
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
With the first week of school officially over, senioritis is finally kicking in. Senioritis, a senior’s desire to graduate long before the school year even ends, has plagued seniors for years. Now that I am a senior I am able to suffer from this exclusive disease- and I love it!
Although freshman, sophomore and junior year were all great and provided me with three terrific years of memories, my senior year will still be the best yet. Our slogan is “we rule the school,” and we do exactly that. Our grade is very class-oriented and we are all friends with one another. Yes, we all want to graduate and move on to college, but there’s a part of us that wants never to grow up. Leaving high school will be bittersweet for most of us.
So as a senior reflecting back on my past three years at the school, I have compiled a School Survival Guide for the hectic high school years you may endure.
1. GPA (grade point average) matters
When you are freshmen you might still have the care-free attitude of a middle school student- that is BAD. Yes, high school work can be overwhelming, but that does not mean you can ignore it. Try your best because in high school, your GPA matters and will follow you for the next three years.
2. Cliques don’t exist
If you’ve ever seen any of those stereotypical high school movies, like Mean Girls, their portrayal of high school life is way off. Although I have only attended one school for high school, I have spoken to many people, and the consensus is that by sophomore/junior year, cliques no longer exist. To catty and dramatic girls- leave that attitude behind in middle school! No upperclassman will think you are cool or will admire your queen-bee status. In high school, try to be friendly to everyone because by senior year no cliques will exist and everyone will be friends with everyone.
3. Become active
Don’t wait until junior year to realize you need community service or you want to start a club- get a head start! Begin your extracurriculars as a freshman, that way you have three years to develop them before you graduate! It also looks better to colleges if you have a longer record of partaking in the activities.
4. Relation-ships- sink
Did you get that pun? Basically high school relationships are a waste of time. You don’t want to be hindered by your girlfriend or boyfriend. Your grades will fall and you’ll find yourself unable to focus in school, which can seriously affect your chances of getting into college. However, if you are one of those people who think they can juggle a relationship and school, consider this- it won’t carry outside of high school. That means that by the time you graduate things will end. And NEVER, EVER turn down the college of your dreams to attend college with your boyfriend/girlfriend. The chances of you remaining a couple for all of college is very slim and if you sacrificed a lot to attend college with your partner, then you will regret that decision. Over all, high school relationships don’t usually last, so don’t waste your time. Instead, get involved with clubs and sports and spend time with your friends. That’s what high school is all about.
Being the oldest at school is strange, especially when I spot a 13 year old freshman who I remember being four years ago. Although I cannot wait to graduate, I also feel sentimental and desire to hold on to my high school years. Four years go by so quickly, so enjoy it while you can!
Love,
Mere
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: August 27th - 31st, 2011
A bittersweet reunion
By McKinzie Step, High School Editor
There has never been such a rush of thrill, fear, confusion and chaos that has circled my mind in such a small interval of time. As much as I would like to deny it, (since I am considerably different then other teenagers who are in my grade) senior year has officially taken off, and I have no choice to but to grab hold of the reigns and steer myself into the rest of my future.
Honestly, I am at a loss as to how the majority of my senior class seems to ease themselves into the school year with early symptoms of senioritis and the mindset of "taking it easy." ACT's are  coming up on my calandar, SAT's aren't too far behind, and a 10 inch pile of college pamphlets and professional letters are mounted on the shelves above my computer desk. The remainder of my weekend has been dedicated to filling out the first of my college applications and searching like a madman for the most easily accessible scholarships, loans and grants.
Yet time stands still-deadlines and priorities freeze- and the perks of having seniority begin to take affect. I suppose we could assume I am living the best (and worst) of both worlds- overwhelming responsibilities and superb upperclassmen privileges. Is this not what the adult world is about, anyways?
Obviously, the main priority on my mind as of this moment is centered around my senior year. You will have to excuse me (and please do it politely) if I come across as the least bit repetative. I am certain you can relate to me here. We all dread the extended homerooms, masses of papers that arrive home waiting for parent signatures, student handbooks that get tossed into newly purchased lockers and overcrowded lunchrooms where students have yet to settle into a modified seating routine or arrangement. Standing against the walls holding trays of cafeteria food because you've yet to locate a table or seat is simply not attractive.
And personally, those six minute passing periods between classes is no where near the amount of time required when the hallways gobble you into the seas of slow-moving passerby, while at the same time all you really need is an extra two minutes to find a stall and go to the bathroom.
Then we run into another problem, and another, and-oh wait, another. Teachers butcher your names when calling role, apologizing for mispronunciation and then four-minutes later, pretending as if daily bell-works are even slightly relevant when they know that within a month they will be almost non-existent. Confusing bell schedules bring in stragglers, ice breaker games leave you feeling a bit awkward, and new faces make you wish your guidance counselors could have somehow assigned you to classes where at least one or two more of your friends were also assigned.
Yet in the mess, homework, agendas and responsibilities, new years are promising. Homecomings, proms, pep rallies, football games, sports, clubs, and sociality all ring in the new year with hope and expectations. High school... I would say it's rather bittersweet. Hello class of 2012!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: August 21st - 27th, 2011
1 Bathroom
By Amanda Perlmutter, High School Editor
5 ½ people
6 personalities
2 bedrooms
1 bathroom
Too much is always too little
Talking all at once
Always feels a little too loud
Escape into my mind
And I have to look past
What they say I cannot see
Focusing on tomorrow
And what yesterday used to mean
Changing my mind
Staying the same
Following my dreams
Or straying away
Am I adequate or should I just quit
Moving along
Staying up all night
Writing, thinking
Then at 2 am I remember to brush the coffee
Off my teeth
But he’s already in the bathroom
So I’ll have to wait till 3
Too much is always too little
6 personalities sometime feels like 12
We’re always longing for
Something more
Than 1 apartment that has
1 bathroom
©Copyright 2011, Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter
Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest! And Amanda has suggested two great links to check out; Teen Ink and her blog.
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: August 13th - 20th, 2011
Summertime and Education Musings
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
Summertime supposedly equals relaxation, with little more to do than lie in the sun and swim with friends. For me and probably you, summertime is substantially more than that. As rising senior this fall, I’m finishing up a few courses from the summer, putting in hours on the road (for the driver’s license), and applying to colleges.
I told this much to a friend, who asked me why I was already applying to college. Aren’t most of the deadlines in the fall, she asked? Most of my college applications are yes, due in the fall. However, because I’m an absolute overachiever (in most things, that is), I’m applying early action to the schools that offer this option.
You may not be familiar with college lingo. Don’t worry - the time for stressing about majors and financial aid packages has not arrived yet for you, most likely. Enjoy this time while you have it. Early action is essentially the chance to apply early to a college, without committing that you’ll attend this college if accepted. This is the differentiating factor between early action and its counterpart, early decision.
A few years ago, I had no idea how soon I’d be learning all of this… and sending in the applications. College is something to be taken seriously, especially getting into college. It’s amazing that gaining an education past a high school diploma is this difficult. In the past, getting a Bachelor of Arts degree thrust the recipient into the informal “white collar” class, or the class of the educated. With the amount of jobs requiring a college degree at this point in American history, this degree is quickly becoming a defining factor for a “blue collar” citizen, or a member of the working class. Members of this “white collar” class now have graduate degrees, pursuing their studies and gaining even more schooling.
As our economy dips down and sometimes upwards, it is becoming even more expensive to gain the schooling to live in this country. Quite the paradox, is it not? There’s plenty to think about when applying to college, but considering the overall state of past-high-school-education as a whole is perhaps just as important to your future as writing the “perfect” essay for the Common App.
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: August 7th-13th, 2011
The Search
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
We started visiting colleges this summer, checking out the difference between big schools and small schools, schools with emphases on journalism or creative writing, schools with 17:1 student-faculty ratios or 6:1 ratios. And my mother began worrying that I’m not doing enough to get accepted to a “good college.” The problem is that my definition and my mother’s definition of a “good college” differs drastically.
My idea of a good college is anywhere that provides me with a good English/creative writing education and propels me into the national (or international) spotlight as a New York Times bestselling author with impeccable grammar and literary panache (that’s what I like to think anyway). My mother’s definition more involves a fancy diploma scribbled all over in gothic-script Latin with the delicate footnote “IVY LEAGUE.”
After reading the resumes of multiple Ivy League high school students, she began worrying because I’m not president of the Student Council and captain of the soccer team and Miss Congeniality at the Miss America pageant. Not mention that I haven’t saved the world from nuclear disaster or rescued a drowning child from a giant squid and performed flawless CPR while holding together the crust of the earth.
This year I’m dual-enrolling at the community college, playing on two soccer teams, working as the skit coordinator at my church, prepping for the PSAT and ACT, volunteering at the neighborhood nursing home, managing a seventeen-credit course load, and desperately trying to maintain a modicum of sanity in between. Emphasis on trying. I love all the classes I’m taking (I’m lying. I loathe math.), but coming out of the long summer of staying up until the wee hours of the morning reading and sleeping until ten in the morning . . . This might be difficult.
And yet my mom wants me to do more.
Of course, I wholly understand her rationale. Why not seize every opportunity I can get and benefit in the long run? But I’m already going crazy with what I’m currently doing.
I know my mom only wants what’s best for me, and oftentimes she has pushed me to do things I never would have done on my own. Things that in the long run I’m so glad I did, despite all my initial griping and groaning. All the same, I am a different person from my mother. While she can push the limits, only I know what my limits truly are.
What I’ve learned is to respectfully and seriously consider everything my mother suggests, but I also try to remember that there are only twenty-four hours in the day, and I really love to be sleeping six of those twenty-four hours.
My parents are always here for me in these mind-boggling years called high school, and I appreciate everything they try to push me to do. However, in the end I have to remember that this is my life, not theirs, and as such I need to ultimately make my own choices.Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: August 1st-6th, 2011
Pressure from Peers
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
I know how trite “peer-pressure” seems, but in actuality it is a powerful force that is not to be underestimated. I remember the groaning and the sighing of disappointed students in middle school when our Health instructor would mention “peer-pressure,” for it was an over-exhausted topic that we were sure could never happen to us. We would say, “Who is stupid enough to give in to smoking weed” or “I’m not going to go with the flow. I’m smarter than that.”
Unfortunately, as smart as we may think we are we all at one time or another fall into the trap of peer-pressure. All of last week I was on a road trip around the North East with thirteen of my classmates. While on the trip, we shared everything- including personal issues. Personal issues are called personal for a reason. Unless you want everyone else’s opinion, I suggest you do not share.
Recently, I have been having trouble with a boy I am dating and during the trip I decided to seek advice from my classmates. Each one had their own idea of what I should say to him and each one shared their judgment; “He isn’t good enough for you,” “You are too nice to him,” “Dump him!” Their words cut me, and the wounds were deep. I was sucked into their opinions and no longer had my own. I listened to them and followed their direction.
By the end of the week I had my mind set on ending the relationship, but my heart was not as convinced. Luckily, my friend Bridget pulled me away from the crowd and told me that all that mattered was my opinion. She also added that my classmates did not know my boyfriend very well and therefore were not informed enough to form an opinion of him. This realization was a fresh breath of air and it was clear to me that I had fallen under peer-pressure. I, the girl who never thought she would be weak enough to be manipulated by her peers, was possessed by the opinions of my classmates, and almost did something drastic as a result.
Peer-pressure can affect anyone at anytime and it is not always obvious, so be smart and trust in your heart. What others say can sometimes be helpful or harmful, but in the end, it’s your choice to make. Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: August 1st-6th, 2011
Pressure from Peers
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
I know how trite “peer-pressure” seems, but in actuality it is a powerful force that is not to be underestimated. I remember the groaning and the sighing of disappointed students in middle school when our Health instructor would mention “peer-pressure,” for it was an over-exhausted topic that we were sure could never happen to us. We would say, “Who is stupid enough to give in to smoking weed” or “I’m not going to go with the flow. I’m smarter than that.”
Unfortunately, as smart as we may think we are we all at one time or another fall into the trap of peer-pressure. All of last week I was on a road trip around the North East with thirteen of my classmates. While on the trip, we shared everything- including personal issues. Personal issues are called personal for a reason. Unless you want everyone else’s opinion, I suggest you do not share.
Recently, I have been having trouble with a boy I am dating and during the trip I decided to seek advice from my classmates. Each one had their own idea of what I should say to him and each one shared their judgment; “He isn’t good enough for you,” “You are too nice to him,” “Dump him!” Their words cut me, and the wounds were deep. I was sucked into their opinions and no longer had my own. I listened to them and followed their direction.
By the end of the week I had my mind set on ending the relationship, but my heart was not as convinced. Luckily, my friend Bridget pulled me away from the crowd and told me that all that mattered was my opinion. She also added that my classmates did not know my boyfriend very well and therefore were not informed enough to form an opinion of him. This realization was a fresh breath of air and it was clear to me that I had fallen under peer-pressure. I, the girl who never thought she would be weak enough to be manipulated by her peers, was possessed by the opinions of my classmates, and almost did something drastic as a result.
Peer-pressure can affect anyone at anytime and it is not always obvious, so be smart and trust in your heart. What others say can sometimes be helpful or harmful, but in the end, it’s your choice to make. Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: July 28th- 31st, 2011
Service hours or life lessons?
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
Summer 2011 is in full swing. The beaches are open, cars are gassed up, and the great ball of fire rises and sets every day to remind us that this summer, the time to shine is now.
 Relationships are blossoming, relationships are failing…summer jobs are bountiful and generous, and the promises of a new year at school hang in the parts of our mind where our emotions are a mixture of both dread and uncontained excitement. I have three months to fill my agenda with numerous sleepovers, dates, concerts and whimsical adventures, but I have found it to be ironic that I have reserved the majority of my summer for school-related necessities. I have NOT gone to the beach, I have NOT gone to any concert, rather, I have been given the opportunity to serve my community and even earn hours for scholarships. The experience has been a blessing that I feel obligated to share with anyone and everyone who will listen.
I have been serving for an amazing, selfless, and powerful non-profit organization; Lifecare of Brandon has impacted me both mentally and emotionally, taking me beyond the boundaries of selfish attention I so easily give to myself, all of the time.
A typical day as a volunteer for Lifecare can be described as, well, anything but typical. Tasks are all consuming and endless. Their mantra is simply “supporting positive life choices.” All of the facets are overwhelming and awe-inspiring. Lifecare is devoted primarily to women who are pregnant and searching for much-needed aid throughout and after their pregnancies. A woman and her husband earn “mommy and daddy dollars” by taking numerous classes and sessions that Lifecare offers. This includes child-birthing, parenting classes, and classes to help women and couples move in the right directions. Baby clothes, food, supplies, furniture, and other blessings can be purchased with these mommy and daddy dollars, and each item that is given away is a donation made by our generous surrounding communities.
A job I am often given is to sort through donations and retrieve the items these mothers want in exchange for their dollars. I frequently make packets and prepare papers for the other activities Lifecare offers- counseling and talk sessions about addictions, negative self image, abuse, family relationships and self mutilation. I’ve caught glimpses of these clients, burdened by the weight they carry on their shoulders and desperately seeking a way out of their tangled up mess. I may be offering my own time and help, but they have unknowingly giving me something much more in return- the realization that their are women and men in my own streets and neighborhoods who are just as lost, confused, hurt, and burdened with responsibilities as I am at times.
The preparation that goes into these Lifecare activities is overwhelming. Because the organization is non-profit, they rely on fundraisers, grants and donations to keep their facility running in full swing. I’ve sealed thank you letters, shredded trash, organized diapers and even babysat for a toddler who left me a nice surprise on the calf of my leg. I’ve come to discover that many of the important things in life are manifested in smaller forms, like running a quick errand or refilling a shelf with baby shampoo.
We like to think we are the Gods of our own universe, but reality tells us that we are made first when we become last. To be less abstract with you-humility is essential, so significant that when we submit to the people and the efforts surrounding our own bubble, every aspect of our lives is impacted severely. Did you know that your community has needs to meet much like the ones I experience weekly?
My glorious summer vacation as seen four months ago has been radically demolished and replaced by the opportunity to be the hands and feet for the men and women unable to serve themselves the way they ought to be able to. Community service hours? Not nearly as dear to me as the lessons I’ve received both in my submission and the hours I’ve worked to benefit someone who wasn’t me.
Do you donate your time or money to a community organization or non-profit? If so, which one and why? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: July 29 - 31, 2011
Service hours or life lessons?
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
Summer 2011 is in full swing. The beaches are open, cars are gassed up, and the great ball of fire rises and sets every day to remind us that this summer, the time to shine is now.
 Relationships are blossoming, relationships are failing…summer jobs are bountiful and generous, and the promises of a new year at school hang in the parts of our mind where our emotions are a mixture of both dread and uncontained excitement. I have three months to fill my agenda with numerous sleepovers, dates, concerts and whimsical adventures, but I have found it to be ironic that I have reserved the majority of my summer for school-related necessities. I have NOT gone to the beach, I have NOT gone to any concert, rather, I have been given the opportunity to serve my community and even earn hours for scholarships. The experience has been a blessing that I feel obligated to share with anyone and everyone who will listen.
I have been serving for an amazing, selfless, and powerful non-profit organization; Lifecare of Brandon has impacted me both mentally and emotionally, taking me beyond the boundaries of selfish attention I so easily give to myself, all of the time.
A typical day as a volunteer for Lifecare can be described as, well, anything but typical. Tasks are all consuming and endless. Their mantra is simply “supporting positive life choices.” All of the facets are overwhelming and awe-inspiring. Lifecare is devoted primarily to women who are pregnant and searching for much-needed aid throughout and after their pregnancies. A woman and her husband earn “mommy and daddy dollars” by taking numerous classes and sessions that Lifecare offers. This includes child-birthing, parenting classes, and classes to help women and couples move in the right directions. Baby clothes, food, supplies, furniture, and other blessings can be purchased with these mommy and daddy dollars, and each item that is given away is a donation made by our generous surrounding communities.
A job I am often given is to sort through donations and retrieve the items these mothers want in exchange for their dollars. I frequently make packets and prepare papers for the other activities Lifecare offers- counseling and talk sessions about addictions, negative self image, abuse, family relationships and self mutilation. I’ve caught glimpses of these clients, burdened by the weight they carry on their shoulders and desperately seeking a way out of their tangled up mess. I may be offering my own time and help, but they have unknowingly giving me something much more in return- the realization that their are women and men in my own streets and neighborhoods who are just as lost, confused, hurt, and burdened with responsibilities as I am at times.
The preparation that goes into these Lifecare activities is overwhelming. Because the organization is non-profit, they rely on fundraisers, grants and donations to keep their facility running in full swing. I’ve sealed thank you letters, shredded trash, organized diapers and even babysat for a toddler who left me a nice surprise on the calf of my leg. I’ve come to discover that many of the important things in life are manifested in smaller forms, like running a quick errand or refilling a shelf with baby shampoo.
We like to think we are the Gods of our own universe, but reality tells us that we are made first when we become last. To be less abstract with you-humility is essential, so significant that when we submit to the people and the efforts surrounding our own bubble, every aspect of our lives is impacted severely. Did you know that your community has needs to meet much like the ones I experience weekly?
My glorious summer vacation as seen four months ago has been radically demolished and replaced by the opportunity to be the hands and feet for the men and women unable to serve themselves the way they ought to be able to. Community service hours? Not nearly as dear to me as the lessons I’ve received both in my submission and the hours I’ve worked to benefit someone who wasn’t me.
Do you donate your time or money to a community organization or non-profit? If so, which one and why? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: July 25th- August 1st, 2011
UPSIDE DOWN
By Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, High School Editor
My world is upside down
My feet are searching for the ground
 My head’s in the clouds
There, way up high
What is this?
Who am I?
Eyes in the sky
Looking for stars
Seeing only clouds
I want to be right side up
But it’s amazing here
Upside down
Nothing here makes sense
Yet everything is right
The daytime becomes the night
Here I never have to fight
Or go searching for the light
Because when I’m upside down
Everything is right
©Copyright 2011 Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter
Is your life upside down? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: July 14th-20th, 2011
"Time Flies When You're Having Fun"
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
I feel like just a few days ago, it was the beginning of summer… June. Unfortunately for this blogger, it’s already the middle of July. Time really does fly when you have a job, doesn’t it?
This summer has been a time of retrospection, review, and anticipation. As soon as I finish up with junior year courses (point – procrastination and homeschooling have problems together), I will be picking out my senior year courses and applying to colleges.
Yup, it’s that time. I’m actually kind of nervous about applying to colleges. At the same time though, I’m seriously excited. It’s really exuberating to be so close… so close to moving on from high school and into a new kind of studying and life.
All the same, once I send in my applications, I’ll be a much happier girl. I may have to motivate myself with cases of chocolate in order to get them sent in, but hey, we do what we must.
I’m excited to announce that this fall; I have been given the chance to volunteer with the Swem Library in Virginia, transcribing original Civil War documents as they appear into MS Word. Since I’m a huge history nerd (face it – who else would take AP European History as their first AP course?), this is the perfect volunteer opportunity.
What are you all looking forward to doing this fall? Are you thinking about college, or perhaps applying? Any exciting opportunities that have come your way? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: July 7th-13th, 2011
"Our Town"
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
Last autumn I read Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town for the first time. Although I found the play pleasant enough, I was a slightly perplexed that such a banal plot following the very ordinary lives of two very ordinary families in a very ordinary small town had won such critical acclaim.
It wasn’t until I reached the last few pages that I suddenly recognized it as the Nobel-prize winning masterpiece that it is, and all because of one little line buried near the end: “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it – every, every minute?”
It sounds simple enough, a handful of words stating an often-parodied catchphrase. I see the gist of the statement stamped onto designer T-shirts as “Live Laugh Love” nearly every day. But that quote, and the surrounding context, really impacted me.
The statement is so true, in a sad sort of way. You can’t help but ask yourself again, Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it – every, every minute?
Now at the strangest of times every few days or weeks, I’m suddenly struck with this quote. I’ll simply be sitting in the car or reading a book and I’ll think, This is the only life I have. Is this how I want to live it? Is this something I will remember someday as something I am proud to have listed among my accomplishments as a “human being?”
It strikes me as tragic the way some people truly think life revolves around the holy dollar symbol. Money can certainly obtain transient pleasures, but in the long run how much is a fancy car or a big house worth?
Of course I’m not saying to go drop out of school and bum around because you feel that that is your life’s calling. I simply think that if we pause and think about what we are doing with our lives, we might sometimes live very differently.
You can look at life through a microscopic and macroscopic lens, obsess over the details or look at the big picture. In the short term, yes, I could definitely deal with a flashy red Corvette or a closet full of designer clothing, but I would rather invest my time and money in more meaningful things that don’t depreciate over time or slip in and out of fashion with every season (black nail polish and crimped hair comes to mind . . .)
Life is such a beautiful gift. How can we possibly waste it? We are so quick to take something so precious for granted. Yet whenever I’m in danger of doing so, I always try to think of this quote. I always try to realize the life I’m living.
What do you think? Are we humans truly realizing life while we live it? And what exactly does that mean? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: July 1st-6th, 2011
"The Kissing Disease"
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
At this very moment, while writing this blog, I am suffering from what seems to be the worst thing that could happen to me- mononucleosis.
It all started about a month ago, when my wisdom tooth began to hurt and I had a slight fever. My dentist prescribed amoxicillin for me, hoping to help my slightly infected wisdom tooth. Five days later I found out I had mono.
“It really does not seem that bad. It’s only a virus,” said my unsuspecting friends. About a week after this comment I was completely bed ridden and unable to speak due to a severe sore throat. Thinking the pain could not get any worse, I then developed the worst itchy, measles-like rash you could imagine, a side effect that occurs only from taking amoxicillin while sick with mono- just my luck.
Thinking my social life couldn’t get any worse with friends only sending the occasional text and dropping off ice-cream in my kitchen (nobody wanted to see me at the risk of getting what they now saw was not only a virus, but potentially a flesh eating disease) I decided to be a recluse. I stayed in my room for days living on Advil, anti-inflamatories, Z-pak, an inhaler, dozens of bottled waters, and whatever food I could swallow or force myself to eat.
During this time alone I had an epiphany. While sitting in bed watching the local news I realized how I was just experiencing one virus and although it was incredibly painful, it was temporary. There are people my age I know who go through traumatizing events, who lose loved ones, who suffer life-threatening diseases- none of which are temporary. After this realization, I began to force myself to get better. I willed myself to move and to eat more and I’ve been getting healthier every day. Being sick has made me appreciate my life so much more and I no longer plan on wasting my time watching television or sleeping in. When my mononucleosis is finally gone I plan on living life to the fullest and getting as much out of everyday as I can.
Life is short, summer is short, high school is short and time is forever moving, so we must never stop moving either. Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 27- July 1, 2011
"Show me the money."
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
Whether you call it moolah, dough, greenbacks, or the root of all things evil, we cannot turn a cheek to the lucid reality that money is the steering wheel by which our society is driven. Be it a credit card or the face of Alexander Hamilton on a ten dollar bill, the superiority and significance we have placed in the American Dollar is doubtlessly monumental.
Within the previous week, it bas been my experience to discover just how much of a role money plays in the daily lives and thoughts of an economically centered society and culture. I was given the opportunity to participate in a local serving project with the goal of washing people’s cars for free, and then in turn, giving the driver money as opposed to actually receiving it. The experience was not only a turn of the tables, but a twist that was truly thought provoking.
We know that nothing is free. We must purchase food, transportation, utilities, education and entertainment. In our world today, people need jobs and occupations through which surrounding communities must revolve and use to their advantage. In the reality of things, a car wash is performed with the goal of either providing paychecks to an employee or collecting money for an upcoming event or ongoing project. I stood on the median between passing cars and business trucks, waving neon yellow posterboards displaying “Free Car Wash” across the center. Drivers and passengers alike would chuckle, scoff, smile, give me a wave of the hand, or slow to a stop and question me as to whether or not this alleged car wash was truly free. As I answered yes, heads would turn and cars would pull in.
Temperatures would rise well into the high 90’s and low 100’s, and I would sit on a curb and wonder just how society would look if we would take the occasional moment to offer up a product or a service for free. Not just a “buy one get one free” Mcdonalds coupon or a typical company marketing strategy, but a true act of selfless servitude that could very well change the thoughts and the heart of someone on the receiving end.
I would wave a sign, scrub a tire, dry a windshield, or talk to a driver. The suspicions were high, but I was there to serve and not to receive what they were eventually willing to offer. I’ve come to understand that money is not only a necessity to living, but it is expected of us and has become embedded into the way our minds are wired and running. A man on the corner with a purple backpack and metal thermos moved me off of the median with a hesitant apology, reminding me he needed food and money for transportation while I probably had a car and a house. I smiled and stood on a community bench across from him, waving my sign and watching those I was with give away dollars to reapers of our service. Some would gasp, some would sit still, some would show us an unintended sense of gratitude and gratefulness.
What if we gave selflessly? What if we could at least, on occasion, give and get nothing for what we gave? Could we alter a generation and walk in the opposite direction?
What if we gave selflessly? What if we could at least, on occasion, give and get nothing for what we gave? Could we alter a generation and walk in the opposite direction? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 21-27, 2011
ONE MORE TIME, AGAIN
By Amanda Perlmutter, High School Editor
Confusion can cause confusion
And so on and on it goes
Always running in circles
Whilst hoping it doesn’t show
Everything was twisted
 Can it be undone?
Is this a battle?
If so, have I won?
Hoping this is over
But will it ever end?
All I ever wanted
Was to be your friend
Broken promises
I intend to mend
Can we please start over?
One more time, again...
Are you ready to start over? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 14 - 20, 2011
Five Facts and a Llama
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
As I started writing this, I realized that I have just gotten back from “processing” chickens (code language for, um… yeah. You know…). Weird, huh?
You know little about me, actually. Except that I’m extraordinarily critical of the college admissions system and don’t mind saying so. Anyhow - moving on. I’ve taken about two months off of actively college-hunting in order to concentrate on other things, including finishing school.
This month, I’d like to introduce you to myself. Keep in mind however, that introducing myself consists of throwing fifty-jillion random facts at your computer screen.
 Are you scared yet?
- 1 – I live on a farm. Actually, I live on an epic farm that can be considered a non-vegetarian hippie’s heaven. (See first line.) We raise organic veggies, cows, chickens, pigs, and soon, sheep.
- 2 – When we get sheep, we may possibly be getting a llama. Just thought I’d throw that out there. They are a nasty, llama-ish version of a guard dog. (Oh, right. They are llamas. Of course they’re “llama-ish”.)
- 3 – I go to an online school. Yes, I can “go” to school whenever I want (aka English 11 essays at 10pm). Be jealous.
- 4 – I have an epic job. (When not picking vegetables or chasing pigs), I work at my library. Yes, I’m paid to work with books. It is, indeed, the most epic job in the world.
- 5 – I have watched the Lord of the Rings movies over a dozen times. I’ve read the books over ten times. Nope, I’m not addicted at all… at all.
Because I like the number 5 (it’s my lucky number!), and because swamping you with fifty million facts about myself would be rude, I’ll stop with these five.
(Did I just hear a sigh of relief?)
Actually, any of these five (maybe excluding the llama) would be awesome college admission essays. Yes?
There you go.
If you’re applying to college in the next year, you may want to sit down and write 5 crazy-awesome facts about yourself. It might help with those essays quite a bit, eh?
I’m sure that writing a college essay, after all, is better than being spit on by my llama.
What are the five crazy-awesome facts about you? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 7 - 13, 2011
A Social Mélange
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
I’m leaving for Europe in eleven days with a group of about thirty kids, twelve from St. Louis and an additional eighteen from Cape Girardeau. Yesterday we had our “Bon Voyage” party, where we met the kids from the Cape Girardeau group for the first time. Everyone was just a little nervous, especially considering that these are the kids we will be eating, sleeping, traveling, and living with for a full three weeks. There were a million and one questions, some pertinent to the situation and others not so much, running through our minds.
 What if we don’t like each other? What if we don’t get along? What if they’re stuck up? What if they’re (gasp!) weird?
Understandably, by the time everyone from both groups – St. Louis and Cape Girardeau – arrived at our designated party site, the two parties had separated into distinctive groups, St. Louis huddled around one table and Cape Girardeau around another. Our festivities were getting off to a markedly dismal start, and we were all beginning to dread the twenty hour plane flight to Paris next to these cold strangers who we had barely exchanged a word or two with before retreating to our respective huddles.
Several minutes later, however, one of my friends from the St. Louis group and I decided to take the plunge and try talking to some of the Cape Girardeau-ans. Only slightly paralyzed by our misgivings, we dragged ourselves over to the end of the Cape Girardeau table seating a cloister of girls and tentatively introduced ourselves. The girls promptly introduced themselves to us as well and drew us into their conversation. In fact, they seemed relieved to find that we were eager to make friendships and do away with the awkward “clique-ing.”
Our two groups gradually intermingled, a social mélange soon aided by the connection of the two tables and the successive mixing together of our two groups. Our party ended much more cheerfully than it began, with much telephone number exchanging and promises for Facebook friend requests. My own Facebook friend count shot up almost twenty names today.
I actually made a really great “friend-friend” (meaning not just a Facebook friend) in the Cape Girardeau group: Abby, a manga-loving, Korean-pop music listening, future fashion-designing girl with cropped red hair and the “funnest” personality I’ve ever encountered. In a normal situation, I would have shied away from such a personality since by my own “normal” standards, Abby is far from normal. Yet because we simply tried to get to know one another, we both came to know someone who we both enjoyed speaking to and who had more in common with ourselves than we originally expected.
So this summer, while hanging it with your old friends, why not try to make a few new ones as well? It’s definitely worth the shot, and you never know who you’ll meet.
Have you met a new friend lately? Where did it occur? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 1 - 6, 2011
It's the end!
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
With an American Idol chosen, a Glee season finale aired and increasingly sunnier weather reported, the universe is signaling to us that summer has finally begun. While finals still loom in the distance, high school students are beginning to clear out their lockers and rid themselves of the massive textbooks and responsibilities they lugged all throughout the school year. Here are some ideas for end of the school year celebrations!
Bonfire-
At the beginning of every summer my friends and I take all of the old papers, notes, unusable folders and other paper products from our lockers and backpacks and collect them for a bonfire. The fire can reach incredibly heights with all of that useless paper. This is so much fun and I highly recommend it.
Drive-
For all of the usable folders, binders and other supplies, try holding a local drive for school supplies. Many schools throughout our nation are in need of school supplies and by holding a drive you can feel like you've made a difference, even before summer starts!
End of the Year Party-
It may not be New Years, but it is the end of a year; a school year! Plan an event so that you and your friends can celebrate the ending of yet another school year, and the beginning of the long-desired summer!
As a final note, I would like to add that tomorrow is my birthday! I am turning 17 (arguably the most awkward age there is) but I am still very excited! Now I can legally see R-rated movies and drive until 1 am (neither of which I will probably utilize), but still, tomorrow is yet another step closer to graduating high school and becoming an adult! It's ultimately bittersweet, but luckily summer has arrived at the perfect time to make both the sky, and my disposition, a lot brighter.
Have a great summer everyone!
Love,
Mere
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: May 27th - 31st, 2011
Letter to a common foe
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
My significant other,
It was eleven years ago when you first swept me off of my black, polished closed toed shoes with your elegant charm and good looks. The way the shine on an apple glittered on the teacher’s desk, or the beautifully printed blue sharpie letters that spelled my own name across a nametag, placed upon my very own desk.
Years have come and gone; my once waist long blonde hair has been cut to shoulder length brown, and pounds have melted from my robust frame. I’ve deserved every bit of the pleasure you have provided me with since then: new friends, Gold medal reader awards, academic trophies and banquets. You were good to me, and I loved you with a fierce passion.
They say the victim rarely anticipates the abuser. In many relationships, the innocent underdog is ambushed by the advantageous and heartless attacker. So it was with you, as you pinned me to my metal desk and beat me with your textbooks and cheap mechanical pencils.
Each day grows longer; each class period more extensive. I can predict your fights, as I’ve grown used to habit. Mondays you dish out the work problems. Mid week, you toss around the reviews and semester projects. Fridays, you bring on the exams and the performance grades. Quite frankly, I’m tired of the same routine. If you want to see me live, change it up.
Of course, you’re too much of a cold blooded beast to change tradition. You corner me in periodic all-nighters for which I am forced to purchase ridiculous amounts of starbucks and orange juice to keep me fueled. Your abuse tactics leave me weary, with the day to day conjugation of Spanish verbs and pre-calculus problems that leave be bald from pulling my own strands of hair. Psychology lectures cradle me to sleep; language essays plague my English GPA. How am I supposed to climb to the ranks of valedictorian when you gloat your unnecessary evils? I’m not.
In roughly two weeks, I’ll be set free. Released from the horrors of seven-period obstacle courses under your drill sergeant of a principle. I’ll relish in the sun that bathes our beaches and wake to that sun only, and I mean only, after noon each day. But you’re like an infestation, or a rash upon my skin. You’ll be back in three months to rekindle our relationship.
My dearest, most bittersweet school: please, do not set your hopes too high. I will not be letting you rule me anymore. I now know how to handle insensitive brutes like you. That’s one of your very limited benefits: you’ve taught me the glory in self discipline and strength. I’m ready to tackle you come senior year.
Three months from now. Until then, I bid thee farewell.
Sincerely, one fed-up teenage student..
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| High School Editor Welcome: May 21st - 27th, 2011
Fences
By Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, High School Editor
 Its time to spend less time
Making plans
And more time
Making sense
As tears drip down the drain
And breath breathes through the vents
My whole life
I’ve been putting up a fence
And now its time to take it down
I’m drowning in all the things I’ve never found
As I take it in, I let it surround
Me
Immersed in a deep sea of tragedy, reality
The only way out is to set myself free
Let me go
Let me go
There are still so many things I need to know
NOTE: Our teen editor, Amanda P., teaches a poetry class at her local Barnes & Noble. We've been noticing more students sharing poetry here on the site. Look for some future poetry lesson plans for our teen poets submitting to the site.
Share your poetry about your life here on StageofLife.com. And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| High School Editor Welcome: May 14th - 20th, 2011
On Standardized Tests and Scheduling
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
This is not one of those knowledgeable posts where I’m going to share with you everything I know about scheduling. Let’s just get one thing straight. Schedules and I do not work well together. We are affectionately… best enemies.
Instead, I would like to share with you how much I fail at scheduling. Back in March, I signed myself up for both the AP European History exam and the May SAT. Of course I didn’t bother to check the dates.
Last week I took the AP exam and the SAT… within exactly 24 hours. You knew you loved my genius for a reason, right?
Moving on – this was my first experience with two high-profile exams that are very important for many high school students. (I’m just referring to AP tests in general, not AP European History. I doubt many of you took or will be taking this particular test.) I may just be good at taking tests; however, the actual testing experience wasn’t that bad. You sit in a classroom, follow the instructions, and hope you’ve studied enough.
Simple, yes?
I have a huge problem with the idea of standardized tests. Most colleges require either the ACT or the SAT in order to gain admission, except for a rare few that prefer to see a more personalized measure of a student’s achievement. Standardized tests are equal opportunity – on the same day, at the same time, students are given (almost) the same test… in order to judge their academic achievements?
Last time I checked, I wasn’t a robot. How about yourself? Nope, that’s good to hear.
This little requirement of standardized tests is a paradox. Colleges state that they are looking for an individual, yet they judge these individuals (partially) based on equal opportunity tests administered to the masses.
Wait, what?
The SAT (for example) has an essay section that asks for the student’s personal opinion on something. This is so important – just because someone can or cannot answer a multiple-choice question doesn’t mean that they don’t have other strengths that are not documented by the test. The essay allows the individual to share their thoughts and prove their thinking and logic skills, not just their ability to narrow down choices on the answer sheet. Obviously, the creators of the SAT were concerned about this issue.
Breaking News: Most colleges don’t ask for a student’s writing section score.
This little fact renders the addition of the SAT essay useless. Standardized tests – are they really the answer? I don’t think they’re accurate, thank-you-very-much. Some colleges, such as Hobart and William Smith (NY), no longer use standardized test scores as a deciding factor in a student’s admission. (Hurrah for individualism!) Let’s hope that this trend catches on, shall we?
What are your thoughts on standardized tests? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: May 7th - 13th, 2011
Treat Me Like an Adult...but Only Sometimes, Please
By Keilah S., High School Editor
I’m confessing it right here. I make stupid decisions. Regularly. It’s as if my brain has been hardwired to a stupidity cycle and once a week I get a brief memo from my cerebral cortex telling me that it’s time for my isochronal bout of idiocy. But usually I excuse myself by thinking, Well, I am a teenager. Don’t I have a right? Couldn’t I plead temporary insanity until I hit twenty-one? Similarly, whenever my mother angrily tells me I’m acting like a teenager, my first impulse is always to say, “I am a teenager! Ha!” As if that justifies my behavior.
And yet, ironically, I still have the gall to demand that my parents treat me as an equal. It took me a while to realize that I can’t play both sides. I can’t use my teenage-hood as an excuse one second and then a shortcoming to be ignored the next. In spite of this, I hear this very mindset happening all the time around me, especially tonight at my youth group.
Do any of these filial complaints sound familiar?
- “They don’t listen to me.”
- “They don’t respect me.”
- “They’re always treating me like a child.”
We complain that our parents treat us like children and yet we continue to act like children.
Come on!
I’m sixteen. I’m totally a teen too.
I completely realize the need to be recognized as a fellow adult. I too want to be respected and treated like an equal by my parents and other “grown-ups” (the residents at the nursing home where I volunteer jokingly refer to themselves as “grown-downs” since most of them have shrunk an inch or two since old age set in). However I also realize that if I want to be treated like an equal, I must also try to act with similar maturity and intelligence. I realize that I have a very limited experience of life compared to most adults (sixteen versus forty or fifty isn’t a very promising ratio). I can’t demand to be treated like an adult if I don’t act like one.
And to be completely honest, I’m not yet ready to be treated completely like an adult. If I had to lean one way over the other, I’d prefer childhood over adulthood any day. (At least we get the summers off!)
All the same, the next time I’m tempted by a tantalizing bit of fun stupidity I can easily brush off as temporary teenage insanity, I’ll try to remind myself — that is, if I’m thinking straight — that said tantalizing bit of fun stupidity might not wholly support my case for adult-like treatment at a later date.
Do you think teens should be treated as adults? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Editor's Welcome: May 1st - 6th, 2011
Making it through high school 101
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
I always thought that being a teenager was supposed to be fun and stress free, but the pressures of high school have shown me otherwise.
Between the constant loads of homework and exams, we also deal with life-changing social experiences and a never ending need to build up our resumes. With everything that is going on, I have come up with ways to keep me motivated and help me cope with the enormous amount of stress.
Part One: I.H.A (I Hate Acronyms)
Ever heard of the ACT, SAT, SAT II, AP or PSAT? Well these are all standardized tests high school students are forced to endure. These tests are known as the "great equalizers" because they help compare students on a national scale. Guess what? I am a terrible test taker; and if you are like me, these tests lead to anxiety and apprehension.
A way to ease some of the stress surrounding these tests is to gradually prepare yourself. Buy a prep book, take a prep course and try not to go in cold-turkey. It's always good to be confident when taking a test, and it's even more important with these long, strenuous, monsters of a test. So while I hate acronyms and the tests they stand for, I know that I will do the best I can do because I've prepared myself.
Part Two: Friend-Diagram (Similar to Venn-Diagram)
A Venn-diagram is made up of two circles that overlap so that they create a space shared between the two of them. in high school, friendship is similar to this diagram. In one circle you have the friends you had when you entered high school, in the other you have the friends you made throughout high school and in the center you have the mix between the two. It can be confusing because you are constantly changing friend groups and meeting new people.
While these experiences seem incredibly important right now, in the future they will just have been a period in your life when you were changing and finding out who you were. So for now, embrace your evolution to the creation of the finished product and try not to focus so much on being part of the In-crowd. Be friends with people who are reliable and who you know will support and guide you through high school's difficult ups and downs. Those are the friends that you'll keep in the center of the diagram, while the rest of your friends may constantly change.
Part Three: Extra Extra, read all about it (me)!
Has anyone ever told you that your resume is supposed to be you bragging about yourself and all of your accomplishments? Well, I hear it every day. I could't list to you right now the amount of things I do, but take my word, the list is extensive.
High school is a time to try new things, and apparently also a time to get really good at them and use them to get into college. That mentality tends to take the fun out of my hobbies and activities, but I still do my best and try to do things for ME rather than for college. Everything you do in these four years can be added to a resume, so have fun and do what you love, but don't do it just for college, do it because you love it. Do something because it makes you happy, not because it will win you points with the college admission board.
Follow these tips and you wont be weighed down by the heaviness of the "high school experience".
Don't let high school control you, but rather you should make high school what you want it to be. Carve your OWN path and don't be so influenced by what others are telling you to do or to be.
In the end, everything will make sense. I promise.
Love you all!
Meredith
What advice would you add to Meredith's list? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Editor's Welcome: April 27th - 30th, 2011
Florida Spring Break
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
It’s the greatest anticipation of the season, more so than colored Easter eggs and size large chocolate rabbits. It rings true to its name, coming in handy when everything you could ever want in life is to lay aside the textbooks and finally get your full eight hours of sleep. Here in Florida, we associate the name with sunburns and suntans, sunset walks along the coasts of the peninsula, and pontoon rides across the thirty or so rivers that hide behind all the construction areas and housing developments.
He’s your good ol’ Spring Break, and he’s one of the sweetest friends you will ever come into contact with.
If I could even attempt at describing these last four months to you in their fullest extent, you’d probably throw your calculator at me and call me a nerd. It feels as though I’ve been greeting the sun at the same time, every single day, for no apparent reason. The same routine is as follows: wake up at six, walk out the door at six-fifty, and spend seven hours in my prison chamber of a high school, drilling formulas and pages of notes into my head. I leave jail at three, then do extended jail time (aka- homework) for nine more hours, roughly cutting it off around midnight. If I were to earn a B on my report card, I’d consider my life in ruins. Therefore, the effort and sweat I’ve poured into my schoolwork have left me crying desperately for these 11 days off that I’m soaking in at this very moment.
Waking up at eleven absolutely delights me. I no longer hear the ringing of hallway voices, or get shoved into the lockers as hordes and masses make their way to class. I’m not halfway falling asleep over my papers, having teachers walk by and kick my desk in an attempt to get me to look at them while they’re speaking. But truly, and I mean truly, the sweetest benefit is to not have an assignment due each and every hour of the day, especially when you just spent the previous class period applying the finishing touches to your test review due within the next four minutes.
Unfortunately, I have mounds of AP research and studying that I must responsibly carry out before these eleven days are finished. But to finally leave my apartment, go to smoothie bars and movie dates, visit potential colleges and explore Disneyworld- all in knowing that school won’t be haunting me the very next day- this is true bliss.
If you’ve experienced the blessing of Spring break so far this school year, I can almost guarantee you were eternally grateful. If you’re in the same boat as I am, make sure you do something fun tonight. You deserve it! And if your spring break is slowly ( and I mean slowly, because it feels like forever!) on its way…. Embrace it and go with the flow! It’s a miracle in itself!
Share your thoughts about Spring Break. Did you go anywhere or do anything special? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest! It's about PROM!
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| Editor's Welcome: April 27th - 30th, 2011
First Love
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
It’s the greatest anticipation of the season, more so than colored easter eggs and size large chocolate rabbits. It rings true to its name, coming in handy when everything you could ever want in life is to lay aside the textbooks and finally get your full eight hours of sleep. Here in Florida, we associate the name with sunburns and suntans, sunset walks along the coasts of the peninsula, and pontoon rides across the thirty or so rivers that hide behind all the construction areas and housing developments.
He’s your good ol’ Spring Break, and he’s one of the sweetest friends you will ever come into contact with.
If I could even attempt at describing these last four months to you in their fullest extent, you’d probably throw your calculator at me and call me a nerd. It feels as though I’ve been greeting the sun at the same time, every single day, for no apparent reason. The same routine is as follows: wake up at six, walk out the door at six-fifty, and spend seven hours in my prison chamber of a high school, drilling formulas and pages of notes into my head. I leave jail at three, then do extended jail time (aka- homework) for nine more hours, roughly cutting it off around midnight. If I were to earn a B on my report card, I’d consider my life in ruins. Therefore, the effort and sweat I’ve poured into my schoolwork have left me crying desperately for these 11 days off that I’m soaking in at this very moment.
Waking up at eleven absolutely delights me. I no longer hear the ringing of hallway voices, or get shoved into the lockers as hordes and masses make their way to class. I’m not halfway falling asleep over my papers, having teachers walk by and kick my desk in an attempt to get me to look at them while they’re speaking. But truly, and I mean truly, the sweetest benefit is to not have an assignment due each and every hour of the day, especially when you just spent the previous class period applying the finishing touches to your test review due within the next four minutes.
Unfortunately, I have mounds of AP research and studying that I must responsibly carry out before these eleven days are finished. But to finally leave my apartment, go to smoothie bars and movie dates, visit potential colleges and explore Disneyworld- all in knowing that school won’t be haunting me the very next day- this is true bliss.
If you’ve experienced the blessing of Spring break so far this school year, I can almost guarantee you were eternally grateful. If you’re in the same boat as I am, make sure you do something fun tonight. You deserve it! And if your spring break is slowly ( and I mean slowly, because it feels like forever!) on its way…. Embrace it and go with the flow! It’s a miracle in itself!
Share your thoughts about Spring Break. Did you go anywhere or do anything special? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest! It's about PROM!
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| Editor's Welcome: April 21st - 27th, 2011
First Love
By Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, High School Editor
Feels like I’m losing you
Are you already lost?
My love isn’t something that can easily be tossed
When I said forever
I meant it for real
To you that may or may not
Be a big deal
Would you show me that
You are sincere?
That no matter what, you’ll always
Be here?
Well if I have to ask,
Then it must not be true
Sort of wish I’d never
Fallen so fast, so hard
For you
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: July 25th- 29th, 2011
UPSIDE DOWN
By Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, High School Editor
My world is upside down
My feet are searching for the ground
 My head’s in the clouds
There, way up high
What is this?
Who am I?
Eyes in the sky
Looking for stars
Seeing only clouds
I want to be right side up
But it’s amazing here
Upside down
Nothing here makes sense
Yet everything is right
The daytime becomes the night
Here I never have to fight
Or go searching for the light
Because when I’m upside down
Everything is right
©Copyright 2011 Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter
Is your life upside down? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: July 14th-20th, 2011
"Time Flies When You're Having Fun"
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
I feel like just a few days ago, it was the beginning of summer… June. Unfortunately for this blogger, it’s already the middle of July. Time really does fly when you have a job, doesn’t it?
This summer has been a time of retrospection, review, and anticipation. As soon as I finish up with junior year courses (point – procrastination and homeschooling have problems together), I will be picking out my senior year courses and applying to colleges.
Yup, it’s that time. I’m actually kind of nervous about applying to colleges. At the same time though, I’m seriously excited. It’s really exuberating to be so close… so close to moving on from high school and into a new kind of studying and life.
All the same, once I send in my applications, I’ll be a much happier girl. I may have to motivate myself with cases of chocolate in order to get them sent in, but hey, we do what we must.
I’m excited to announce that this fall; I have been given the chance to volunteer with the Swem Library in Virginia, transcribing original Civil War documents as they appear into MS Word. Since I’m a huge history nerd (face it – who else would take AP European History as their first AP course?), this is the perfect volunteer opportunity.
What are you all looking forward to doing this fall? Are you thinking about college, or perhaps applying? Any exciting opportunities that have come your way? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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 | Teen Editor's Welcome: July 7th-13th, 2011
"Our Town"
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
Last autumn I read Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town for the first time. Although I found the play pleasant enough, I was a slightly perplexed that such a banal plot following the very ordinary lives of two very ordinary families in a very ordinary small town had won such critical acclaim.
It wasn’t until I reached the last few pages that I suddenly recognized it as the Nobel-prize winning masterpiece that it is, and all because of one little line buried near the end: “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it – every, every minute?”
It sounds simple enough, a handful of words stating an often-parodied catchphrase. I see the gist of the statement stamped onto designer T-shirts as “Live Laugh Love” nearly every day. But that quote, and the surrounding context, really impacted me.
The statement is so true, in a sad sort of way. You can’t help but ask yourself again, Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it – every, every minute?
Now at the strangest of times every few days or weeks, I’m suddenly struck with this quote. I’ll simply be sitting in the car or reading a book and I’ll think, This is the only life I have. Is this how I want to live it? Is this something I will remember someday as something I am proud to have listed among my accomplishments as a “human being?”
It strikes me as tragic the way some people truly think life revolves around the holy dollar symbol. Money can certainly obtain transient pleasures, but in the long run how much is a fancy car or a big house worth?
Of course I’m not saying to go drop out of school and bum around because you feel that that is your life’s calling. I simply think that if we pause and think about what we are doing with our lives, we might sometimes live very differently.
You can look at life through a microscopic and macroscopic lens, obsess over the details or look at the big picture. In the short term, yes, I could definitely deal with a flashy red Corvette or a closet full of designer clothing, but I would rather invest my time and money in more meaningful things that don’t depreciate over time or slip in and out of fashion with every season (black nail polish and crimped hair comes to mind . . .)
Life is such a beautiful gift. How can we possibly waste it? We are so quick to take something so precious for granted. Yet whenever I’m in danger of doing so, I always try to think of this quote. I always try to realize the life I’m living.
What do you think? Are we humans truly realizing life while we live it? And what exactly does that mean? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: July 1st-6th, 2011
"The Kissing Disease"
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
At this very moment, while writing this blog, I am suffering from what seems to be the worst thing that could happen to me- mononucleosis.
It all started about a month ago, when my wisdom tooth began to hurt and I had a slight fever. My dentist prescribed amoxicillin for me, hoping to help my slightly infected wisdom tooth. Five days later I found out I had mono.
“It really does not seem that bad. It’s only a virus,” said my unsuspecting friends. About a week after this comment I was completely bed ridden and unable to speak due to a severe sore throat. Thinking the pain could not get any worse, I then developed the worst itchy, measles-like rash you could imagine, a side effect that occurs only from taking amoxicillin while sick with mono- just my luck.
Thinking my social life couldn’t get any worse with friends only sending the occasional text and dropping off ice-cream in my kitchen (nobody wanted to see me at the risk of getting what they now saw was not only a virus, but potentially a flesh eating disease) I decided to be a recluse. I stayed in my room for days living on Advil, anti-inflamatories, Z-pak, an inhaler, dozens of bottled waters, and whatever food I could swallow or force myself to eat.
During this time alone I had an epiphany. While sitting in bed watching the local news I realized how I was just experiencing one virus and although it was incredibly painful, it was temporary. There are people my age I know who go through traumatizing events, who lose loved ones, who suffer life-threatening diseases- none of which are temporary. After this realization, I began to force myself to get better. I willed myself to move and to eat more and I’ve been getting healthier every day. Being sick has made me appreciate my life so much more and I no longer plan on wasting my time watching television or sleeping in. When my mononucleosis is finally gone I plan on living life to the fullest and getting as much out of everyday as I can.
Life is short, summer is short, high school is short and time is forever moving, so we must never stop moving either. Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 27- July 1, 2011
"Show me the money."
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
Whether you call it moolah, dough, greenbacks, or the root of all things evil, we cannot turn a cheek to the lucid reality that money is the steering wheel by which our society is driven. Be it a credit card or the face of Alexander Hamilton on a ten dollar bill, the superiority and significance we have placed in the American Dollar is doubtlessly monumental.
Within the previous week, it bas been my experience to discover just how much of a role money plays in the daily lives and thoughts of an economically centered society and culture. I was given the opportunity to participate in a local serving project with the goal of washing people’s cars for free, and then in turn, giving the driver money as opposed to actually receiving it. The experience was not only a turn of the tables, but a twist that was truly thought provoking.
We know that nothing is free. We must purchase food, transportation, utilities, education and entertainment. In our world today, people need jobs and occupations through which surrounding communities must revolve and use to their advantage. In the reality of things, a car wash is performed with the goal of either providing paychecks to an employee or collecting money for an upcoming event or ongoing project. I stood on the median between passing cars and business trucks, waving neon yellow posterboards displaying “Free Car Wash” across the center. Drivers and passengers alike would chuckle, scoff, smile, give me a wave of the hand, or slow to a stop and question me as to whether or not this alleged car wash was truly free. As I answered yes, heads would turn and cars would pull in.
Temperatures would rise well into the high 90’s and low 100’s, and I would sit on a curb and wonder just how society would look if we would take the occasional moment to offer up a product or a service for free. Not just a “buy one get one free” Mcdonalds coupon or a typical company marketing strategy, but a true act of selfless servitude that could very well change the thoughts and the heart of someone on the receiving end.
I would wave a sign, scrub a tire, dry a windshield, or talk to a driver. The suspicions were high, but I was there to serve and not to receive what they were eventually willing to offer. I’ve come to understand that money is not only a necessity to living, but it is expected of us and has become embedded into the way our minds are wired and running. A man on the corner with a purple backpack and metal thermos moved me off of the median with a hesitant apology, reminding me he needed food and money for transportation while I probably had a car and a house. I smiled and stood on a community bench across from him, waving my sign and watching those I was with give away dollars to reapers of our service. Some would gasp, some would sit still, some would show us an unintended sense of gratitude and gratefulness.
What if we gave selflessly? What if we could at least, on occasion, give and get nothing for what we gave? Could we alter a generation and walk in the opposite direction?
What if we gave selflessly? What if we could at least, on occasion, give and get nothing for what we gave? Could we alter a generation and walk in the opposite direction? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 21-27, 2011
ONE MORE TIME, AGAIN
By Amanda Perlmutter, High School Editor
Confusion can cause confusion
And so on and on it goes
Always running in circles
Whilst hoping it doesn’t show
Everything was twisted
Can it be undone?
Is this a battle?
If so, have I won?
Hoping this is over
But will it ever end?
All I ever wanted
Was to be your friend
Broken promises
I intend to mend
Can we please start over?
One more time, again...
Are you ready to start over? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 14 - 20, 2011
Five Facts and a Llama
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
As I started writing this, I realized that I have just gotten back from “processing” chickens (code language for, um… yeah. You know…). Weird, huh?
You know little about me, actually. Except that I’m extraordinarily critical of the college admissions system and don’t mind saying so. Anyhow - moving on. I’ve taken about two months off of actively college-hunting in order to concentrate on other things, including finishing school.
This month, I’d like to introduce you to myself. Keep in mind however, that introducing myself consists of throwing fifty-jillion random facts at your computer screen.
 Are you scared yet?
- 1 – I live on a farm. Actually, I live on an epic farm that can be considered a non-vegetarian hippie’s heaven. (See first line.) We raise organic veggies, cows, chickens, pigs, and soon, sheep.
- 2 – When we get sheep, we may possibly be getting a llama. Just thought I’d throw that out there. They are a nasty, llama-ish version of a guard dog. (Oh, right. They are llamas. Of course they’re “llama-ish”.)
- 3 – I go to an online school. Yes, I can “go” to school whenever I want (aka English 11 essays at 10pm). Be jealous.
- 4 – I have an epic job. (When not picking vegetables or chasing pigs), I work at my library. Yes, I’m paid to work with books. It is, indeed, the most epic job in the world.
- 5 – I have watched the Lord of the Rings movies over a dozen times. I’ve read the books over ten times. Nope, I’m not addicted at all… at all.
Because I like the number 5 (it’s my lucky number!), and because swamping you with fifty million facts about myself would be rude, I’ll stop with these five.
(Did I just hear a sigh of relief?)
Actually, any of these five (maybe excluding the llama) would be awesome college admission essays. Yes?
There you go.
If you’re applying to college in the next year, you may want to sit down and write 5 crazy-awesome facts about yourself. It might help with those essays quite a bit, eh?
I’m sure that writing a college essay, after all, is better than being spit on by my llama.
What are the five crazy-awesome facts about you? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 7 - 13, 2011
A Social Mélange
By Keilah Sullivan, High School Editor
I’m leaving for Europe in eleven days with a group of about thirty kids, twelve from St. Louis and an additional eighteen from Cape Girardeau. Yesterday we had our “Bon Voyage” party, where we met the kids from the Cape Girardeau group for the first time. Everyone was just a little nervous, especially considering that these are the kids we will be eating, sleeping, traveling, and living with for a full three weeks. There were a million and one questions, some pertinent to the situation and others not so much, running through our minds.
 What if we don’t like each other? What if we don’t get along? What if they’re stuck up? What if they’re (gasp!) weird?
Understandably, by the time everyone from both groups – St. Louis and Cape Girardeau – arrived at our designated party site, the two parties had separated into distinctive groups, St. Louis huddled around one table and Cape Girardeau around another. Our festivities were getting off to a markedly dismal start, and we were all beginning to dread the twenty hour plane flight to Paris next to these cold strangers who we had barely exchanged a word or two with before retreating to our respective huddles.
Several minutes later, however, one of my friends from the St. Louis group and I decided to take the plunge and try talking to some of the Cape Girardeau-ans. Only slightly paralyzed by our misgivings, we dragged ourselves over to the end of the Cape Girardeau table seating a cloister of girls and tentatively introduced ourselves. The girls promptly introduced themselves to us as well and drew us into their conversation. In fact, they seemed relieved to find that we were eager to make friendships and do away with the awkward “clique-ing.”
Our two groups gradually intermingled, a social mélange soon aided by the connection of the two tables and the successive mixing together of our two groups. Our party ended much more cheerfully than it began, with much telephone number exchanging and promises for Facebook friend requests. My own Facebook friend count shot up almost twenty names today.
I actually made a really great “friend-friend” (meaning not just a Facebook friend) in the Cape Girardeau group: Abby, a manga-loving, Korean-pop music listening, future fashion-designing girl with cropped red hair and the “funnest” personality I’ve ever encountered. In a normal situation, I would have shied away from such a personality since by my own “normal” standards, Abby is far from normal. Yet because we simply tried to get to know one another, we both came to know someone who we both enjoyed speaking to and who had more in common with ourselves than we originally expected.
So this summer, while hanging it with your old friends, why not try to make a few new ones as well? It’s definitely worth the shot, and you never know who you’ll meet.
Have you met a new friend lately? Where did it occur? Don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: June 1 - 6, 2011
It's the end!
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
With an American Idol chosen, a Glee season finale aired and increasingly sunnier weather reported, the universe is signaling to us that summer has finally begun. While finals still loom in the distance, high school students are beginning to clear out their lockers and rid themselves of the massive textbooks and responsibilities they lugged all throughout the school year. Here are some ideas for end of the school year celebrations!
Bonfire-
At the beginning of every summer my friends and I take all of the old papers, notes, unusable folders and other paper products from our lockers and backpacks and collect them for a bonfire. The fire can reach incredibly heights with all of that useless paper. This is so much fun and I highly recommend it.
Drive-
For all of the usable folders, binders and other supplies, try holding a local drive for school supplies. Many schools throughout our nation are in need of school supplies and by holding a drive you can feel like you've made a difference, even before summer starts!
End of the Year Party-
It may not be New Years, but it is the end of a year; a school year! Plan an event so that you and your friends can celebrate the ending of yet another school year, and the beginning of the long-desired summer!
As a final note, I would like to add that tomorrow is my birthday! I am turning 17 (arguably the most awkward age there is) but I am still very excited! Now I can legally see R-rated movies and drive until 1 am (neither of which I will probably utilize), but still, tomorrow is yet another step closer to graduating high school and becoming an adult! It's ultimately bittersweet, but luckily summer has arrived at the perfect time to make both the sky, and my disposition, a lot brighter.
Have a great summer everyone!
Love,
Mere
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: May 27th - 31st, 2011
Letter to a common foe
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
My significant other,
It was eleven years ago when you first swept me off of my black, polished closed toed shoes with your elegant charm and good looks. The way the shine on an apple glittered on the teacher’s desk, or the beautifully printed blue sharpie letters that spelled my own name across a nametag, placed upon my very own desk.
Years have come and gone; my once waist long blonde hair has been cut to shoulder length brown, and pounds have melted from my robust frame. I’ve deserved every bit of the pleasure you have provided me with since then: new friends, Gold medal reader awards, academic trophies and banquets. You were good to me, and I loved you with a fierce passion.
They say the victim rarely anticipates the abuser. In many relationships, the innocent underdog is ambushed by the advantageous and heartless attacker. So it was with you, as you pinned me to my metal desk and beat me with your textbooks and cheap mechanical pencils.
Each day grows longer; each class period more extensive. I can predict your fights, as I’ve grown used to habit. Mondays you dish out the work problems. Mid week, you toss around the reviews and semester projects. Fridays, you bring on the exams and the performance grades. Quite frankly, I’m tired of the same routine. If you want to see me live, change it up.
Of course, you’re too much of a cold blooded beast to change tradition. You corner me in periodic all-nighters for which I am forced to purchase ridiculous amounts of starbucks and orange juice to keep me fueled. Your abuse tactics leave me weary, with the day to day conjugation of Spanish verbs and pre-calculus problems that leave be bald from pulling my own strands of hair. Psychology lectures cradle me to sleep; language essays plague my English GPA. How am I supposed to climb to the ranks of valedictorian when you gloat your unnecessary evils? I’m not.
In roughly two weeks, I’ll be set free. Released from the horrors of seven-period obstacle courses under your drill sergeant of a principle. I’ll relish in the sun that bathes our beaches and wake to that sun only, and I mean only, after noon each day. But you’re like an infestation, or a rash upon my skin. You’ll be back in three months to rekindle our relationship.
My dearest, most bittersweet school: please, do not set your hopes too high. I will not be letting you rule me anymore. I now know how to handle insensitive brutes like you. That’s one of your very limited benefits: you’ve taught me the glory in self discipline and strength. I’m ready to tackle you come senior year.
Three months from now. Until then, I bid thee farewell.
Sincerely, one fed-up teenage student..
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| High School Editor Welcome: May 21st - 27th, 2011
Fences
By Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, High School Editor
 Its time to spend less time
Making plans
And more time
Making sense
As tears drip down the drain
And breath breathes through the vents
My whole life
I’ve been putting up a fence
And now its time to take it down
I’m drowning in all the things I’ve never found
As I take it in, I let it surround
Me
Immersed in a deep sea of tragedy, reality
The only way out is to set myself free
Let me go
Let me go
There are still so many things I need to know
NOTE: Our teen editor, Amanda P., teaches a poetry class at her local Barnes & Noble. We've been noticing more students sharing poetry here on the site. Look for some future poetry lesson plans for our teen poets submitting to the site.
Share your poetry about your life here on StageofLife.com. And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| High School Editor Welcome: May 14th - 20th, 2011
On Standardized Tests and Scheduling
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
This is not one of those knowledgeable posts where I’m going to share with you everything I know about scheduling. Let’s just get one thing straight. Schedules and I do not work well together. We are affectionately… best enemies.
Instead, I would like to share with you how much I fail at scheduling. Back in March, I signed myself up for both the AP European History exam and the May SAT. Of course I didn’t bother to check the dates.
Last week I took the AP exam and the SAT… within exactly 24 hours. You knew you loved my genius for a reason, right?
Moving on – this was my first experience with two high-profile exams that are very important for many high school students. (I’m just referring to AP tests in general, not AP European History. I doubt many of you took or will be taking this particular test.) I may just be good at taking tests; however, the actual testing experience wasn’t that bad. You sit in a classroom, follow the instructions, and hope you’ve studied enough.
Simple, yes?
I have a huge problem with the idea of standardized tests. Most colleges require either the ACT or the SAT in order to gain admission, except for a rare few that prefer to see a more personalized measure of a student’s achievement. Standardized tests are equal opportunity – on the same day, at the same time, students are given (almost) the same test… in order to judge their academic achievements?
Last time I checked, I wasn’t a robot. How about yourself? Nope, that’s good to hear.
This little requirement of standardized tests is a paradox. Colleges state that they are looking for an individual, yet they judge these individuals (partially) based on equal opportunity tests administered to the masses.
Wait, what?
The SAT (for example) has an essay section that asks for the student’s personal opinion on something. This is so important – just because someone can or cannot answer a multiple-choice question doesn’t mean that they don’t have other strengths that are not documented by the test. The essay allows the individual to share their thoughts and prove their thinking and logic skills, not just their ability to narrow down choices on the answer sheet. Obviously, the creators of the SAT were concerned about this issue.
Breaking News: Most colleges don’t ask for a student’s writing section score.
This little fact renders the addition of the SAT essay useless. Standardized tests – are they really the answer? I don’t think they’re accurate, thank-you-very-much. Some colleges, such as Hobart and William Smith (NY), no longer use standardized test scores as a deciding factor in a student’s admission. (Hurrah for individualism!) Let’s hope that this trend catches on, shall we?
What are your thoughts on standardized tests? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Teen Editor's Welcome: May 7th - 13th, 2011
Treat Me Like an Adult...but Only Sometimes, Please
By Keilah S., High School Editor
I’m confessing it right here. I make stupid decisions. Regularly. It’s as if my brain has been hardwired to a stupidity cycle and once a week I get a brief memo from my cerebral cortex telling me that it’s time for my isochronal bout of idiocy. But usually I excuse myself by thinking, Well, I am a teenager. Don’t I have a right? Couldn’t I plead temporary insanity until I hit twenty-one? Similarly, whenever my mother angrily tells me I’m acting like a teenager, my first impulse is always to say, “I am a teenager! Ha!” As if that justifies my behavior.
And yet, ironically, I still have the gall to demand that my parents treat me as an equal. It took me a while to realize that I can’t play both sides. I can’t use my teenage-hood as an excuse one second and then a shortcoming to be ignored the next. In spite of this, I hear this very mindset happening all the time around me, especially tonight at my youth group.
Do any of these filial complaints sound familiar?
- “They don’t listen to me.”
- “They don’t respect me.”
- “They’re always treating me like a child.”
We complain that our parents treat us like children and yet we continue to act like children.
Come on!
I’m sixteen. I’m totally a teen too.
I completely realize the need to be recognized as a fellow adult. I too want to be respected and treated like an equal by my parents and other “grown-ups” (the residents at the nursing home where I volunteer jokingly refer to themselves as “grown-downs” since most of them have shrunk an inch or two since old age set in). However I also realize that if I want to be treated like an equal, I must also try to act with similar maturity and intelligence. I realize that I have a very limited experience of life compared to most adults (sixteen versus forty or fifty isn’t a very promising ratio). I can’t demand to be treated like an adult if I don’t act like one.
And to be completely honest, I’m not yet ready to be treated completely like an adult. If I had to lean one way over the other, I’d prefer childhood over adulthood any day. (At least we get the summers off!)
All the same, the next time I’m tempted by a tantalizing bit of fun stupidity I can easily brush off as temporary teenage insanity, I’ll try to remind myself — that is, if I’m thinking straight — that said tantalizing bit of fun stupidity might not wholly support my case for adult-like treatment at a later date.
Do you think teens should be treated as adults? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Editor's Welcome: May 1st - 6th, 2011
Making it through high school 101
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
I always thought that being a teenager was supposed to be fun and stress free, but the pressures of high school have shown me otherwise.
Between the constant loads of homework and exams, we also deal with life-changing social experiences and a never ending need to build up our resumes. With everything that is going on, I have come up with ways to keep me motivated and help me cope with the enormous amount of stress.
Part One: I.H.A (I Hate Acronyms)
Ever heard of the ACT, SAT, SAT II, AP or PSAT? Well these are all standardized tests high school students are forced to endure. These tests are known as the "great equalizers" because they help compare students on a national scale. Guess what? I am a terrible test taker; and if you are like me, these tests lead to anxiety and apprehension.
A way to ease some of the stress surrounding these tests is to gradually prepare yourself. Buy a prep book, take a prep course and try not to go in cold-turkey. It's always good to be confident when taking a test, and it's even more important with these long, strenuous, monsters of a test. So while I hate acronyms and the tests they stand for, I know that I will do the best I can do because I've prepared myself.
Part Two: Friend-Diagram (Similar to Venn-Diagram)
A Venn-diagram is made up of two circles that overlap so that they create a space shared between the two of them. in high school, friendship is similar to this diagram. In one circle you have the friends you had when you entered high school, in the other you have the friends you made throughout high school and in the center you have the mix between the two. It can be confusing because you are constantly changing friend groups and meeting new people.
While these experiences seem incredibly important right now, in the future they will just have been a period in your life when you were changing and finding out who you were. So for now, embrace your evolution to the creation of the finished product and try not to focus so much on being part of the In-crowd. Be friends with people who are reliable and who you know will support and guide you through high school's difficult ups and downs. Those are the friends that you'll keep in the center of the diagram, while the rest of your friends may constantly change.
Part Three: Extra Extra, read all about it (me)!
Has anyone ever told you that your resume is supposed to be you bragging about yourself and all of your accomplishments? Well, I hear it every day. I could't list to you right now the amount of things I do, but take my word, the list is extensive.
High school is a time to try new things, and apparently also a time to get really good at them and use them to get into college. That mentality tends to take the fun out of my hobbies and activities, but I still do my best and try to do things for ME rather than for college. Everything you do in these four years can be added to a resume, so have fun and do what you love, but don't do it just for college, do it because you love it. Do something because it makes you happy, not because it will win you points with the college admission board.
Follow these tips and you wont be weighed down by the heaviness of the "high school experience".
Don't let high school control you, but rather you should make high school what you want it to be. Carve your OWN path and don't be so influenced by what others are telling you to do or to be.
In the end, everything will make sense. I promise.
Love you all!
Meredith
What advice would you add to Meredith's list? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest!
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| Editor's Welcome: April 27th - 30th, 2011
Florida Spring Break
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
It’s the greatest anticipation of the season, more so than colored Easter eggs and size large chocolate rabbits. It rings true to its name, coming in handy when everything you could ever want in life is to lay aside the textbooks and finally get your full eight hours of sleep. Here in Florida, we associate the name with sunburns and suntans, sunset walks along the coasts of the peninsula, and pontoon rides across the thirty or so rivers that hide behind all the construction areas and housing developments.
He’s your good ol’ Spring Break, and he’s one of the sweetest friends you will ever come into contact with.
If I could even attempt at describing these last four months to you in their fullest extent, you’d probably throw your calculator at me and call me a nerd. It feels as though I’ve been greeting the sun at the same time, every single day, for no apparent reason. The same routine is as follows: wake up at six, walk out the door at six-fifty, and spend seven hours in my prison chamber of a high school, drilling formulas and pages of notes into my head. I leave jail at three, then do extended jail time (aka- homework) for nine more hours, roughly cutting it off around midnight. If I were to earn a B on my report card, I’d consider my life in ruins. Therefore, the effort and sweat I’ve poured into my schoolwork have left me crying desperately for these 11 days off that I’m soaking in at this very moment.
Waking up at eleven absolutely delights me. I no longer hear the ringing of hallway voices, or get shoved into the lockers as hordes and masses make their way to class. I’m not halfway falling asleep over my papers, having teachers walk by and kick my desk in an attempt to get me to look at them while they’re speaking. But truly, and I mean truly, the sweetest benefit is to not have an assignment due each and every hour of the day, especially when you just spent the previous class period applying the finishing touches to your test review due within the next four minutes.
Unfortunately, I have mounds of AP research and studying that I must responsibly carry out before these eleven days are finished. But to finally leave my apartment, go to smoothie bars and movie dates, visit potential colleges and explore Disneyworld- all in knowing that school won’t be haunting me the very next day- this is true bliss.
If you’ve experienced the blessing of Spring break so far this school year, I can almost guarantee you were eternally grateful. If you’re in the same boat as I am, make sure you do something fun tonight. You deserve it! And if your spring break is slowly ( and I mean slowly, because it feels like forever!) on its way…. Embrace it and go with the flow! It’s a miracle in itself!
Share your thoughts about Spring Break. Did you go anywhere or do anything special? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest! It's about PROM!
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| Editor's Welcome: April 27th - 30th, 2011
First Love
By Mckinzie Step, High School Editor
It’s the greatest anticipation of the season, more so than colored easter eggs and size large chocolate rabbits. It rings true to its name, coming in handy when everything you could ever want in life is to lay aside the textbooks and finally get your full eight hours of sleep. Here in Florida, we associate the name with sunburns and suntans, sunset walks along the coasts of the peninsula, and pontoon rides across the thirty or so rivers that hide behind all the construction areas and housing developments.
He’s your good ol’ Spring Break, and he’s one of the sweetest friends you will ever come into contact with.
If I could even attempt at describing these last four months to you in their fullest extent, you’d probably throw your calculator at me and call me a nerd. It feels as though I’ve been greeting the sun at the same time, every single day, for no apparent reason. The same routine is as follows: wake up at six, walk out the door at six-fifty, and spend seven hours in my prison chamber of a high school, drilling formulas and pages of notes into my head. I leave jail at three, then do extended jail time (aka- homework) for nine more hours, roughly cutting it off around midnight. If I were to earn a B on my report card, I’d consider my life in ruins. Therefore, the effort and sweat I’ve poured into my schoolwork have left me crying desperately for these 11 days off that I’m soaking in at this very moment.
Waking up at eleven absolutely delights me. I no longer hear the ringing of hallway voices, or get shoved into the lockers as hordes and masses make their way to class. I’m not halfway falling asleep over my papers, having teachers walk by and kick my desk in an attempt to get me to look at them while they’re speaking. But truly, and I mean truly, the sweetest benefit is to not have an assignment due each and every hour of the day, especially when you just spent the previous class period applying the finishing touches to your test review due within the next four minutes.
Unfortunately, I have mounds of AP research and studying that I must responsibly carry out before these eleven days are finished. But to finally leave my apartment, go to smoothie bars and movie dates, visit potential colleges and explore Disneyworld- all in knowing that school won’t be haunting me the very next day- this is true bliss.
If you’ve experienced the blessing of Spring break so far this school year, I can almost guarantee you were eternally grateful. If you’re in the same boat as I am, make sure you do something fun tonight. You deserve it! And if your spring break is slowly ( and I mean slowly, because it feels like forever!) on its way…. Embrace it and go with the flow! It’s a miracle in itself!
Share your thoughts about Spring Break. Did you go anywhere or do anything special? And don't forget to enter the monthly teen writing contest! It's about PROM!
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| Editor's Welcome: April 21st - 27th, 2011
First Love
By Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, High School Editor
Feels like I’m losing you
Are you already lost?
My love isn’t something that can easily be tossed
When I said forever
I meant it for real
To you that may or may not
Be a big deal
Would you show me that
You are sincere?
That no matter what, you’ll always
Be here?
Well if I have to ask,
Then it must not be true
Sort of wish I’d never
Fallen so fast, so hard
For you
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| Peace.Love.Prom
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
Someone asked me the other day if I was “going to prom”.
The first thing off the tip of my tongue would have been “With whom?” (I have that whole single-and-happy thing down pat.) However, because I am a polite person, I answered with a calm “Nope, not planning on it. How about yourself?”
It is springtime, and in schools all over the country, kids are obsessed with prom. This month’s writing contest here at Stage of Life is also about prom – this is what initially got me thinking about the subject.
You see - I am an odd person.
To prove my point, I shall tell you a bit about myself.
I am that kid who “goes” to school every day at her computer, who has never sat in a classroom, and who thinks that public school is overrated. A busy day consists of cramming for exams (yes, I do have them), helping 50+ people pick up their CSA boxes, and chasing cows for three hours. The only homework I have is that which I assign myself, and I have almost as many adults as friends as I do peers.
I am one of “those” homeschoolers.
No, I don’t wear skirts 24/7. I’m not good at math.
When the subject of prom comes up, I generally shrug it off. It’s highly unlikely that I’ll go to one, considering the fact that these dances require a large amount of money, as well as someone to go with, in order to attend. It’s essentially a waste of my time and money that could go towards college. Dancing with a crowd of kids I don’t even know doesn’t sound like much fun to me.
This is not to say I don’t want to have fun during high school, but is prom really the kind of “fun” I want to have?
The idea of a school dance is really neat, but I don’t think I’d like to experience the actual thing. I must have a phobia of some sort – whenever I am exposed to crowds of my peers (like in a public school setting), I tend to shrink into a self-conscious ball of nerves.
Maybe I am a reclusive geek who sits behind her computer all day.
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| Editor's Welcome: April 7th - 13th, 2011
Peace.Love.Prom
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
Promprompromprompromprom…PROM!!!!!!
That has been every girl’s mantra this week at our school. With prom only a week away, everyone is rushing to find dates, dresses and limos for the most important dance of the year. Because the sophomore class and the junior class are so close together, all the junior girls decided it would be exciting to ask the sophomore boys this year. Let me explain to you how my experience went….
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Day 1 (last Friday): “I’m going to ask Kody”
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Day 2: “I’m going to ask Matt”
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Day 3: “I’m asking Andrew! Or maybe Kristian will ask me? Or perhaps I should go with John…he’s cute, right?”
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Day 4: Ok I should definitely ask Brian, or what about Connor or Max?
Just to sum it up, I had about 23 options on a list that I made. In the end, I didn’t have to ask anyone because I was asked by two guys, both of which I am very good friends with. Yes- two guys. This year I am being accompanied to prom by a sophomore and a junior, let me explain.
One of my dates has a lacrosse game the day of prom so he cannot take pictures, or come in the limo with me. We decided that it would be a good idea for me to have a step-in prom date for then, and then later at the dance he and I could reconnect. Its weird- I know.
Would you like to know what’s even weirder? After spending hours trying on dresses, I finally found the most perfect lilac BCBG dress and I fell in love with it. While waiting in line to purchase the dress, the lady behind the counter offered to look up inventory and see if anyone from my school had already bought the dress. At first I said no, because I really didn’t care, unless it was one of my best friends who had bought the dress. Then, I agreed because my mom made me.
“Only one other person has it,” she said.
I cringed waiting for the name.
“Do you know a (insert best friends name here)?”
Tears actually welled in my eyes as I returned back to the dressing room defeated. It was weird that I hadn’t known she had bought the dress because I could have sworn I had already checked with her. It was depressing to say the least.
Would you like to know what’s even more depressing?
Everyone has the ACT the day of the prom.
Yup, my morning will be crazy.
Would you like to know what’s even crazier? Every since I got a date(s) and stopped worrying about myself, I’ve started helping other girls with their dates. As it stands today, I have made 5 beautiful prom couples and I have also started a relationship! Eep! (my high-pitched noise that implies excitement).
In conclusion, prom is going to be a WEIRD, DEPRESSING and CRAZY day surrounded by tons of events and crisis’.
However, I am sure that by the end of the night everyone will have forgotten about the days’ stresses and just be having a good time!
Peace.Love.Prom,
Meredith
How is your prom planning going? And don't forget to enter our current monthly teen writing contest! It's about PROM!
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| Editor's Welcome: April 1st - 6th, 2011
The Honor of Clowning
By: Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter
Earlier this month, my family attended the World Clown Association Convention.
It was the first time that the WCA was in New York so we wanted to seize the opportunity. I met some amazing people from all over the globe. Despite the recent devastation in Japan, a clown troupe called “Pleasure-B” traveled here all the way from Japan to give the best performance I have ever seen in my whole life. Their efforts helped raise money for Japan. There were also clowns from India who attended the convention. I had the honor of meeting some really famous as well as not famous but amazing clowns, besides Pleasure-B, I met Alley-Oop, Pricilla Mooseburger, Holiday the Clown, Toto the clown----there are too many to mention! People from Florida, Ohio, Texas…you name it! There were even some familiar faces from New York.
Among all of the amazing people, the one who left the most impact on me during the convention was Mr. Jim Howle. He toured with Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus for 7 years, and is living the retired life of a clown/artist in Florida. He is best known for his iconic paintings of famous clowns. During the convention, he was inducted into the clown hall of fame. I had the honor of having my clown makeup painted on by Mr. Howle before one of the costume parties that took place at the convention. He’s one of those wise people who can see right through to your soul. Just by looking at me, he knew I was an Aquarius with big aspirations. Before leaving, he shook my hand, looked me dead in the eye and said, “Whatever you decide to do in life, I know you’ll succeed.” Sure he could have said that to anyone, but it felt sincere and it means something from a man of his wisdom.
During the week, he was selling clown noses and clown makeup that he makes from scratch by himself. It must take a lot of talent, dedication, and patience to make clown noses and makeup from scratch. He was also selling reprints of his paintings. For such a successful man, he was very humble, kind, and down-to-earth. It was an honor to meet him.
The convention made me realize more than ever, how broad and diverse the world of clowning is. It also made me further appreciate being involved in the family business.
For more info on Amanda's unique family business, visit: www.speedoandcompany.com
For more info on Jim Howle, visit: http://www.clown-ministry.com/History/Howle-Jim.html
Are you involved in your family business? What do you do? And don't forget to enter our current monthly teen writing contest!
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| Editor's Welcome: March 28th - 31st, 2011
Japanese: the new "love language"
By Mckinzie, High School Editor
I’ve termed the coin “love language” to symbolize a way of thinking people would normally disregard. It is intended to represent the way we communicate and go about our lives in a daily walk- but, more importantly, it is placing selfless motives above our all too familiar selfish tendencies.
I cannot leave my bedroom without news regarding Japan. In a Spanish class where I was supposed to be studying the Spanish portion of the Caribbean, I’ve studied the Japanese. And I’ve conversed about the tsunamis in my AP environmental science class while conveniently talking about nuclear power plants that very same week. But I’d rather not make it sound like I’ve somehow been inconvenienced by this whole disaster, because in fact, the crisis has broken my heart into pieces I never knew existed.
I live in a small apartment on the western side of central Florida where the only catastrophe I witness is a climbing temperature that should be considered unnatural. I mean, there was this one time where a massive tree fell against the roof of my old house in a level 4 hurricane, but normally my neck of the woods only barely receives the beginnings of a tropical storm. Needless to say, I’m oblivious to these calamities and the horrors that trail closely behind. So the mess about Japan has wreaked havoc upon my overall understanding.
The very thing I want to do at this very moment is to pack up a suitcase, book a flight and head on over there. I want to rebuild the ruins amongst piles of debris, piece back together the broken homes and broken dreams, join search teams for those who are missing and kiss little children who don’t understand that everything they’ve ever been given has just been pillaged by a thrust of giant waves. For the most part, I’ve been immune to this overwhelming sense of empathy and completely consumed by the materialistic aspects of my small town “heaven.”
There are needs to be met, tears that need to be caught, and dreams that need to be rediscovered. But I’m guilty of becoming a Facebook-aholic who buries herself in piles of AP homework and the comforts of my everyday living and relationships. It’s scary to see the things I take advantage of! I don’t believe these ordinary aspects of our lives to be necessarily bad, but I can bet that a good sized portion of our society today needs to find it own love language. The kind that we conveniently discover when it comes to monumental tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and CNN worthy news broadcasts. The kind that takes over our hearts, breaks them, and works to meet the needs of those not only in Japan but in our own neighborhoods, ghettos, slums, and backyards. Meanwhile, I’m sending off my love language overseas because I know of a country who needs what I can offer them!
Where does your heart reach out? And don't forget to enter our current monthly teen writing contest!
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| Editor's Welcome: March 14th - 20th, 2011
Quick vs. Priceless
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
My first intention for this editorial was to write a hysterical couple of paragraphs on the SAT that I supposedly took this morning. Unfortunately, I missed the said test due to sickness. You will now have to eagerly wait for dread the coming of this scrutiny… until May.
In its stead, I shall review the advantages and disadvantages of modern technology… in regards to friendship. Complicated enough to replace the SAT Math section? I think not, but I digress…
It’s been years since I last corresponded with a penpal via “snail mail”. Email is, advantageously of course, quicker – without the cost of a stamp. Recently, however, I started letter-writing with a girl I was acquainted with through her blog. However quick and cost-effective email may be, I’ve come to the conclusion that “snail mail”, or letter-writing is the most meaningful way to communicate.
Why is this so?
An actual note to a friend, written on paper, with a pen, takes more time and effort than an email to a college admissions officer halfway across the United States. This input of time shows your friend that you care enough about them, and your friendship, to write them a physical letter. Why go for “quicker”, when we can go for “meaningful”?
In the same light, a caring email to a friend more personal than a post on their Facebook wall. As a relative newcomer to this extraordinarily popular social networking site, I can both appreciate and hate its convenience. It allows me to keep in touch with friends all over the world who don’t check their email often. On the other hand, it cheapens relationships. Haven’t we all heard or had this conversation at one point?
- “We should keep in touch!”
- “Yeah, we should! Are you on Facebook?”
- “Yeah, I am.”
- “Cool. I’ll friend you.”
Is a friendship nothing more than a friend request, or an occasion wall post/message? Has today’s technology turned friendships into something convenient, something two dimensional, as opposed to a relationship that both sides have to put effort into?
That is why letter-writing is all-the-more meaningful in this day and age. The display of effort that Henry David Thoreau wouldn’t have thought twice about now means everything. Intention, effort, and time are priceless. Technology is not, no matter what our computers, televisions, and iPhones tell us.
I have recently had the eye-opening experience of reading excerpts of Thoreau’s work for my American Literature class. He wore a green coat to chapel at Harvard for four years because the rules required a black coat. He was definitely a non-conformist, even for the 19th century.
“Our life is like a German Confederacy, made up of petty states with its boundary forever fluctuating, so that even a German cannot tell you how it is bounded at any moment… Our life is frittered away by detail…”
“It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves…The surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of men; and so with the paths the mind travels…”
It is of utmost importance that we seek out simplicity and relationships in our lives outside of technology. Walk the once-beaten, but now sparsely-trod path – write a letter to a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Get off of Facebook for a few hours, and show someone how much their friendship means to you. After all – what’s cool about being “quick” when you can be priceless?
This topic relates directly to our current monthly teen writing contest!
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| Editor's Welcome: March 1st - 7th, 2011
The Oscars!
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
As many of you may already know, the Oscars were this past Sunday. The Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, is an exclusive event that only famous celebrities and those in the “movie business” attend. The air of prestige surrounding the red carpet at the Oscars is almost as thick as the layers of diamonds adorning the necks of hopeful actresses. All of the sparkle and shine of the Oscars represents the history of movie business and pays tribute to “old Hollywood glamor”. But glamor may be the only thing that remains the same when compared to earlier Academy Award ceremonies.
While staring at my television, laughing hysterically as Anne Hathaway and James Franco opened the show with a spoof of all the nominees for Best Picture, I couldn’t help but notice how young Hathaway and Franco were! The Oscars have previously been hosted by older and more experienced persons from the business, but this year two young (what my parents considered to be “kids”) had the enormous honor and pressure of hosting what is considered a “timeless tradition.”
Within the first ten minutes of the Oscars, Hathaway actually joked that she and Franco were meant to, “appeal to a younger demographic.” The reason I am writing about this is because I am noticing a trend. In today’s society, a younger generation is doing things that, in the past, have normally been done by adults. The Oscars was just one example of how the older generation, specifically of Hollywood, is passing the torch to a new, fresh generation.
If something as coveted as hosting the Oscars can be done by two “kids”, then what is standing in our way to achieve even more greatness? I’m seeing a trend of younger persons breaking traditions and making their own traditions, which may either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what side of the spectrum you are on. As for me, it is a wonderful thing! With new, young stars like Justin Bieber, who has made a medical break-through by diagnosing the previously untreatable “Bieber fever” and Hailee Steinfeld, who, at 14-years-old, impressed audiences with her performance in True Grit, this generation of teenagers has everyone on their toes waiting to see what we do next.
Go us! Keep defying the odds! Love, Mere.
Do you have examples of the younger generation stepping up? And don't forget to enter our monthly teen writing contest! |
| Editor's Welcome: Feb. 21 - Feb. 28th, 2011
My TV Interview for ABC's "Mary Talks Money"
By Amanda Permulter, High School Editor
Hey it’s your favorite hippie blogger Amanda! Some of you stageoflifers might have heard that 3 of our highschool bloggers, including yours truly, were called in to be interviewed on the TV show “Mary Talks Money”. I had quite an adventure surrounding the time of the show, so I thought I should share it with all of my fans, you know the whole 3 people who probably read my work besides by mom so enjoy!
Saturday February 12th
We drove from New York, to Cherry Hill New Jersey. The interview with Mary Caraccioli of the ABC show “Mary Talks Money” was minutes away at ABC studios Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 3 hour car ride was filled with mix cds and my mind’s reflections on my past few months writing for Stage of Life.
I remember that day I signed up to be a blogger, I had been scanning the internet looking for writing contests and came across Stage of Life. I didn’t think much of it, I figured it was just another website for me to sign up for, but a few weeks later, Mr. Eric Thiegs sent out a Stage of Life e-mail asking for editors/writers.
Thank goodness I get e-mails on my blackberry, I responded immediately.
Mr. T sent out more info about the job description. He said those who signed on as an editor would be paid...I had no idea this would be a paying gig. I have written/edited for many online magazines and never got a cent for it, so I was shocked. I began filling in as one of the Editors and the rest is history.
Earlier this month, Mr. T sent me an e-mail that said SOL (Stage of Life) was going to have some press coverage on ABC, and he asked me to write an article about my relationship with money and asked if my family and I could head to PA on February 13th to be filmed for the show “Mary Talks Money”. I was psyched, even though to be totally honest, I have never watched the show before---but hey, I was going to be on TV for something I wrote!!!
I googled Mary Caraccioli, the location of the studio, and watched an episode of the show just so that I had an idea of what it would all be like. So here we were, my parents and my 2 younger sisters, crammed into my mom’s tiny ford car filled to the brim with luggage (we totally over packed for a weekend trip, but you’ll soon see that was a good thing). We stayed at a Holiday Inn, ordered room service and swam in the pool, then watched “Enchanted” in the hotel room that night because it was on TV and we were all bored.
I painted my nails in preparation for my TV debut the following morning.
I was about to fall asleep when I heard a strange bell ringing, we all heard it. My mom called the front desk, the fire alarm had been pulled and they were asking everyone to evacuate the building. My hair was a wreck but I didn’t care about that, I threw on my converse and my winter coat because it was freezing outside, and the 5 of us ran down the stairs and out into the parking lot. A fire truck pulled up and we saw the hotel manager speak to the fireman, they made an announcement that it was a false alarm. I was like, “seriously, I got out of bed for this?” but better safe than sorry!
Sunday February 13th
My 6 year old sister, Isabella was crying in her sleep around 7:30 am, my parents tried to wake her, in case it was a bad dream, but it passed. I set my alarm on my phone for 8 am so that I had time to blow-dry and straighten my hair and still have time for coffee with the family before making it to ABC studio at 10 am.
I finished my hair and begin to look over the selection of outfits and shoes I packed, I knew I was going to wear the boho chic dress with the railroad striped vest and my black military boots but as everyone slowly began to wake up, I asked for opinions. My outfit was settled. We decided to go to breakfast downstairs in our PJs then come up, change clothes, and head to the studio. My mom answered her cell phone, it was my grandma and she had bad news...my aunt was in a car accident on the way to her vacation in upstate New York. My mom was freaking out.
At first I didn’t know whether to assume it was serious or not because sometimes my aunt can over exaggerate, we call her Chicken Little (the sky is falling!). It turned out that the accident was serious but nothing really happened to my aunt, thank god! Her car had flipped over and she ended up in a ditch. The weird thing is, my aunt said she was in the accident around 7:30 am….the same time Isabella was crying in her sleep, I think she knew something bad was happening.
So we all were a bit shook up, we went to breakfast in our PJs and flip flops, Isabella was wearing footie pajamas. My parents talked things over and came up with a plan, my dad would drop my mom, sisters, and I off in Philly at ABC studio and he would drive to my aunt at the hospital in New York, and bring her back to us in NJ and we’d all drive home together.
The only issue was, who would drive us back to the hotel if my dad dropped us off? My dad called Mr. T (who we have never even met in person yet) explained the situation, and asked if he would drive us back to the hotel. He agreed to, so our plans were set.
I had a cup of coffee and I was ready to get dressed for the show. My dad dropped us off, wished me luck, and headed off 3 hours away to New York. The TV show wasn’t scheduled to end until 4 or 5 pm and there was still a slight chance that my dad would make it back in time to pick us up and Mr. T wouldn’t have to be put out of his way.
My mom and I signed in at the security desk, the guard complimented my nails which I had painted the night before. We waited, I looked around at everyone there, I didn’t know or recognize anyone, and I wondered if the man with the glasses and his wife were Mr. T and his wife, but they turned out to be the
parents of one of the other teens that were to be featured on the show from the SOL crew.
 Mary came into the waiting area and introduced herself; I was relieved to see how friendly she was. My mom, sisters, the other families, Mary, and I squeezed into a tiny elevator and headed to the 2nd floor. There I met Mr. T and his intern who was filling in for his wife who decided to spend the day at home with their children instead, after all, it was a Sunday morning and a 90 minute car ride for them coming from York, Pennsylvania.
It was cool to finally put a face to the owner of the website with whom I’ve been exchanging e-mails with for months. After a few minutes of getting to know the other 2 teen bloggers who were to be featured on the show, Mary called the 3 of us in, we had tiny microphones clipped to our blouses, and we sat at a table surrounded by video cameras and really bright lights.
The interview itself was very friendly and down-to-earth, it was more like a conversation then an interview which made things easier. We basically discussed everything that was in our money articles. Midway the camera guys brought in pizza, Mary said it was okay if we ate during the interview and she promised to stop everything and tell us if we had something on our face or teeth, but I still waited till the end of the interview to eat because I didn’t really want to be filmed chomping on pizza—what if I made a weird face while chewing or if I accidentally spoke with my mouth full? Better safe than sorry!
After the interview, Mary gave our group a tour of the studio, my favorite part was seeing the newsroom and the green screen where the weather person is filmed. We took group pictures, and then said our goodbyes. We were finished by about 1:30pm, there was no way that my dad would make it to pick us up, he had just about made it to pick up my aunt and started heading back to us, he still had a few hours of driving to do. Mr. T had no problem dropping us off. We almost got lost on the way to Cherry Hill! Mr. T told us about his kids and my mom spoke about my sisters and I which was ½ embarrassing, ½ cool to hear her be so proud of us. My mom tried to give him money for gas/tolls but he respectfully declined saying that he was happy we even made the 3 hour drive from New York.
We all hugged goodbye and Mr. T and his intern headed back to York, PA. My mom and I tried to look up things to do in the area, but Cherry Hill is a pretty boring town. So us girls went to lunch, then went back to the room and watched “School of Rock” because it was on TV, we were bored, and it’s one of my favorite movies ever!
We waited and waited for my dad and aunt to arrive, then we all went down to the pool. I was feeling a little under the weather, and my aunt was sore from the impact of the accident so her and I sat poolside while my parents and sisters hung out in the pool. We went back to the room, and chillaxed until we fell asleep.
Monday February 14th
We packed our bags, went to breakfast, then hit the road. The car ride back seemed very exhausting. When we finally got home, I unpacked and had to get ready to go to my environmental science class (it’s a college level course for high school students at the local college). I was so tired and really did not feel like going to sit through a lecture on such a S.A.D. day (singles awareness day, the anti-valentine’s holiday) but I went anyway.
After that, I came home, had dinner and went to my Modern dance class until 9:30pm. I came home and finally all of the events of the last few days passed through my mind. Not all of the excitement was positive (like the fake fire alarm, and my aunt’s car accident) but there was positive in there somewhere. My writing got me a spot on TV which was a great experience, and my aunt’s car accident made all of us realize that we should appreciate every moment because you never know what is going to happen….and maybe my aunt won’t be such a Chicken Little anymore (I said maybe)...
Our teen writers get noticed. Amanda was featured on the ABC TV Show. Justina, one of our essay contest winners, was recently featured on TIME.com when Stage of Life got mentioned there. If you haven't yet...don't forget to enter our teen writing contest! |
| Editor's Welcome: Feb. 14th - 20th, 2011
Dear Mister Dude-at-the-college: Regarding Spam
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
It's official - I am now the proud owner of college “spam”. College spam: I'm referring to the mass-printed letters of interest that flood into your mailbox after you take a standardized test. Amazingly enough, only one of them was directly focused on enticing me to apply to their school. (Indiana? Not happening, folks…)
The others were more interested in trying to sell me their success kits...
- “Your new Ultimate Get-Into-College Kit is waiting for you!”
- “Discover the 7 secrets for selecting the right college!”
Thanks guys. I feel really loved.
At least one of them complimented my PSAT scores. Incidentally, I didn't think they were all that great, but whatever. Hey Dude-at-the-college, if my PSAT scores made your day, then you're welcome to offer me a gigantic scholarship. I promise - it's totally okay with me. In fact, you might even make my day.
Ahem.
I can't help but wonder how many of these complimentary letters are mailed out every year to thousands of students.
You scored so high on your test that we want to offer you the chance to spend money with us!
Doesn't that seem a little ironic, considering that they're not even trying to sell you the actual cost of going to school? Especially since I can get the same thing, or even better, at the library for nothing?
Let's move to the economical and conserving side of this equation. If college X sends out 5,000 copies of their spam letter to high scoring PSAT students, how much money are they wasting that could be spent on improving their institution? To top that off, how many trees had to be cut down for a batch of letters that you can't even recycle in some areas, due to the glossy coating? Not only did three colleges waste money by sending me letters, but they also sent something that could be more efficiently dispatched through email. That's right; save the trees and save yourself some money, Mr. Dude-at-the-college.
If you find you have too much money lying around from becoming eco-friendly, do send me a hefty scholarship, will you?
I'd appreciate it.
Hey, I'll even frame your letter, regardless of whether its tacky yellow envelope goes with my décor or not.
Get it?
Got it?
Good.
How is your college search going? As always, don't forget to enter our teen writing contest! |
| Editor's Welcome: Feb. 1st - 6th, 2011
My love poem using Beatles song titles
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
In my Creative Writing class we write many poems and short stories and share our work with the class. There are no set assignments, only a requirement of us to turn in one piece a week. We choose our own genre and we choose the style in which we write.
Last week I decided to be as creative as possible and write a piece that was layered with many different meanings. I pulled ideas from my favorite object that I own, my IPod. Recently, as you may know, ITunes was given the right to sell certain
Beatles songs. This inspired me to use famous and not so famous Beatle’s song titles to form a poem.
The following is a poem with a story line, as well as a rhyme scheme and is created solely using the song
titles of my favorite band, The Beatles. After reading this, I hope you too are inspired to create your own
poem using song titles of your favorite musical artist!
Have a great February!
Ps: This is the month of love, so think about making a love poem
A World Without Love
One And One Is Two
The Long And Winding Road
Till There Was You
A Taste Of Honey
Hello, Goodbye
Words Of Love
Lucy In The Sky
Here Comes The Sun
Good Day Sunshine
Come Together
I Feel Fine
She Said, She Said
Let It Be
I Should Have Known Better
You Won’t See Me
All You Need Is Love
That'll Be The Day
How Do You Do It?
Maggie Mae
The Night Before
I Saw Her Standing There
To Know Her Is To Love Her
Here, There and Everywhere
I Want To Tell You
I Want To Be Your Man
I Am Happy Just To Dance With You
I Want To Hold Your Hand
She Loves You, Blackbird
And Your Bird Can Sing
I'm Looking Through You
Every Little Thing?
Across The Universe
Ask Me Why
Yes It Is,
Some Other Guy.
The End
Hallelujah, I Love Her So
I Need You
Nobody I know
Help!
I Feel Fine
You're Going To Lose That Girl
Not A Second Time
Are you working on any interesting projects in school? As always, don't forget to enter our February teen writing contest! |
| Editor's Welcome: Jan. 21st - 27th, 2011
An Innocent Death Saves a Life
By Amanda Konstantine Perlumutter, High School Editor
Hey Stage of Lifers! My Editor's Welcome Letter this month is bursting with “firsts” for me. It’s my first time sharing something with you that is completely serious and non-random.
It is also my first time sharing the spotlight with my 11-year-old sister, Emily Jesse Perlmutter. She asked me to re-read this article that she wrote as a school assignment, and I thought it was a phenomenal take on the AZ shooting that occurred earlier this month.
So please read, comment, and enjoy the perspective of a young writer on this tragic event. Here's Emily's essay...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Innocent Death Saves a Life
Christina Taylor Green age nine was shot and killed by twenty two year old Jared Lee Loughner on January 8, 2011.
On September 11, 2001 the day the Twin Towers and many lives came to an end another life was beginning Christina was born. A little life born into this world with a purpose. Was her purpose here to save another life?
Christina was recently elected to her student council and was highly interested in politics. A neighbor took Christina to the Safeway supermarket in Casas Adobes an area north of Tucson, Arizona where Congress woman Gabrielle Giffords was holding a meeting called “Congress on Your Corner.” That’s where Jared Loughner opened fire with a 9mm pistol and shot nineteen people. Six people died Christina was one of them.
Jared’s plan was to assassinate Giffords. The reason for this is still unclear for Jared will not cooperate with the police. Jared was caught on the scene and charged with five federal charges and he may receive the death penalty. Giffords was shot in the head and was instantly in critical condition. Christina being in the right place at the wrong time was killed. She was shot straight in the chest. Her organs were donated to a girl in Boston. The organs had saved the girls life. The name of the child is confidential but Christina’s parents will visit her in the near future.
Christina’s service was held on Thursday January 13th 2011 at St. Elizabeth-Ann Seton Catholic Church. There were about one thousand and eight hundred mourners who attended the service to pay their respects to the young girl. Gabrielle Giffords’s husband Astronaut Mark Kelley, John McCain, and Jon Kyl had also attended.
Mel Perlmutter (my Grandpa) a retired accountant who worked at the world financial center felt that Jared should receive the death penalty because he felt that Jared was not mentally ill and knew exactly what he was doing. Barry (my dad) an entertainer disagrees and said “No one in their right mind would kill someone. Only mentally ill people would.” Barry also believes that Christina’s death will inspire our future generation in pursuing a career in politics because they would want to stop people like Jared from doing any more harm.
By: Emily Jesse Perlmutter - age 11
How have your younger siblings reacted to tragic events? Does your family have completely different points-of-view (like the Perlmutter's) on the same topic? Are those discussions handled rationally and positively between family members? As always, don't forget to enter the January teen writing contest! |
| Editor's Welcome: Jan. 14th - 20th, 2011
Applying to College - A Mediocre Display of Awesomeness
By Amanda B., High School Editor
I used to think that the process of finding a college to attend was relatively simple – you take some tests, you apply, you get accepted, and you’re done. However, that thought was immediately wiped from my mind when I attended an online webinar on the topic of applying to college.
I can’t truthfully say that I was struck with fear when I attended the meeting – in everyone, there exists a belief in the power of “self” that surpasses reality, only to come back and knock them in the head later on. Face it, its human nature. Now that I’m actually college-hunting, it gets even better…
If you are a high school freshman or sophomore who’s reading this, be warned. The hunt for the “perfect” college isn’t some mindless, halfhearted endeavor. In fact, it’s a self-defining process that absolutely eats your junior and senior years like a dragon eats sheep.
However, the process of college-hunting becomes a process of self-hunting. In order to find the right college, you have to know what you’re looking for, right? You can’t search for your lost dog if you have no idea what Fido looks like. And in order to know what you’re looking for, you have to know more about you.
Yes – college-hunting is an egotistical exploitation of “me”. It all becomes focused around “me”.
- How many dozen AP classes did I take?
- How much time did I spend volunteering at Aunt Susie’s dog rescue?
- How am I different compared to everyone else?
- How am I more awesome than anyone in the universe?
- How much scholarship money can I get for being the most awesome person in the universe?
Let’s face it – college is a two-headed monster. It wants you to be the most unique person in the universe, and wants to charge you as much money as possible when it strokes your ego and accepts you into its student body, consisting of thousands of the most awesome people in the universe.
Don’t deny it – it’s true.
If “me” was really that awesome, I suppose “me” wouldn’t even need to go to college. Valid point, much?
This is why the search for the perfect college is so hard. It’s hard for us to wrap our minds around being singularly awesome. And once we get into a college, it’s hard to get off that high horse and concentrate on studying. (After all, who needs to study when you are the singular most awesome, unique person in the universe, surrounded by other singularly awesome, unique people also living in the universe?)
It’s a multi-laned highway that needs a lot of maneuvering. And I’m still stuck out in the middle of it… somewhere.
Hey - wave hello if you drive by, okay? That way I won’t drown in college applications, financial aid forms, and other such two-headed monsters.
Until next time…
Are you looking at colleges yet? What do you think?
Are you looking at colleges yet? What do you think? Don't forget to enter the January teen writing contest! |
 | Editor's Welcome: Jan 7th - 13th, 2011
New Year's Resolutions Reality Check
By Anisha, High School Editor
Now that we’re officially a week into 2011, I thought I’d re-visit some of the lofty New Years’ Resolutions that I crafted a few weeks ago and see how I’m keeping up with them so far.
1) Lose weight
- Well, I can say that I joined the track team, but to counteract that, I’ve been eating twice as much as before. So, I don’t think I’m losing much weight, but I certainly feel like I’m in better shape. I’ll count that as keeping that resolution though, since I’ve made a definitive improvement on my lifestyle =)
2) Wake up earlier.
- I ALWAYS sleep through my alarm clock, which has become quite a problem since my first period biology teacher is a stickler for punctuality. However, I’ve had a really hard time keeping my resolution. I’m still not a morning person, and I still slide into biology class right before he starts teaching every single day, which I don’t think he likes very much…
3) Be a nicer person.
- I think I’ll wait to pass judgment on this one for a couple months when everyone’s cranky because of the long winter months….
4) Cut back on shopping
- As anyone who knows me can attest to, I am a chronic shophaolic. I shop when I’m happy, I shop when I’m sad, I shop for every major event in my life…Basically, I spend way too much of my (and my father’s) hard earned money, which I know I shouldn’t be doing, especially in the current economic climate. SO! I deactivated my credit card of my own volition, AND I blocked urbanoutfitters.com on my laptop. I have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself. Another Resolution that I’ve managed to keep…thus far.
I’m saving this list, and I’m going to check back on it in June to see how it’s going. Fingers crossed I keep them, and good luck to everyone else who has resolutions in 2011!
How are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions? Don't forget to enter the January teen writing contest! |
| Editor's Welcome: Jan. 1st - 6th, 2011
Happy New Year, everyone!
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
As the ball dropped to 2011 in Times Square, how many of you fellow bloggers were making resolutions in your head? How many of you wrote them down?
Well, as a 3-year family tradition, I write my New Year resolutions on a piece of paper, in order from what I consider to be my easiest goal to my hardest goal, and tape it to my bedroom mirror.
You see, writing them down is not enough. I need to tape the list to my mirror so that I see them everyday, so that they become engraved in my memory.
Warning: some of my harder resolutions are not what you might consider "normal". I make my goals out of the ordinary because I find myself yearning for a challenge; something that would be almost impossible to achieve. These are my 2011 New Year Resolutions.
1. I resolve to write more - a lot more!
This is not that simple of a goal, but it is easily possible. I want to commit more time to writing each and every day and to make 2011 the year I finally finish my first novel! All of you guys are so great for entering the essay contests here and for blogging and sharing your knowledge and experiences with the rest of us. Keep writing; you're doing a fantastic job!
2. I resolve to eat - the right way.
I am 5"7 and my weight is always fluctuating from 100 to 110 pounds. My eating habits range from bingeing, eating a lot in large quantities, to just eating one meal a day. That is NOT healthy (as my nutritionalist recently informed me). This goal is my promise to myself to maintain a healthy diet and to balance my carbs, sugars and the rest of the pyramid. I might also want to consider working out- unless walking from the sofa to the kitchen and back is a legitimate workout.
3. I resolve to stop using cliches and to begin using the creative side of my brain to invent my own, personal sayings.
You might think this goal is a piece of cake or easy as pie, but it is not. Cliches infest our vocabulary and take away our gift of original thought. My goal is to stop using other peoples words to define my emotions and to begin creating my own expressions. You should all try it too- it is actually really fun to make your own sayings and use them on unsuspecting listeners.
Here are some I came up with (Don't re-use these, it defeats the purpose of the resolution!)
- "She's colder than an icicle flute." (Used when my mom was giving my brother the cold shoulder because he told her to "make him a dang sandwich". My brother should resolve to think before he speaks.)
- "Don't underestimate the power of the sun." (Used when my cousin got a sunburn yesterday! We live in the south so it's normal-even in January)
- "You're clumsier than an ice-skating cheetah." (Used when my friend tripped walking down the stairs, twice.)
These might not make any sense to you, so try making up your own and seeing what you come up with!
4. I resolve to not ignore or purposely avoid eye contact with people who get on, or were already on, the elevator that I'm on.
Yes, you all know what I am talking about. Well, the classic fake-text or vacant stare in the opposite direction to neglect accepting the presence of the human being(s) standing next to you is no longer an option for myself. I am forcing myself, in 2011, to initiate conversation with said person(s) and to create an amiable atmosphere without the uncomfortable tension of silent rides from floor 12 to L. Why is this a goal? If the elevator was to break, wouldn't YOU like to know at least a minutes worth of information about the person spending the next hour or longer with you?
5. I resolve to positively impact or completely change at least three lives this year in an effort to better my community.
When I am gone, I want people to remember me - I want people, when they think of me, to remember the good I brought to the world and to not just temporarily mourn my passing. I want to meet as many people as possible and learn as many of their life experiences as they will tell me. Have you ever just stood still in a local, public place and just watched swarms of people pass you? The lady in the black suit, is her poker face to conceal her emotion or is that her regular expression? The man with the dirty, torn teeshirt on the street corner playing his guitar for Washington's and a few Lincoln's; did he teach himself to play guitar, or at one point in time could he afford lessons? I want to find people in my community and get to know them and try to better their lives. It might sound invasive, changing the lives of those who don't ask for it, but change does not always mean "help". Offering advice or simply having a conversation can be a memorable and changing moment in someones life. This goal is difficult and will be the hardest to accomplish, but I have all of 2011 to do it.
I hope you enjoyed reading my goals for 2011 and I hope you are inspired to make your own goals if you have not already!
This link is super helpful and I used it to help create mine. Good luck! Also, don't forget to enter the new January teen writing contest! |
| Editor's Welcome: Dec. 21st - Dec. 28th, 2010
Holiday Randomocity
By Amanda P., High School Editor
What is Christmas really all about?
Thoughts on What to Call "Christmas": Some of us ask ourselves this question every year. There is a small group of really religious people out there who actually pronounce the Christ in Christmas and call it Christ-mas, but does that make them more close to God then the rest of us? No it doesn’t, it just means that they are so insecure that they have to call attention every time that they say Christ-mas. What about xmas? The simple abbreviation. Well, if you do some research, xmas can be perceived as a way of saying you celebrate Christmas without the Christ part. But I say, don’t read too much into things, it doesn’t mean that every person who ever wrote the xmas abbreviation is an atheist-it is JUST an abbreviation! The most popular term (that I made up) which sums up this holiday season is Chrissmiss. That’s how everyone pronounces it anyway, and everyone just thinks it’s about gifts, so why even include Christ in his birthday, just go out on Black Friday and shop till you get killed like that guy in Wal-Mart last year….
I believe in Christmas, I’m not overly religious, I don’t say Christ-mas, I say Chrissmiss. But I know it’s about the birth of Christ, not about the gifts, food, Santa etc. Sure I love giving gifts, and who doesn’t love receiving them? I mean seriously? But there are the few gift giving people who don’t know what gift giving is about. Some people give to everyone, even people they don’t really know. Some give to only people they really know. Some give only cards. Some only gift cards. Now gift cards are great, who doesn’t want to go shopping with some money that isn’t theirs? But gift cards are a bit impersonal. I like to spend time thinking about each gift I buy and making sure it is something that will make the person smile when they open it. I also follow the rule of getting something I’d appreciate myself for the person. I know I wouldn’t really enjoy opening up a pair of socks and a toothbrush, so I’d never buy that for someone else.
Thoughts on Giving to the Less Fortunate: Another aspect of the holiday season is sharing with the less fortunate. Some friends of mine told me they collected clothes and toys and sent them to Trinidad so that they would arrive in time for the poor children to have by Christmas. I’m not saying you have to go all out like they did, but drop some of your change in the bucket of the Santa, who’s ringing a bell outside the super market, or go online and donate to a charity, Cut your hair and donate it to Locks of Love. Do something for someone else besides yourself this holiday season; it’s good for your soul.
Thoughts on Wasting Money: On a different note, non-believers can really dampen the spirits around this time. No one likes a Scrooge…well at the end of the movie they do because he gives everyone money and starts dancing around in his nightgown, but I mean the evil Scrooge at the beginning of the movie. Recently, a billboard was put up on the Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel. That billboard was paid for by the Atheist society. It says “You KNOW it’s a Myth. This Season Celebrate REASON! American Atheists, Reasonable since 1963 atheists.org”.
Now I find that to be rude, AND a waste of money, AND a bit pushy. Are you that insecure about your beliefs that you needed a display? Just because you don’t believe, doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t. Just like it would be on the reverse. If you had to spend all of that money to prove something, then you are wasteful.
Catholics put up a billboard to counteract this one which read, “You Know It’s Real: This Season Celebrate Jesus. Merry Christmas from the Catholic League”. I know everyone is assuming right now that I would agree with the Catholic one (I’m Greek Orthodox, Christian by the way) but I can’t say that I do. The message is accurate, and they aren’t bashing Christmas like the Atheists are, but did they really need to fire back on this? They could have used the big wad of cash they spent on that to help the unfortunate during Christmas, wouldn’t that be a more religious and respectable thing to do?
I think so!
 Thoughts on the Real vs. Fake Tree Debate: Now to change topics entirely; the never-ending debate has arrived once more, no not the Nature vs. Nurture debate, the real tree vs. fake tree debate. My family has put up the same white artificial Christmas tree since before I was born, so it’s over 16 years old. Sure it requires a lot of work to repair it every year, you should see my mom tying up the limbs with yarn so it doesn’t fall apart, and we have to fill in where the fake pine needle fell off with white garland or else it looks like it’s balding. We call the white garland the tree’s “Rogaine” (that stuff that old guys use when their hair falls out). But we love our tree and our traditions and wouldn’t trade that for anything. I always assumed that having a fake tree was better than being wasteful by cutting down a real tree, putting it up for a few weeks then taking it down and throwing it out. I don’t believe in killing trees, it should be considered as unethical as killing people. But this year I realized a few things that I never realized before (I’ll explain in a minute).
 Thoughts on the Rockefeller Tree: Another thing that bugs me is the Rockefeller tree. Every year a beautiful tree is murdered, put on display with a gazillion dollar Swarovski crystal star on top. Again, that money could have gone to charity, but I suppose it’s gone to tourism because who comes to New York this time of year and doesn’t see the tree? This year’s tree is 74 feet tall, weighs 12 tons (equal to about 6 baby elephants). It came from the yard of NYC Firefighter Peter Acton who was depressed to see it get cut down. Instead of accepting money for the tree, he let the city donate it to charity. How could they kill such an amazing piece of nature every single year? (Now here’s where I’ll explain what I realized). I used to think fake tree was more eco friendly, but really it might be the other way around. Real trees are obviously biodegradable; they go back into nature and do not leave behind any plastics or harmful environmental causes. Fake trees are plastic, and I’m sure at some point or other a tree was killed in order to get some piece of it made. Fake trees cannot be recycled. As morbid as it is to think about, someday the tree will end up in the trash somehow and it will sit in a landfill taking up space forever. Now multiply that by every person who had a fake tree, and add in all of the other things taking up landfills---that is a lot of earth wasted to hold trash.
In conclusion, we’ll still stick with our fake tree, and I like to say I’ve saved over 16 years of Christmas trees by using it. Sadly, someday when the family is tired of passing it on and on between generations it will end up in a landfill somewhere and it will be against all of my beliefs by not being a “green” ecofriendly motion. But I still can’t get past killing a tree to use for a few weeks and toss away.
I like our traditions. I like celebrating Chrissmiss, and protesting Rockefeller and billboards. I like giving to charity. I love our balding fake tree, and I love that my dad gets paid to be Santa from Thanksgiving
through the holidays! I know this was another random, disjointed article, but hey that’s me, your favorite
vegetarian blogger. Hope you enjoyed reading this, Happy Holidays, and keep up yours New Year’s
resolutions.
PHOTO CREDIT: The Real vs. Fake Tree Image came from www.greenyourdecor.com
NOTE: If you live in the NYC area and would like to book a clown this holiday, visit Amanda's Dad's website www.speedoandcompany.com
Do you agree or disagree with Amanda's holiday observations? Send your comment below. Also, don't forget to enter the new December teen writing contest! |
| Editor's Welcome: Dec. 15th - Dec. 20th, 2010
The Spirit of Christmas
By Amanda, High School Editor
Up until yesterday, my eight-year-old sister still believed in Santa Claus.
We finally had to break the news to her - Santa isn't real. But who can deny the thrill of joy experienced when you believe that a man in red, with a beard, is going to climb down your chimney and leave presents under your Christmas tree? If you think about it - hey, that's seriously cool. Some random nice guy is going to give you things…for free?
From a little kid's perspective, it's total magic. Santa is going to come down your chimney, leaving the reindeer parked on the roof, and leave everything you ever wanted under the Christmas tree?!
The tradition of Santa Claus is something to be cherished.
But why so?
Because he inspires the spirit of Christmas, or more pointedly, the spirit of giving, within all of us.
Whether you're a Christian, celebrating the birth of the Christ Child, or not; Christmas isn't just another empty holiday. Let's face it - who in the world gets excited and writes out a wish list for Presidents' Day? (George Washington, sorry man, but you can't pull off that red suit real well)
Most of you reading this probably don't believe in Santa Claus (If you do…I'm sorry…), but that doesn't mean that we totally discard the meaning behind him. Giving gifts to others is heartwarming. That smile on your little sister's face is more of a gift than the twenty presents you received from your parents (or at least almost…right?). The joy of giving to others is that “Christmas spirit” we hear so much about.
It doesn't have to be material.
Sometimes, the gift of your time or friendship is more valuable than any gift you could buy someone. If it's someone you haven't seen in a while, how about a chat at Starbucks over coffee? It's not about “getting” or even the obsession over what to buy someone. It's the love behind the gift or time that counts. And your family and friends will treasure it forever.
(Pssst, by the way - Merry Christmas!)
How do you make Christmas more meaningful for those you love?
Also, don't forget to enter the new December teen writing contest |
| Editor's Welcome: Dec. 7th - Dec. 14th, 2010
 StageofLife.com features a monthly writing contest for high school students as well as stories and blogs about teen life. After the Editor's weekly welcome message (below), please keep scrolling down to find the stories from both our Featured High School Writers and High School Members. Whether you're a freshmen, senior, somewhere in between, or want to help teens with your words of wisdom, we encourage everyone to share their story and advice about High School.
When life pitches curveballs
By Anisha, High School Editor
Sometimes, it’s really easy to adopt a self-defeating attitude and just give up when we’re faced with a difficult situation. Recently, I went through and/or witnessed a couple situations that made me reflect on the idea of dealing with curveballs.
I’m editor-in-chief of my school newspaper, the Record. Usually, the night before the Record goes to press is pretty hectic. We have to put in a lot of last minute edits and lay out the last few pages. Now, I’m pretty good at going through and proofing the final copy, but I’d never really learned how to use InDesign, the program we use to lay out the Record. I usually leave that part up to Mary, our technical director. The Wednesday night before Thanksgiving break, we were prepared to buckle down, work for a few hours, and lay out/finalize the last few pages. It was absolutely imperative that I sent the paper out to press that night in order for it to be published and sent back to us before Thanksgiving break; traditionally, we ALWAYS publish an issue before any major vacation.
Unfortunately, though, Mary had a really severe allergic reaction and had to take Benadryl. Now, as anyone who’s ever taken Benadryl knows, that knocks you out for a good twelve hours. So, we (the editorial board) were left with four pages to lay out and no technical director. All of a sudden, the computer was my worst enemy. After struggling to learn the program for two hours, I finally conceded defeat and concluded that there was absolutely no way to put Record out that night.
Along with being frustrated that I hadn’t met my goal of sending the Record out before press, we faced a whole new slew of challenges. We’d designed the Record to be read BEFORE Thanksgiving Break. For example, my editorial was all about why I planned to appreciate my Thanksgiving, and somebody else had also submitted an Op-Ed about their Thanksgiving plans, which we obviously couldn’t publish.
We had no other choice but to change up the whole issue. So, we went to work, and it took us a while, but we did it. On top of that, I finally learned how to use InDesign, and I even laid out some pages all by myself. When Mary first fell sick, our faculty advisor urged us to turn the negative experience into a positive. Although we couldn’t see how to do that at first, we dealt with the curveball given to us, and I personally think we produced a fabulous issue.
Another group of people who had to deal with a curveball recently is the cast and crew of my school play, “The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.” On their opening night, Thursday, one of their leads had an asthma attack backstage. Another key member of the cast injured her knee and couldn’t even walk on stage. Finally, one of the narrators got a terrible migraine. As a result, the director had to change up the entire script during intermission. One might think that after dealing with all of this, the cast and crew would just give up and put on a terrible show. However, one of my friends who saw the show on Thursday, upon hearing that there were so many issues backstage, commented, “I had no idea! I wouldn’t have known. It was a really great show.”
It’s difficult and frustrating when things don’t go as planned. But without challenges, we wouldn’t test ourselves, and if we didn’t test ourselves, we wouldn’t know our true capabilities. The past couple of days, everyone on the Record staff has really pulled through, just like everyone in the cast really pulled through for Nicholas Nickleby on opening night. So, next time you get thrown a curveball, keep this in mind: We shine the most brightly when we face the most insurmountable obstacles. The best way to deal with them is to allow yourself to complain for a couple of minutes, and then just give it your best shot. I guarantee you’ll surprise yourself.
What curveballs have you dealt with lately and how did you deal with them? Also, don't forget to enter the new December teen writing contest
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| Editor's Welcome: Dec. 1st - Dec. 6th, 2010
 StageofLife.com features a monthly writing contest for high school students as well as stories and blogs about teen life. After the Editor's weekly welcome message (below), please keep scrolling down to find the stories from both our Featured High School Writers and High School Members. Whether you're a freshmen, senior, somewhere in between, or want to help teens with your words of wisdom, we encourage everyone to share their story and advice about High School.
Pretty things aren't all edible
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
Hi everyone! Merry Hanukwanza!
As December begins, so does my favorite season; the Holiday Season. This season is jam packed with fun activities for you and your family and friends. The food is tastier, the gifts are better and the faith is stronger. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” This month, I want all of you to think back to a memory from Holiday Seasons passed, and share it!
Here’s my story...
One Christmas Eve my mother taught me how to decorate the Christmas tree. She put the lights on as I watched in awe; beautiful miniature suns, breakable and full of color. The phone rang and my mother removed herself from the carpet and went into the kitchen to answer it.
I stared at the mesmerizing gum drops. Bright and colorful, the lights shone and beckoned me. A few ornaments hung around as well- colored red and pink with green sparkle trim. Yet, they were not nearly as appealing. In my mother’s absence, I eagerly tip-toed to the tree and pulled on a strand of lights; little glass candies, thousands of them ready to dissolve on my tongue and leave little lights that would glow in my cheeks.
Bending forward ever so slightly, I stuck out my tongue. I licked a couple without satisfaction. Red was always my favorite candy, but red Christmas lights were no different from the green, the blue or the white. Each one was flavored with what seemed like dust and plastic. They tasted weird and unpleasant.
Using a five year old’s logic, I convinced myself that the magic was on the inside and that by biting down there would be a burst of flavor. I put a red bulb between my front two lower and upper teeth. I bit off the tip. I moved it around in my mouth for a little while - but to no avail. Next, I put the entire bulb between my molars and crunched down. I did the same with two more bulbs. Nothing happened, except now it tasted more metallic, with a hint of iron.
Spending Christmas Eve in the emergency room is not all that exciting. It’s sort of terrifying actually. The nurse was in a good mood though; she joked that I “wanted a little bit of Christmas magic inside of her!” She laughed at her insensitive humor as I sat there, bug eyed, and knees trembling.
My mouth was sore and cut and I was certain the blub was no longer glowing on my tongue. My gums had finally stopped bleeding, but the pain would never go away. I had ruined Christmas - I had ruined our tree. Three light bulbs were missing from the perfectly conformed and aligned strand.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
I thought my mother would be disappointed but she was only worried. After the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me, my mother took me home and let me help her put new lights up; I had learned my lesson.
There are two morals of this story:
1. Pretty things aren’t all edible
2. This Season is all about love and forgiveness; so share your warmth with others!
Hope you enjoyed it! Have a great December!
What holiday memory stands out from your childhood? Also, don't forget to enter the new December teen writing contest
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| Editor's Welcome: Nov. 21st - Dec. 1st, 2010
 StageofLife.com features a monthly writing contest for high school students as well as stories and blogs about teen life. After the Editor's weekly welcome message (below), please keep scrolling down to find the stories from both our Featured High School Writers and High School Members. Whether you're a freshmen, senior, somewhere in between, or want to help teens with your words of wisdom, we encourage everyone to share their story and advice about High School.
Teen Vegetarian Talks Turkey...
By Amanda P., High School Editor
I’m a proud vegetarian, and this time of year, particularly this week - Thanksgiving - makes things a bit awkward. The whole holiday is revolved around turkey. Not in my family of course, but in general, Americans have made turkey the focal point of the holiday when really it’s about being grateful for everything you have in life.
So basically this is another completely dysfunctional and random article from your favorite teenaged S.O.L. writer --- talking about vegetarianism and the mixed meaning of Thanksgiving. Anyway, keep reading.
 Most of my immediate family is either vegetarian, or very close to vegetarian (they only eat chicken), and the rest of them are very understanding and respect me for it, but other people aren’t as welcoming to this revolutionary lifestyle. For the average American who’s diet consists of franchise food, fast food, Chinese, and pizza instead of healthier choices, I can see why the word vegetarian seems scary. But I was never raised like that. My family doesn’t eat out much, if we do it’s a healthy places, we do like sushi (I get cucumber rolls-no crab or anything) and pizza but those aren’t so bad and we eat out in moderation. We also tend to eat at Greek restaurants too. Getting off the subject….
Basically, what I am trying to get across is that vegetarianism is on the rise, its becoming more popular, and it can save the obese American population from a slow extinction. Many people don’t realize that many of the average daily foods that are eaten, don’t involve meat anyway. An average American household consists of grilled cheese, PB&J, mac n cheese, pasta, baked potato etc, those are average foods most Americans typically eat, and there is no meat involved. So would switching over really be that big of a change? Would saving animals by simply stopping that part of the food chain be that difficult? I’d have to say no, no it is not that difficult.
Depending on your health, and your ability to search for creative veggie recipes, being a “veggie” can give you more food choices, and can lead to a healthier life. Vegetarians do not get heart disease, are most likely not obese, and tend to live longer lives. The first question people ask me when they find out I’m a “veggie” is: “what about protein?” Most
vegetables contain protein and calcium—all nuts and beans (legumes) are packed with protein and iron, spinach and other green/leafy veggies are loaded with protein and calcium. Plus, there is always the super-veggie SOYBEANS, they have just about every single vitamin you can imagine. Then there is tofu which is fermented soybeans packed into a white square. Most people are unaware of tofu past a mistake in their Chinese take-out soup, but it is actually available at any supermarket in the refrigerated section. Tofu can be nice in salad, over rice, with mixed veggies, you can cook it, eat it cold or hot, you can marinate it in teriyaki sauce, ANY SAUCE you like. Tofu can be added to absolutely anything and tastes great with just about everything.
Now about the “being grateful” part. Take some time this Thanksgiving to, well, I don’t know--GIVE THANKS for everything, for life, for the sky, the stars, the simplicity of breathing, feelings, the capacity of emotion, intelligence, the gift of family and friends, or talents and creativity. Heck, give thanks for that ah-mazing pair of shoes you found half-price last week!!! Give thanks for big things, small things, complicated things, and simple things! And try to carve a turkey shape out of a block of tofu, because TOFURKEY is much more ethical than turkey, and its much healthier and cheaper too. The turkey gods will be eternally grateful.
(psst….leave comments, I love opinions with me or against me, just don’t be too harsh…lol).
How are you giving thanks this Thanksgiving? And speaking of giving thanks...make sure to enter the November teen writing contest that deals with this specific topic...
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| Editor's Welcome: Nov. 14th - 20th, 2010
StageofLife.com features a monthly writing contest for high school students as well as stories and blogs about teen life. After the Editor's weekly welcome message (below), please keep scrolling down to find the stories from both our Featured High School Writers and High School Members. Whether you're a freshmen, senior, somewhere in between, or want to help teens with your words of wisdom, we encourage everyone to share their story and advice about High School.
Thoughts My Stressful Schedule...
By Amanda Bourne, High School Editor
As high school students, we all know that life can be challenging, especially when you have to schedule everything in order to accomplish your goals. I would say that I don’t have anything against scheduling, but unfortunately, I do.
Like any student, I enjoy spending an hour doing nothing but jamming to my iPod and surfing the net. Unfortunately, those hours tend to catch up to us in the long run, when we’re cramming for an Algebra 2 exam, wishing that we had more time to study. Oops.
Keeping yourself on a schedule can also be incredibly hard, when there are so many other things you’d rather be doing. Face it – I know I’d be much happier reading my friends’ blogs than banging my head against the desk over some terrible concept in my Chemistry textbook. But that’s the point of scheduling, isn’t it?
I recently discovered that I am too busy. My schedule is constantly overflowing with the next blog I need to design, or the times I realize with panic that I haven’t made my NaNoWriMo word count for the day. My time on the computer, absorbed in my school and friends online is taking priority over spending time with my family, and my real life friends.
Last night, instead of trying to catch up on my NaNoWriMo word count, or pounding out HTML codes, I turned my computer off, grabbed a movie, and went downstairs. I rounded up my sisters, and we watched a classic, old Disney film together – one that we all enjoy immensely.
As I laughed with my siblings, my schedule melted away from my mind, as well as the stress. When I went back to my room later, I felt refreshed, and ready to tackle my schedule from a less-stressful vantage-point.
There’s nothing wrong with keeping a schedule, but my newest goal is not to let it wear me down, and eventually cause me to stress out too much. Time with my family, friends and God is much more important to me, and will help keep me sane as I finish high school.
What do you think you could change about your schedule, in order to make time for those people who really matter to you? Will you join me in a goal to make those we love a top priority?
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| Editor's Welcome: Nov. 7th - Nov. 14th, 2010
StageofLife.com features a monthly writing contest for high school students as well as stories and blogs about teen life. After the Editor's weekly welcome message (below), please keep scrolling down to find the stories from both our Featured High School Writers and High School Members. Whether you're a freshmen, senior, somewhere in between, or want to help teens with your words of wisdom, we encourage everyone to share their story and advice about High School.
What I Learned at Cold Stone Creamery...
By Anisha Mohin, High School Editor
When February of my junior year rolled around, I was completely exhausted and overworked by the multitude of tests, papers, practice SATs, and responsibilities that seemed to be multiplying by the minute. Consequently, I procrastinated finding a summer program until roughly April, when, as any good overachieving student knows, all the appealing programs are already filled up. So, by default, I decided that I would actually spend the summer at home this year.
After spending the majority of the first two weeks of June in my bed, recovering all of my lost hours of sleep, I finally decided to be productive and find myself a job. So, I sauntered into my local Cold Stone and asked for a job application. I filled it out and handed it to the manager, who came out to interview me. Jacki, the manager, is a really funny college student, and we hit it off immediately. She hired me on the spot. I went home that day extremely excited and proud of myself. I couldn’t wait to get started at my cool new job. So, I showed up at my first shift, a Saturday night, wearing hoop earrings and my favorite pair of platform sandals (I wish I was kidding).
Needless to say, I had a pretty miserable night. Not only did I make every rookie mistake in the book, like messing up a customers’ order and counting out the wrong change, but my feet, arms, and legs were killing me. Turns out standing for six hours straight isn’t so much fun. Oh, and mixing various types of candy into ice cream on a cold stone is hard work. So, at 11PM that night, after I had mopped the floors and done the dishes, I was fully prepared to inform Jacki that although I was having a great time on the job, my family had suddenly decided to pack up and move to a remote desert island far, far away from any Cold Stone franchises.
But I told myself that I would stick it out. I’ll admit that I can be a little bit of a prima donna; I just learned how to do a load of laundry last year. For once, I wanted to do something completely out of the ordinary for me, to challenge myself. I know a lot of people reading this might be thinking “Come on, it can’t be that bad,” but going from not even doing chores to working 24 hours a week was a pretty tough transition.
I’m not going to pretend that I made any great contribution to society by working at my local ice cream store, but I definitely learned some very valuable life lessons. I realized how satisfying it is to make a total stranger happy, both by saying something nice and, of course, making them ice cream. I also had to learn the art of self-restraint; of course, like any other store, Cold Stone has its fair share of obnoxious customers. Although at times, I wanted to snap and scream at whoever was making my life difficult, I knew the negative consequences would outweigh the temporary gratification. And I took a true sense of pride in ensuring that the store was left completely spotless at all times.
I’ll admit that, for the first few weeks, I considered the job completely beneath me. But I finally conceded that, instead of remaining totally miserable, it couldn’t hurt to adjust my attitude. As a result, I gained valuable knowledge, made new friends, and even earned a good amount of money.
So, I urge you – don’t close yourself off to something anything purely because of preconceived notions. You can truly learn so much from anything, whether it’s a class, sport, or club, as long as you’re willing to try.!
Have you changed your attitude about something and because of that, opened yourself up to a positive experience?
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| Editor's Welcome: Nov. 1st - Nov. 6th, 2010
StageofLife.com features a monthly writing contest for high school students as well as stories and blogs about teen life. After the Editor's weekly welcome message (below), please keep scrolling down to find the stories from both our Featured High School Writers and High School Members. Whether you're a freshmen, senior, somewhere in between, or want to help teens with your words of wisdom, we encourage everyone to share their story and advice about High School.
My Five "E's" to Live By...
By Meredith Berger, High School Editor
The dictionary definition of High school is “secondary school usually including grades 9 through 12”. Honestly, that just sounds boring. To me, High school is not just an academic institution; it is a way of life. High school should not just be about book knowledge or living according to dictionary definitions; it should be fun and exciting. The way I overcome the
stereotypical, boring High school experience is by following my rule of the 5 E’s.
The first E is Explore. Explore your talents and your many personalities. Try different things and experience new life changes. High school is all about finding who you are, not who others want you to be. Explore all your options; who your friends should be, which classes you love, and what you want to make with your life.
The second E is Express. Express yourself in dress, speech and actions. Wear what you want, say what you want (we are given that right by the Constitution) and do what you believe. High school is all about expression and living life the way you want.
The third E is Expand. Expand your horizons, so to say. Make yourself available, be outgoing, and show others what you can do. Go on mission trips and take exotic vacations, do things that are new and exciting and that you won’t ever forget. These experiences are good for your soul as well as your college applications essays.
The fourth E is Excel. Excel academically and socially. Grow into a strong and independent person, but do it on your own terms. Learn at your own pace, develop at your own pace and become the person whom you want to be.
The last E is Exceed. Exceed and go beyond your set limits. Surprise yourself and surpass your own expectations. You can do whatever you put your mind too. As cliché as that sounds, it’s true. If you put in the effort and you put in the time, you can accomplish greatness.
In closing, I believe that all High school students can have an exciting High school career; so just enjoy your teenage years!
Love,
Mberger!
What maxims do you live by?
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