Teachers Deserve Thanks

By Abrar Al-Heeti – Staff Writer

 The classes and teachers one has in high school play a fundamental role in the success and happiness of the student. An enjoyable and beneficial class will influence the student to work hard and do his or her best, and a good teacher will be there to encourage the student to achieve the highest possible level of accomplishment. Most students can say they have had a fair share of both good and not-so-great courses and teachers, but a few Centennial students shared with The Centinal the classes and teachers they chose to be their favorite. Senior Esther Han says Mr. Hooper is her favorite teacher and AP Statistics is her favorite class, “because we get to apply statistics to daily life through activities such as ‘Frog Olympics’ and ‘Buttered Toast.’” She says of why she likes Mr. Hooper, “He is a good, nice teacher!”’ Junior Tara Ibrahim picks Mr. Sikora as her favorite teacher simply, “because he is awesome.” She adds, “He is also very quotable.” Senior Rachel Swanson says, “My favorite teacher is Mr. Bagniefski, by far! A lot of people would agree.” When asked to explain what she likes about him, she says, “He is so funny and makes learning so enjoyable. He is so detail oriented and makes math easy, especially for those of us who struggle in the subject.”

With such an array of wonderful teachers, it can be difficult to pick just one favorite. But, personally, a teacher who stands out to me is Mrs. Westfield. I see her as not only a great educator, but also a friend. Her warm smile and kind heart combined with her intelligence and wisdom make her an inspiration to me. I will always be thankful to her for her patience and guidance as I made my way through freshman year, and I am grateful for her continued support and kindness throughout my four years at Centennial. And to all of the teachers I have had here at Centennial, thank you for being such wonderful mentors and for teaching me not only the course material, but also valuable life lessons as well. I have learned so much, and I hope to carry the knowledge I have gained from you throughout the rest of my life as I continue to grow and learn. Most importantly, thank you for believing in me and encouraging me; I truly appreciate it.

Are You Getting Enough Rest?

By Hannah Ritchey – Editor in Chief

I know very few teenagers who wake up each morning feeling rested, unless it was an accident. But isn’t that the whole reason humans need sleep?

High school students always seem to snag the label reckless; whether it’s the music they listen to or the food they’re putting into their bodies, but what if the worst thing they’re doing is going to bed past 10:30? It seems a little ridiculous and don’t get me wrong, there are exceptions. However, sleep is a topic often overlooked because no one regards it as dangerous or life threatening. But the amount of sleep you get in one night directly affects almost everything you will do the next day. Senior, David Kessler says “I tell people the amount of sleep I get and they think I’m joking, but getting that much sleep is part of my regular routine. I’m cranky otherwise.”

Going to bed too late might cause you to sleep in fifteen minutes later when in reality those extra fifteen aren’t going to help you out as much as getting out of bed to grab a quick breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and an easy mistake to make early in the day. Once school starts drowsiness in class may start to become a problem and in some cases this can lead to bad grades. Humans in general are also more likely to make poor diet choices if they have not gotten the proper amount of sleep. The list goes on, but it’s easy to see how a day can go from fab to drab because you watched YouTube videos for an hour and a half longer than planned.

A lot of high schoolers are under the pressure of staying on the right track for college. Admissions to universities has become highly competitive and it isn’t just about grades anymore. “The more you can do, and the more you can do well, the better off you will be” seems to be a general thought when trying to prepare an application for admission into college. This can include a wide range of things, and whether it’s different sports, clubs, jobs, or volunteer work, one of each is usually not enough. So then the question becomes “How many sports?” “How many clubs?” With all of this to juggle, it is no wonder some high school students might find a little difficulty squeezing in an adequate amount of sleep each night. Not to say it isn’t possible but don’t forget about the many students also wanting to spend time with their friends.

So what is the best solution? What it all boils down to is time-management. While it isn’t always possible to get the recommended amount of 8 1/2- 9 1/2 hours each night, any little improvement is a start. Getting to little sleep is often the fact of putting off school work. While extra-curricular activities are important, grades still hold a higher level of importance. Time management isn’t just a skill that will help high schoolers get more sleep, it is a vital skill that will help you throughout your entire life. So why not start early? While it can take a while to get the ball rolling, having a set schedule and knowing how long you have to do things will make life a lot easier.

Eight to nine hours of sleep may seem like a lot for some people but baby steps can put you on the right track. Try new things like creating a normal bed time. While this may remind you of middle school, constancy in the amount of sleep you get can help energy levels throughout the day and start good habits for a lifetime.

Book Review: Impulse

By Megan Wolter – Opinions Eidtor

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

What does it take for someone to want to and follow through with committing suicide?  Being bullied in school, sexually abused as a child, striving for perfection and falling short?  In Ellen Hopkins’s book, Impulse, the sometimes taboo topic of teenagers committing suicide is talked about.  The novel follows the stories of Conner, Vanessa and Tony: three teens that tried to kill themselves, failed and ended up at Aspen Springs, a place where they are supposed to work through all of their problems.  The question now is: will they succeed in getting better or will they just fall back into their old ways?

When I finished this book, I wasn’t really sure how I felt about it.  It was a book that left the reader satisfied that the characters had gotten to the place they were supposed to, but sad because they didn’t want that ending.  Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone that is interested, but it wasn’t one of Ellen Hopkins’s best books.  It gives insights into the life of someone that strives to be perfect, but will never get there; a cutter with a family history of mental illness; and one that had their childhood stolen from them and is now struggling with their sexual identity.  So while not everyone can relate to these, it can remind us of how lucky we are and how we need to be thankful for that.  Ellen Hopkins’s writing style is also different from most because she writes in poetic verse, which many will like because it makes the book move faster and uses simple words and dialogue to convey a bigger meaning. 

 

Also by this author:

Crank

Burned

Identical

Glass

Tricks

Fallout

Perfect

Coming Soon: Tilt

Senioritis

By: Connor Metcalf

There has been a disease going around at Centennial lately. One that messes with a person’s mind so horribly, and is spreading around Centennial High School like a virus is a walking dead movie. Students become zombies, going through the motions of every day. Depressed looks and urge to escape like someone nearing the end of their stay in prison. Symptoms include; shortening of attention span, frequent pains causing you to groan really loudly, anger, and in some cases unintentionally becoming more introverted. This is called senioritis, and it is taking its toll on the class of 2012 this quarter as we come closer and closer to walking the stage and being done with high school. It seems that every week less and less students are motivated to do any work at all. Even writing this article is becoming a chore as I push back writing it every single night. It is a psychological disease that eventually everyone has to deal with and here are some ways to tell if senioritis has fully hit you or someone you care for.

You will undoubtedly hear phrases such as, “Oh my god, I’m so bored I want to kill myself.”This is a pretty extreme thing to say in class when nothing is going on, and it is also a touchy subject that puts people on edge. We’re told in middle school and health class to never take threats of suicide lightly, but the truth is people can and do say something like that without meaning it.  They are most likely just someone who says really insensitive things when they do not want to be at school. These phrases usually come after a long and loud groan that you will often never expect.

Another common phrase is, “Oh my god, I cant wait to get out of here and go to college.” this is another thing we just write off as being caused by senioritis. It sounds like they are saying it because they feel they are ready for the next step in their lives. It really means they are ready to get out and away from the people you’ve been surrounded by for four years, because they realize how much they hate them and are ready to meet new people. If you hear someone say this, it’s safe to say they’re probably talking about you no matter how much or how little you think mean to their lives. Which sounds sad but when you think about it, you want to get away from them too, so you can not really be mad at them for saying it.

Soon you will notice that you aren’t seeing some of your friends as much as you used to. Maybe they are just at home napping because they’re so worn out from school. Senioritis causes these kids to have less and less energy making them too lazy to do work in the classroom and especially not at home. Why do homework when you have a big comfy bed to sleep face down on for 6 hours straight? Why do anything at all when you have Facebook and television to entertain you? Luckily this only found in severe cases of the disease, and goes unnoticed to the rest of the infected.

Teachers have to put up with their student’s laziness, which can not make their job any easier. Students get mad that teachers are still assigning stuff this late in the semester. They tend to forget that we still have plenty of time to learn a few more chapters in math class, and it’s part of the teacher’s job to teach as much as she can by May 15th. The teachers forget however, that even every other year in high school, this time of year students get a little anxious for summer to get here, so it really does us no good to teach us things that we are just going to forget in a couple weeks anyway. This is just an unavoidable situation in school where students begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel that is summer, and it is hard to keep their mind focused on anything else.

This is always a problem that ends up fixing itself. The seniors graduate, go off to college, and a new group of seniors will take their place the next year. People with senioritis can recover from it positively by fitting in right away in college. Hopefully they will meet new friends, have a great time, stay away from academic probation, and just slide through easily in college as they probably did in high school. Then of course they can also recover poorly by not being prepared at all for the next level of life. So seniors of the class of 2012, I wish the best of luck with your illnesses, I hope you recover on the positive end of the spectrum.

The Best of 2011

By:  Abrar Al-Heeti -Staff Writer

            Every year brings with it an array of memories, experiences and interests. As we head into a new year, Centennial students look back on what stood out to them in 2011.

            Students were asked what their favorite movies, music, television shows, celebrity weddings and news stories of 2011 were. Senior Pamela Paet picks Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 as her favorite movie, and her choice for best music is Foster the People. When asked about her favorite TV show, she replied, “SpongeBob forever”.  The news story that made the greatest impression on her was former Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi‘s death.

            Junior Hayne Ryu says that the new Sherlock Holmes movie was her favorite flick of the year, with the television show “Sherlock” as her pick for that category. Her choice for best music is Gotye, and the best celebrity wedding was Kim Kardashian’s. The news story that stood out to her was the death of former Korean dictator, Kim Jong Il.

            Senior Genever Judule thinks Twilight wins best movie of 2011, and her choice for best music is the song “The Best Think I Never Had” by Beyonce. Her favorite show was “How I Met Your Mother”.

            Students not only have the past to look back on, but also the future to look forward to. When asked what she is anticipating most about this year, Paet said, “I’m really excited about visiting the Philippines this summer.” Senior Morgan Bailey is looking forward to “getting out of high school, going to college, and starting my life”, while Senior Ester Han says, “I look forward to the end of the world in 2012.”

            Another year has gone, and another set of memories and experiences has been made by students to carry with them for the rest of their lives. As they reflect, they also have the opportunity to look towards what is to come. Here’s to hoping the new year will bring with it even more memorable treasures for them to keep.

SOPA Makes Big Waves

By Hannah Ritchey – Editor-In-Chief

If you tried to access this site January 18, 2012 then you know that all you could see were a lot of black lines. This was due to the “blackout” that WordPress and other sites such as TwitPic (a portal used to upload pictures to Twitter) and Wikipedia (an online encyclopedia) participated in. This blackout was an online strike protesting the proposed bills SOPA and PIPA.

SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act. The bill entails a lot of good policies, but it also grants the government a lot of power that could be used for negative purposes. Since the internet is such a massive system, it poses a lot of problems when trying to govern it; especially because as long as its been around no one has tried to do so. However, the attempt that SOPA is making to govern it seems to be stepping on a lot of people’s toes and even some of their rights.

SOPA allows the government to blacklist virtually any site they want. While the bill states this law would be passed to stop online piracy there is no way to pinpoint exactly what sites should be allowed to be blacklisted or not. The only way for the government to have this power over these sites is for them to have power over every single site. This is where most people’s problem start with the bill along with the fact that it is a violation of the first amendment.

In all honestly, it is human nature for people to want things for free. When asked, “Would you rather pay for this movie or watch it for free?”, most Americans would rather watch it for free; and a lot of them do – through illegal movie-pirating sites. SOPA’s main purpose would be to stop this from happening so often and the main people in favor of SOPA are the people that are largely affected by these actions -movie studios and record labels.

While understandable that these companies do not want people stealing what they put a lot of time and money into, SOPA may be too big of a step in the right direction. In order for a law like this to make sense in America, where people take pride in their freedom of speech and expression, there will mostly likely need to be many modifications made. It is simply unconstitutional to grant the government so much control on something like the Internet.

An article by Brian Barrett points out that the scariest part about SOPA is that major companies such as Discover or YouTube don’t even need a letter from the government to shut off a sites resources. Once they suspect someone of violating copyrights, and notify the MPAA, the site is blacklisted without a single check or appearance in court. While its best to look at the good side of everyone, who’s to say YouTube won’t “suspect” someone of violating copyrights who really isn’t violating copyrights at all. Under SOPA YouTube could list a site they feel threatened by as a “potential offender” and they would be blacklisted. All without any government notification, “This hardly seems fair, the internet has always been a place of freedom and this allows for potential monopoly by big corporations” Centennial alumna Arjun Yelamanchili points out.

Because of the massive uproar SOPA has caused they are currently looking to revise it in hopes of making voting go a little smoother.

Video Game Review: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham Asylum & NBA 2K12

By Omar Sharif – Staff Writer

 

 

 

 

     Skyrim- Lets start off with the game that won “Game of The Year”. I’ve explored the highest mountains and the deepest dungeons. I’ve killed hundreds of wolves, bandits and zombies, and been attacked by bears, trolls and giants. I’ve helped out lovelorn suitors, ghosts and a talking dog, and foiled the evil plots of vampires, evil mages and demon gods. After playing for longer than 75 hours of “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”, I feel like I’m just scratching the surface. I still have plenty of quests to conquer, all while I fulfill my other duties and obligations. Skyrim has taken over my life. But hey, at least it’s a good life. This role-playing game allows you choose your career unlike most other games in its category. In Skyrim, one will find tiny details and unexpected rewards. Once one enters into the game, they won’t want to leave; it feels lived in.

     Batman: Arkham Asylum- Dissimilar from other sports games; it seemed that super heroes were destined to forever suffer from the curse of lousy games, but this changed in 2009 with the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum. The game set a new standard by which future games based on comic books would be measured. Arkham Asylum captured the essence of what it was to be Batman. Combat was fluid and creative, exploration made wonderful use of the Dark Knight’s gadgets, and there was even the interesting inclusion of Batman’s detective skills. Relying on the experience of comic book and television writer Paul Dini to handle the script didn’t hurt, either. Arkham City is one of those rare gems that really gets it right. The people at Rocksteady Studios that made the game seem to get Batman. Everything from the expansive environment, amazing story and tons of extra content makes one ask just a single question – how do they top this? In the future, Arkham Asylum will set a standard for all comic-based games.

     NBA 2K12- All of the other sport games just got schooled again. The NBA 2K12 buzz has been low due to the lockout, and the season cut nearly half of its games.  Now that the jam packed NBA is back in business, owning 2K12 became that much more exciting. The game took everything great from its predecessor, 2K11, had to offer and made it better. It was as if the new game was tailored to my liking. “It’s sweet how I can play my all-time two favorite players [Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant] against each other”, explained Sean Tresslar when asked about how he liked 2K12 compared to 2K11. One can now play as far back as the 1996 Bulls and play with all-time great, Michael Jordan. Wouldn’t you want to see Shaq vs. Magic? Of course you do, and NBA 2K12 allows you to bring back stars from forty or more years ago. This is the year’s biggest basketball videogame by far.

Gender Equality Still Up for Debate

By Faith Middleton – Staff Writer 

Girls are told from a young age that they can do anything boys can do. But can they? Are females and males afforded equal opportunities at home, school and work?

In the roots of society, women usually had few rights. Literature from Greek culture portrays powerful women as a threat to society. However, the world has made progress in gender equality since then. There are women on every level of authority: every level but one.

    The lack of a female U.S president thus far sheds light on the true temperament of America regarding gender. World leaders, law makers and professionals claim that women and men are on equal footing. Why, then, do citizens and senate continue to elect male presidents and vice presidents?

    It would seem as though it is mostly voters who are stuck in the past regarding selection of leaders. Some leaders, such as United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, push for women’s rights and the equality of genders.

    In a closed forum in Washington on December 3, Clinton criticized Israel for its treatment of women. She was astonished at the fact that women must sit at the back of buses in some places. Her beliefs were that the prejudice Israel projects against women is a threat to Israeli democracy. Israel ‘s Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan believed that the government should take action to ensure the equality of men and women.

    Many corporations and unions have taken steps to close the gap of pay between men and women of the same profession. However, the gap remains in other professions. The median earnings of women in the United States were 77.4% of the median earnings of men in 2010. The gender pay gap is steadily closing, but it is still there.

    “The fact that wage disparity still exists suggests that equal opportunities for men and women are not available,” Charles Weinberg, Centennial English teacher, said.

    The gender wage gap is a result of the traditional “Male-breadwinner” belief. While a man went to work and made a living for his family, the woman stayed home and took care of the children. As the sole provider for the family, men were paid more.

    On the other hand, a scramble for correcting past errors may be giving women leverage over men. After all, girls in school have some opportunities that boys do not have.

    “Boys can’t play Volleyball,” Fernanda Schaefer, Centennial Sophomore, said. “In Brazil, boys could play Volleyball [on a school team] so there aren’t equal opportunities [in school for girls and boys].”

    Some may argue that the policy “separate but equal” goes for gender in the school system. Once they hit a certain age, children lose interest in certain things and generally focus on more gender-oriented activities and subjects. For example, most boys are not interested in Cheerleading. Girls are seldom interested in Football. Girls of this age are steered to performing while boys tend to be allowed to ”play rough”.

    Whether there are equal or unequal opportunities for the two genders in the present, it is up to the next generation to determine whether this will change.

Is Facebook Taking Over Relationships?

 

By: Faith Middleton Staff Writer

 In an age of constant communication, people often take for granted the instantaneous nature of this accessibility. The communication people have is foremost with friends and family: are people taking for granted their relationships due to this convenience?

    According to the Company’s statistics portion of Facebook; there are more than 800 million active Facebook users, 300 million of which access Facebook through mobile devices. The purpose of Facebook was, originally, to connect Ivy League and Boston area college students through the internet. However, the site has been expanded to register any person over the age of thirteen. Faceboook has, in the last five years, become the leading social network for people ranging from teenage to senior citizens.

     ”[Facebook/texting causes laziness] because of the fact that they can say something over Facebook and don’t have to show any emotions,” Sophomore Allison Gerlt said. “Let’s say, for example, asking someone out: it’s easier to ask someone out over Facebook or text because you have fewer nerves. Or, for breaking up, you don’t have to see the other person’s reaction. It’s a lot less personal and requires less thought and feeling.”

   While online socializing websites enable news to travel quickly, they also give long-distance friends and family a way to keep in touch easily. People in separate countries can send text messages and multimedia messages to each other; messaging can proceed for hours at a time. If this were to occur every day, the excitement of communication would eventually wear off. This is where the monotony (accompanied by its relative, laziness) barges in. With friends and family accessible so easily, one may start to take for granted the time spent talking with them for granted. So do people try less in their relationships when they should give more effort than necessary?

    ”It makes easier to give more effort,” Sophomore Lauren Klindworth said. “If you’re mad at someone, it’s easier to curse at them or say something really mean when you’re not face to face. I can also see how [Facebook] would cause someone to give less effort. I don’t use it, so I don’t have to worry about it.” 

    For many teenagers and young adults, text messaging has replaced voice calling. Apparently it is easier to message a person constantly over a long period of time than to concentrate the conversation into a shorter phone call. Multitasking is easier to do when one is texting or messaging than it is when meeting face-to-face or through video/audio calling. 

    “I think it’s easier to communicate [through texting] because it just moves at a faster pace,” Senior Drew Brandau said. “I don’t think it changes anything if you’re already friends with someone. [If someone just texted me instead of ever talking to me face-to-face] it’d be irritating.”

    So people of the current age may have an easier time communicating than their predecessors, but that doesn’t equate to their valuing communication less. Quality time spent with family and friends simply cannot be replaced, especially in this hectic era.

Ebooks Could Change Education

By Megan Wolter – Opinions Editor

In the past couple of years, e-books and e-readers have become more and more popular. Schools in South Korea have started to replace textbooks and paper with e-books and plan on being completely digital by 2015. If everyone had an iPad, or some kind of equivalent, one would have no need for textbooks, binders, paper, planners, or reading books. For some, they can even have calculators or graphs on their computers; this would also be an easy way for teachers to give the students hand-outs and other papers.

This revolution of books and reading will be amazing for schools. Not only could they save money every year because their students don’t lose or damage the books, but they could also save money on paper and ink. Just think about how often the school buys new textbooks or needs to buy new textbooks.  If e-books were used, then one could get the newest book each year, or, if the teachers liked the book, then they could keep it until it went out of date.  Instead of having to worry about the copiers working, the teachers can just send the assignment or hand-outs directly to the students. This would be of a huge benefit to both because not only would the students not lose their papers since they would be on the computer and the teacher can simply send something to a student if they are absent. This would also benefit the teacher because then they wouldn’t have to worry about keeping track of all these papers or when they were turned in. Instead, everything would be saved electronically and would be there for whenever the teacher or student wanted to call it up. One of the biggest changes could also just be in learning in general.  Students could pull up videos from class at any time and re-watch them.  Instead of having just pictures in ones textbook, there can be links to articles, videos, and websites that will also aid in learning. Another upside would be the teachers could just video the class and post it online or video chat with the student briefly after school if they were absent. This would also be extremely helpful for those that decide to attend college because this is the format that is most commonly used. It would also be a good thing for the student so they don’t have to lug around all of these books and papers; it would greatly help our backs and bodies. It would also make school cheaper for the students because they wouldn’t always have to buy new supplies, even though it would take some start-up money to buy the electronics.  Moreover, by not using paper or other tree-killing products, we could greatly impact the environment in a positive way.

The big question now is: who will pay for this and will it work? The answer is that there is currently no one that can pay for it, since many of the state and federal governments are already seriously in debt and most don’t care about education as much as they should.  As for exchanging textbooks and paper for a digital replacement, it should work quite well.  Teachers may have to adjust lesson plans a bit and learn to use the new technology, but it would be a great new way of learning and would seriously impact education in a positive way. 

For more information about this topic check out:

South Korea Goes Digital
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2011/0706/In-South-Korea-all-textbooks-will-be-e-books-by-2015

Call for an eBook for Every Greek Student
http://www.slightlyread.com/e-books/george-papandreou-calls-for-ebooks-to-be-issued-to-every-greek-student

eBooks in Florida
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/stampede-on-for-ebooks-in-florida-