By: K. Marcantel
Life is a beautiful mystery. People are always trying to figure out how we got here, what our purpose is, what happens when we die. During our time on this world, we experience and learn many things. In school, we learn that numbers and the alphabet make math… somehow, how to get away with murder(thanks, Coach Basco), and a language that we were born speaking. We learn other things as well. We gain wisdom from life teaching us new things daily, and this article is just a few of the life lessons gained through experience the writer would like to share with you. Anyone can tell you: life is crazy. Through the crazy, we are given lessons and maybe a good story or two. When you’re living something as insane as this mystery we call life, you’re bound to learn great life lessons that you carry with you forever. Many will give you the typical and boring answer everyone knows: “Just be yourself.” There’s more to life than just being yourself. To be yourself, you have to figure out who you really are first. Life is a game, but are you Mario or Luigi? Maybe you’re Bowser. It’s hard to find out, but if you tap into yourself and your full potential, it’s smooth sailing from there on out. A way to know yourself is to express yourself however makes you happy or doing what you’re passionate about. Take the chance to get to know your true self by writing or painting or going on adventures. You may find out things you never knew, find potential never before seen. Maybe take 30 minutes out of your day to meditate like the Buddhists who believe doing this clears your mind and brings enlightenment. Knowing yourself is a journey, and being yourself is the destination. So adventure into this crazy, messy life and find yourself; remember: “not all those who wander are lost.” Another tip to possibly better yourself or your life is to go with the flow. As said before, life is crazy. Part of that craziness is how uncontrollable it is. No matter how much control we wish to gain, it isn’t very realistic. We can plan to achieve the impossible, do so many great things, but life itself is such a mystery and amazing, so it’s insane and actually quite stressful to put yourself through the pressure of living under so many expectations and goals. You just have to try your best and move along with life no matter what it throws at you. While life is so crazy, so stressful, it doesn’t really have to be if you let what will be simply be instead of trying to control every aspect of your life. Yes, if you want to do something with your life, you should try your best, but if your best doesn’t work out, just allow whatever was meant to happen come. Live in the now instead of worrying. Your time will come and what is meant to be will be. High school and the social expectations that come with it are not everything. All too often, students crack under the pressure of not being enough for their peers or themselves. No matter how “skinny” or “fat,” how “pretty” or “ugly,” how “popular” or “unpopular” others or yourself make you feel, you’re just fine the way you are. No one, whether it’s someone else or yourself, should make you feel unworthy. Girls break and are suddenly starving themselves. Guys crack and are on steroids all of a sudden. The cheerleader is cutting herself, and the “nerd” is bullying a fellow classmate. Why does high school have to be such a jungle where we suddenly lose our minds and turn on our fellow man? While it is a primitive instinct, seeing how we are animals, that doesn’t mean we have to act like it because the world of high school is slowly breaking us and how we view ourselves. We need to bring each other up and destroy the ancient status quo placed on us so long ago. How we are viewed in this time doesn’t matter. It’s four years of our precious lives, so why waste them making yourself and others feel like they aren’t enough? We are given something every day no matter our situation. Your house may be crumbling, your grades may be dropping, your friends may be leaving, but you are breathing. That in itself is the most precious gift we can ever have. Even when life seems against you, you have a purpose to fulfill and a future to live, so instead of complaining or taking this life for granted, live your life to the fullest and appreciate every second. We don’t know when our time will end, so it’s better to live now and treasure these moments and breaths overlooked before they are taken away from us. All too often, humans don’t realize the value of life. It is so beautiful, so mysterious, so big, but we go on with our days not comprehending how lucky we are. Don’t waste your time, especially when you don’t know how much you have left, taking this wonderful world for granted or filling yourself with hate. If you are ever to find peace or happiness, you have to find your inner peace and appreciate your life. Breathe in, breathe out, live.
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Kids running around stores, parents trying to stay sane, online orders being shipped. This is Christmas shopping. Every year during Christmas time, so many things are being bought through online sites, stores, and even magazines.
Each year, there are so many new things being bought, and there are many newly wanted items of the year. “I’m a very big clothes fanatic,” sophomore Morgan Durrett said. “I’ve always just loved clothes. So, I probably just want more clothes for Christmas!” Everyone has something different that they want for Christmas each year. Some people want new technology, and some just want more money, but others stick to their inner child. “I want a Fingerling, a small monkey toy that wraps around your finger, because who wouldn’t want a monkey wrapped around their finger all day?” English III, 1301, and journalism teacher Amanda Ware said. All in all, there are so many different things that could be asked for during Christmas time, and who knows what will be the new and popular thing next year? Of course, some gifts are timeless. “Well I like shoes a lot, so getting shoes for Christmas would be something that I would like and would make me really happy,” sophomore Carly Barras said. By: M. Durrett
Dancing to the sound of music and making smiles, Christmas lights are here for the season. Many people love getting into the Christmas spirit with lights because they bring so much joy. “They make me feel like winter is the best season ever because that’s when all of the pretty lights are hung up,” sophomore Trinity Ford said. There are many things to love about Christmas lights. “My favorite thing about Christmas is just all of the pretty, bright lights that light up at almost every house at night,” Trinity said. “It just brings me joy.” Some people put up Christmas lights at their house and some don’t. “I put up Christmas lights at my house because it brings out the Christmas spirit,” sophomore Christian Helton said. Christmas lights just bring out the happiness for almost every one. They just seem to light up the night. By: C. Barras
Now that it’ś the month of December, everyone is putting up lights, decorating the tree, and spending time with family. All little kids run to the tree every morning, hoping that there’s a present for them under the tree. Parents stay out late buying gifts while their kids are asleep. Christmas is a very important holiday to many people around the world, but does anyone stop, think, and appreciate everything you have? People tend to get caught up in buying things for people and preparing food for family but never stop to relax. Having Christmas spirit means having joy. Christmas can be stressful, but sometimes it’s just better to stop and enjoy what goes on around you. Even if you think that it’s important to buy gifts, it all matters how kind and loving your heart is. Yes, gifts are nice, too, but if you think about it, spending time with family and just talking with friends about all the good times is a great gift for Christmas. So if you just show love and kindness, that could be the best kind of Christmas present to someone. By: H. Whitehead
The feeling you get around this time of year is absolutely extraordinary. Butterflies fill up your stomach giving you a feel of hope and passion. The chilled breeze slams right through your presence, forcing you to sip on warm holiday beverages which completes your heart. This sensation is like no other. It leaves you feeling relaxed and embraced with pure happiness. There is such a powerful magic making you feel this way. Kids are generally the ones that are filled with the most Christmas magic. They are excited and ready for Santa to come down the chimney and spoil them with presents. Baking gingerbread cookies and playing in the snow fills their tiny hearts with Christmas joy. In teens, the magic starts to fade away but not all times. Sometimes they are the ones who truly understand the magic. Even though Santa may be out of the question, there are many things keeping the spirit alive. Just sipping the hot chocolate on Christmas morning can give you a hopeful feeling. In adults, things are very different. They tend not to really feel the magic. This is because adults are constantly stressed out trying to make sure their family is happy. Once Christmas rolls around, they see their family opening up everything they ever wanted, screaming with absolute joy. That is what makes the adults feel the spirit. The Christmas magic hits people in many different ways, but as long as the spirit is circling in the air, everyone with should be jolly. You have a short life to live, so spread the magic. By: L. Adams, A. Walker
In the month of December, everyone is all caught up in the holiday spirit. Most people during this time are trying to buy the perfect presents or trying to catch a plane to their family or vacation, maybe even a family vacation. For many, the meaning of Christmas has been shifted. “Christmas isn’t what it used to be,” freshman Lessie Adams said. “The whole holiday is really about Jesus’ birthday. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love giving and receiving gifts, but what gifts do we give Jesus?” This time of the year, family and presents are on freshman Maranda Rogers’ mind. “The coming together part and the presents are really nice,” Maranda said. “I love to see the reactions on people’s faces when they open the presents.” For many people, Christmas is a religious holiday. “Food and family are my favorite things about Christmas,” freshman Alicia Walker said. “I think the true meaning of Christmas is celebrating Jesus’ birth.” No matter what you believe, be safe and responsible and have a great Christmas. By: J. Collins
On December 14, the band had their annual Christmas concert. The middle school and high school bands all played their hearts out and did their very best. The 6th grade played “Jingle Bells,” “Up on the Housetop,” “Jolly Ol Saint Nick,” and “A Good King Wenceslas.” The 7th and 8th graders played “Jingle Bells Upside Down,” “Carol of the Bells,” and “Silver Bells.” The high school played “The Bells of Christmas,” “Let It Snow,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Overall, many people enjoyed the great performances from the bands. “The middle school band did great,” middle school band director Benjamin Stuckey said. “In my opinion, they did better than last year.” Though the middle school did a good job, the high school did amazingly as well. “I think the band played very well,” high school band director Jeremy Hendrix said. “I think the audience enjoyed it.” Christmas music can be very hard to play, and the high school only had two weeks to prepare for the concert. Even with this drawback, they played very well. “Christmas music is always hard just because there are so many different versions of the same song,” Hendrix said. “The transitions of the songs can be difficult, but I think they still did very good.” The bands practiced very hard and played their hearts out, resulting in a great performance that many enjoyed. By: K. Butenshoen, R. Herrera
Coming to school with bags filled with cans of fruits, vegetables, and soups, helping children build their toys with smiles on their faces, and stacking boxes of food to help those in need. Not only is Christmas in the air but community service as well. The school had their annual school food drive, and the Student Council members went to help the shelter in Marshall on December 2. National Honors Society is going to help the Wonderland of Lights in Marshall. “I enjoy giving back to the people in my community,” junior Lynnleigh Otwell said. “The food drive is for a good cause, and I’m glad I could help.” At the homeless shelter, the members had all sorts of jobs like creating hygiene bags with soap, toothpaste, etc. They also stocked canned goods and handed out free pumpkins. “It feels great to help out my community because I have a really big heart, and knowing there are people out there in need is really sad, but I’m happy I’m able to help them out,” junior Harleigh Whitehead said. The school's upcoming act of community service will be volunteering at the Wonderland of Lights working with the children. “I’m excited to bring smiles to the children's faces and just to help out in general,” senior Annabelle Ellis said. With the exciting Christmas season, the community is coming together to help those in need while bringing smiles to people’s faces By: B. Copeland
Two recent graduates are making EF proud by becoming Marines. Lane Copeland and Cody Oden have recently graduated from Marine Boot Camp. Lane graduated on November 17, and Cody graduated on November 22. They both came home to celebrate Thanksgiving. They each got 10 days of liberty which means free time. Lane went to MCT, also called Marine Combat Training, on November 28. Cody went to MCT as well on December 2. Lane and Cody will be training until they get to come home on December 22. The boys get to celebrate Christmas at home. After Christmas, their military careers will begin. Lane will leave on January 3, and Cody is leaving January 9. By: K. Marcantel
The students of the month for December are freshmen Christen Smith and Reed Parker. Christen is the daughter of Jameriest Gates and Sharevia Harrison. This active girl is involved in volleyball, basketball, and softball. A science enthusiast, Christen says that her favorite class is biology. Off campus, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, especially her younger siblings. She also is known to relax by watching Netflix and sleeping. As for her future plans, Christen plans to graduate college and become a neonatal nurse. Reed is the son of Dan and Leslie Parker. Reed plays football both on and off the campus and is also involved in jazz band. The young man not only has physical strength but mental strength as well and claims that geometry is his favorite class. When he’s not learning school subjects, Reed learns strategies and teamwork by playing video games with friends. In the future, Reed intends to go to college in order to get a degree in engineering. |
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October 2022
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