By Sydnee Conroy The evening of Halloween, I walked into Walmart with my 7 year old sister and headed towards the candy aisle. We had run out of candy to hand out and needed to restock. As we walked, she turned her tiny body to me and asked why the stores “totally skipped Thanksgiving.” I had nothing to say; up until then, I hadn’t even … Continue reading Is Thanksgiving crumbling beneath the pressure of Christmas?
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. Continue reading Protected: Examining Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird
By Austin Lammers The Seventh Day has been humanity’s sacred day since biblical times. The Fourth Commandment, the Bible, and the one who wrote it, agrees with me. “On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates,” the Book of Exodus … Continue reading The Day of Rest Has Become a Fantasy
By Jacob Knutson To my fellow graduates, our families, and our teachers: Before I get to the “life advice that you will soon forget” portion of my letter, I would love for you to take 15 seconds. Yes, 15 agonizing, incessant seconds, if you will, to think about some of the people who helped you get to this milestone we’re achieving, to graduation. Think of … Continue reading To my fellow graduates: A letter
By Austin Lammers The last month of school before summer is the best time to observe students. The weather begins its transition from an Alaskan tundra to a Midwestern spring. The sun no longer creeps out of the sky at 4:30 but instead floats in the sea of blue for an additional three hours, tempting those of us with homework to put the pencil down … Continue reading April Showers Bring Long May Hours
By Jacob Knutson When I arrive at lunch and sit amongst my peers, and I enjoy gazing into the immense sea of possibilities. I see a future writer pawing their way through another book, a future mathematician squeezing in another problem before the bell rings, a comedian cracking another joke. As I look out, above my lunch, at numerous vials of potential, I begin to … Continue reading How Will We Handle the Inevitable Change?
By Avery Friedt Last Saturday, I, like many of my fellow upperclassmen, was dancing my heart out at prom. In the middle of a particularly upbeat song, I felt the tape that was holding my dress up start to come unstuck. Not wanting to have a Janet Jackson like wardrobe malfunction on the dance floor, I hurried to the bathroom, where I rushed into the … Continue reading Prom Dresses Need Pockets: One Girl’s Unfortunate Event
By Nicholas Fay Does God exist? If so, where is he and why is there suffering in the world? For many years different civilizations have tried to answer these questions. Religions sprout from these civilizations as ways to answer the question of higher power, but no one group can agree with each other on just what is that higher power. In contemporary times, we now … Continue reading Debating God’s Existence: A Primer on Common Arguments
By Austin Lammers Our high school years are striding on, bringing frequent and mandatory presentations on ‘post-high planning’ and questions from elders and relatives about what we would like to do with the next 50 years of our life, even if we have not the slightest clue. Though some of us are unaware of what we are destined to pursue in our adulthood, whether it … Continue reading The Truth about Testing
By Jacob Knutson For many it is easy to condense the definition of a patriot as one who defends, supports and loves his/her country. While this phrase may include the baseline meaning of a patriot, it is discrediting to tether such a deep concept to such a broad statement. In order to find the true definition of an American patriot, without dishonoring the concept, we … Continue reading What is a Patriot? Enriching Our Understanding of a Common Term
By Danae Schilling I have a big family. When I was younger, it wasn’t so big and all of the cousins were extremely close. Every time the eleven of us got together, we had a blast! When we were up at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, we did not leave a single inch of the place untrodden or unexplored; from the two bedroom attic with racks … Continue reading The Climbing Tree
By Molly Boehler When I am out in public, my gal pals and I always go to the bathroom as a group. For some reason boys think it is so weird and they make fun of us. This really peeves me. What is their problem? Now let me explain why this ticks me off. Boys do not know the dangers of public restrooms. I know … Continue reading Why One Girl Never Goes to the Bathroom Alone
By Austin Lammers As we all probably have noticed, Christmas vacation and finals week have passed at an alarming rate. Our 14 day weekend, followed by a food hangover, followed by a week of forgetting all past materials during tests, followed by another four day weekend, have come and gone with the disposal of many calendars. What’s next? The holiday for romantics, hopeless or not, … Continue reading Valentine’s Day: The Holiday for the Genuine Romantic?
By Avery Friedt Media is fantastic. TV, magazines, and social networks all help keep us connected and informed. Unfortunately, the media has reached a whole new level, a level that is causing more harm than good. It is giving young girls a false perception of what they have to look like to be considered “beautiful”. Beauty has become unachievable. When I open up a magazine, … Continue reading Media’s Influence Continues to Weigh on Females
By Austin Lammers Today, I walked into my 3rd period math class in a secluded part of Central High School, as I do every afternoon following lunch. I took my seat like a good boy and tried to ignore the people who thought their conversations about owning more firearms than teeth and driving trucks that have a slightly quieter rev than a Boeing’s engine should … Continue reading Restructuring Our School in My Sleep
The Pine Needle 