Column: Columnist examines the cold feet crisis

by Amber Bartley

I was about to get all snug and toasty in my bed when I had a mind-boggling realization. When my feet clashed into one another, it was like I had been walking in the Arctic Circle for about four days in flip flops. It sent a chill up my spine, causing my entire body to suddenly become a frigid popsicle.

I’m no expert on anatomy or anything, but after a quick Google search, I have come to the conclusion that

1. I should wear socks more (duh, but sleeping with socks makes for an entirely different story).
2. I could have poor circulation.
3. I could have peripheral Neuropathy (I started ruling out Ask.com at this point).

I will admit that socks were not on my feet at that moment; however, ice cubed feet were still unacceptable. At what point in time during evolution had we become so prone to such a silly fault such as cold feet? We eradicated smallpox and rinderpest, but I can’t maintain any sort of heat in my feet?

I could do something ridiculous such as buy toe warmers (yes, they’re a real item, believe it or not), or, God forbid, go running. Both of these activities would be a waste of time for me, but they might be necessary if I spontaneously get frostbite indoors smack in the middle of summer. Watch out! It’ll be a movie and everything.

Poor circulation, hmm? Another quick Google search leads me to Living Green Magazine’s Eight Ways to Improve Circulation, which include:

1. Take a hike (How about no.)
2. Relax (They must be crazy. A high school student relaxed? Fat chance. )
3. Take the stairs (This one I could do.)
4. Have some blackstrap molasses (This is getting a bit weird)
5. Don’t pass on the spicy food (Okay, sure.)
6. Ginger and turmeric root (The weirdness has returned.)
7. Stretch ( Fantastic.)
8. Stop smoking! (Done and done.)

So basically, to not get hypothermia in the comfort of my home, I must be somewhat active and consume the contents of whatever pops out of the earth first. I still don’t understand the molasses, but it’s something to consider if it can thaw the ice surrounding my toes.

Column: Freshman shares tribute to her grandmother

by Amanda Rison

She lay there asleep in pain. She was on heavy medication as she slowly zoned on and out. As my family and I slowly approached the doorway, tears filled my eyes. I carefully wiped away the tears that lay on the brims of my eyes. I pulled on a plastic robe so in like walk in and see my dying grandmother without the risk of getting infection. I slowly walked past the metal doorway into the crowded hospital room.

I glanced into the room to see her lying lifeless on the baby blue and white sheets of the hospital bed. My mother softly patted my grandmother’a snow white, curly hair. Suddenly my grandmother’a eyes fluttered open. My mom whispered, “Mom, Barry and the kids are here to see you.”

She slowly looked up at us with such pale eyes and sickly stricken skin. “Oh good!” she said. “I’m so happy you all could make it. I love you all so much.”

All that was heard after that was the slow beeping of her heart monitor as I stared off in a daze. Before I knew it tears rolled down my cheeks uncontrollably. Somehow I knew this would be her last day on this Earth. I didn’t want to believe she would be gone soon. I would miss all of the memories that we shared as I grew up. If she lasted through the night, she planned to have surgery the following day. She wanted to pass on during the surgery.

I walked into the bathroom to get a tissue to wipe away the fresh tears. When I looked back over I noticed my brother was bent over talking to my grandmother and grasping her fragile hand as he cried. My mother knew it was time for us to go home.

I slowly walked out of the room. I tugged at the plastic robe, trying to get it off. My brother joined me out in the hallway and hugged me as we both cried. Soon my dad and my brother’a friend came out into the hallway with us. We all got in the car and left. We watched a movie or two and when the last movie ended, we all went to bed. I sat in my bed and stared off. I was thinking about my mom and grandmother.

Around 11 my dad called us into my brother’a room. He gathered us all together and told us that my grandmother had passed away. We cried and cried as I slowly sat on the floor. I couldn’t accept the fact that she was gone. She was sicker than she looks and acted. My dad left the house to go pick up my mom from the hospital.

When she got home I asked about my grandmother. My mom told me that before my grandmother left the Earth she said she loved us and then she looked up at Heaven and acted like she was going somewhere. The monitors were being shut down and she was gone.

We had a beautiful funeral service for my grandmother. I have come to accept that she has passed on. She is now in Heaven with God watching over my family and me. She will remain on my heart and mind forever until I meet her up in Heaven one day.

I know she is up in Heaven with her parents, husband, and son. She is walking around without any pain or worry. That’s all I could ask for.

Everyone should value memories. When people pass on or leave for a long amount of time, people rely on memories to remember certain people. I remember many memories of my grandmother because she is gone and I can’t make new memories to remember her by. People will always remain in other’s minds.

Rest in peace, Mary Lou Henderson.

Column: It’s time for the face-sucking chronicles to stop

by Avery Wohlleb

PDA, the Public Display of Affection, or more commonly known and better described as the annoying and disgusting couples who waste passing period swapping spit.

Holding hands and a peck here and there is tolerable, but catching couples attached at hip, sucking face and groping each other isn’t my view of choice on my way to English class.

Maybe the reason that PDA is so bothersome is because I don’t have someone sticking their tongue down my throat or maybe because I wake up at the crack of dawn to listen to seven different teachers for a loathing seven hours and at every turn I spy a pair of “high school sweethearts” fondling each other.

There happen to be two types of affectionate couples: The Preschool Romantics and The Almost Rated R’s.

The Preschool Romantics can arguably be more annoying than The Almost Rated R’s because they just laugh really loud and their flirting repertoire only consists of flipping around each other’s sweatshirt strings and playing the hand slap game. Although that grinds gears, nothing causes chronic nausea more than turning a corner and catching a hardcore make-out session complete with a locker pin-up.

Nothing is worse than seeing the same couple everywhere, always going at it. Before school, making out. In between class, making out. Lunch, making out. After school, making out. Probably riding the same bus together, making out. How have their lips not been limped out by exhaustion and fallen off their face?

Obviously, teenagers come in contact with each other and rounding the bases isn’t uncommon, but publicly displaying your racy acts isn’t necessary. I’m not sure it’s super romantic when you have a teacher eyeing you while you caress each other in the hallway anyway.

Just save the intimate feats for a more intimate scenario and that booty squeeze doesn’t have to be squeezed in between classes.

Column: Substitute teachers deserve respect, too

by Braden Schroeder

As is sit in the back of the classroom I feel terrible. They do not deserve to be treated like this. It is their job, yet they are disrespected.

Although the teachers left plans, it is not their fault that they are confused. Every day it is something new. People take advantage of them, telling them lies to get out of easy work.

It seems like some students see substitute teachers as the lowest form of human life. They are only there because the school says they have to be, think the students. The students ask them awkward questions like “How old are you?” or “Do you like to get drunk?” It is just very unfair that this person has to come in every day and hear the exact same remarks. These are good people, who get paid very little, yet they are disrespected.

For the few like me that respect them and do not make their job harder, thank you. But as I sit in the back of the room I can do nothing. I want to say, “Guys stop, let them do their job,” but I just cannot. I want to go up to them, shake their hand, and wish them a good day, but I do not. I know people will make fun of me or get mad at me and call me a suck up or a teacher’s pet, but really I am just being a good citizen.

I guess what bothers me the most is when someone says something stupid to a substitute and you suddenly see their face change. That little but of hope for a good class is gone in an instant. The smile as they are doing role call, gone. Their eyes close for a second, and their expression is gone. When they open their eyes and look up, their face looks like someone opened a door and saw something they did not want to see.

These substitute teachers are good people; they do not deserve the disrespect they get. But I guess I just will just sit there in the back of the class room watching this all happen, until others feel the same as I do.

Column: College rankings are sometimes faulty

by Haley Palmer

As a kid, I always kept a college list. Constantly topping the ambitious list was Harvard University. Black pen neatly printed across the crisp white paper represented my eager aspirations for the future. It was my ultimate goal. But why? Why as a nine year old child did it appall me to consider anything below the prestigious ivy leagues?

America loves a competition. In the race of life, people believe the star athlete wins a successful future, while the uncoordinated kid lagging in the back is destined for a life of mediocrity. And now, college choice is being added to the vast list of contests. Everybody wants to go to “the best college,” but does that really matter?

The reputation of the college a student attends is beginning to seem more important than the education they receive there. A recent study done by Art and Science LLC shows that two-thirds of students consider national rankings in their application process.While many students consider rankings, researchers aren’t sure if the rankings accurately reflect the quality of the degree from a particular school as opposed to the school’s ability to attract excellent students.Additionally, the process used to determine rankings is rather sketchy.

U.S. News & World Report is the largest college rankings producer.While it claimed its calculation formula changes for 2014 were “significant,” if you look at the explanation of how many points each category was granted, you’ll find that the most biased one, a school’s reputation, carries 22.5 percent of the whole. U.S. News stated:

“Undergraduate academic reputation (22.5 percent): The U.S. News ranking formula gives significant weight to the opinions of those in a position to judge a school’s undergraduate academic excellence. The academic peer assessment survey allows top academics — presidents, provosts, deans of admission — to account for intangibles at peer institutions such as faculty dedication to teaching.”

Huh. Officials at contending schools are expected to “accurately” judge each other’s faculty dedication to teaching? I sense a load of rubbish.

Some other weights are:

• Retention (22.5 percent)
• Faculty resources (20 percent)
• Student selectivity (12.5 percent)
• Financial resources (10 percent)
• Graduation rate performance (7.5 percent)
• Alumni giving rate (5 percent)

Considering that at least 15 percent of the college ranking is based on wealth of the schools and 20 percent on faculty resources (35 percent of that figure determined by the salaries of the professors), the rankings seem to consist of irrelevant factors.

When looking at the student selectivity rating, you’ll notice that 65 percent is determined by the ACT and SAT scores of the students.

“Student selectivity (12.5 percent): A school’s academic atmosphere is determined in part by the abilities and ambitions of the students.”

Three components make up the student selectivity score: The admissions test scores for all enrollees who took the reading and math portions of the SAT and the composite score; the proportion of enrolled freshmen who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes or in the top quarter at Regional Universities and Regional Colleges; and the acceptance rate.

Power Score, an ACT Preparation site, stated, “High ACT scores are secretly coveted by colleges and universities because officials want to boost the average ACT score of the incoming class in order to appear more selective than competing schools.”

While test scores are greatly considered both in the admissions process and the ranking methodology, student GPAs are not a factor on the list, even though “they are the only piece of numerical data that can reveal hard work, self-discipline, and consistency.

Although it is important that student test scores are a component of student selectivity, taking into account the average GPA is also necessary if the rankings are to be accurate.

So, students who scan those lists probably shouldn’t put a lot of value in them. A college may seem to be the epitome of a perfect college, but is it really when the ranking is determined by a whole bunch of faulty factors?

Column: Live a fun, worry-free life

by Billy Pierce

The main problem I have to deal with is the uncertainty of my path in life.  I mean, I just don’t know.  There are many talents that I have.  For example, I am a runner but who knows if I am good enough to run in college – there are a lot of miles between now and my graduation.  I also play guitar and I am in a band but, hey, what’s the chance of being famous, right?  Everyone wants to be famous but chances are so slim, they’re nil.  I could go on for hours about the “what if’s” in life but I don’t want to waste your time.

Life is a road; each turn taken affects the driver in some way.  I am not saying I won’t get famous; I could, but not likely if you listen to the struggles of starving actors and musicians.  The life road keeps going until meeting life’s dead end.  No one wants to reach the dead end without finding that one turn, that one path that will give life meaning. Now don’t call me Mr. Depressing, it’s science and we cannot “dodge” fate – so don’t just waste this life.  Unless finding the Fountain of Youth is a possibility in your life… just saying.  I cannot be alone; I just cannot be the only FC student that does not know what his or her path in life will be.

To the kids who do not know what to do out of high school, this is for you.  According to the Princeton Review, 70 percent of students are stressed about college and life choices. Students are stressed over the costs of college, if they have a high enough GPA, will they enjoy their college, or should they even go to college.  So, fortunately, we are not the minority when it comes to worrying about our path in life.  We don’t have anything wrong with us, we are normal. School is a major factor that can help find anyone’s calling; your job could involve a favorite class, the subject you are strongest in, a sport that’s played, or none of these.

Now, I cannot choose a human’s life choices, but a couple of steps can help any fellow student find peace and also help readers not stress about the future while trying to find “the path.”  According to travel writer Lacy Edney, breathing helps clear the mind.  Edney says it is surprising by how just breathing in and out calms people down.

Secondly, do not let finding life goals get in the way of your true responsibilities, what needs to be completed each day.  Working on those calms you down.

Thirdly, definitely take care of yourself and stay healthy.  Fourth, remember to sit back and think about what and who you are grateful for in your life right now.

Last, sometimes just let go.  Play outside, ride a bike – just have serenity.  We are on a quest to find our path in life but we also want to live a worry-free and fun life.

Column: Freshman encourages peers to avoid taking life for granted

by Sydney LaDuke

Picture the scene: I’m on my way home from summer vacation in Florida with my aunt, uncle, and little cousin. I glance out my window and see the white sandy beaches racing by on one side and a handful of little quaint condos on the other. Everything is so peaceful and the way it should be. Life is great. I’m happy.

After what seems like ages sitting in a cramped compact car, we finally get home. I see my dad sitting in the parking lot waiting for me. He unloads my things, we say our goodbyes and we pull out of our spot. He drives and parks at the gas station across the street. He just sits there. Not a single word leaves his mouth, just a blank stare across his face. Then he looks at me. I then know that something wasn’t right. I ask, “What’s wrong?” He just looks at me. That look will now be forever engraved into my mind. He says, “It’s back. The cancer. Your mom is in the hospital waiting for you.”

The thought of my mom having cancer again never even came close to crossing my mind. Those words pierce my ears and I can’t do anything but think. Not saying anything back, just listening to how it happened killed me inside. So many endless thoughts raced through my head. Tears suddenly start dripping down my face all the way to my neck, I’m still speechless. My happiness is now gone and will never come back the same was as it did before.

. . .

That was me. Three years ago, hearing how my life will immediately change forever. Nothing will ever be the same. It was like holding my entire life in my hands and then in a matter of seconds it being stolen from me by one single dreadful word: cancer.

I have one operating philosophy about life, it is this; don’t go through life, day by day thinking nothing bad will ever happen to you. I personally think that people today take life as they know it for granted. Events happen to us every day and we never know if those conditions will possibly change our life for the worst.

Even if things really do happen for a reason, I have yet to determine what that reason is. I want to enjoy the life I have now, and take whatever is coming at me head-on, even if there are some missing pieces. What happened to me was no one’s fault, it just happened. Nobody can change it, we just live with it.

We can’t have an exact plan for our life. We have to prepare for the one waiting for us.

Column: Freshman urges peers to ‘take a chance,’ credits her success to NJROTC

by Karli Coleman

I used to be like you.

I used to loathe the idea of school entirely. Waking up in the morning was the hardest task to accomplish throughout the entire day. Perhaps the reason I struggled so much was because I didn’t have anything worth laboring for. I couldn’t grasp a good motivator to wake me up in the morning; the only factors of life I found bliss in anymore was everything that was venomous for me.

Middle school is typically a difficult time for many. It’s that awkward period in a person’s young life; you’re either awkward and ugly and blissful, or you’re awkward, ugly and sad. Middle school is filled with decisions that people regret.

Many of these decisions and distasteful memories that people sourly reminisce on from their middle school years are miniscule little hiccups, such as their “scene phase” and that time they dated a boy for two days and claimed to be in love five hours before they broke up.

My middle school years were bad, but in many different ways. In middle school, I was arguing with my parents every night and I would step off the bus being greeted by police cars in my driveway. I participated in actions that most people in middle school don’t do. I made ignorant decisions and seemed to lack the ability to stay out of trouble. I didn’t know how to do that.

I dreaded walking into school every day just as much as I dreaded coming home to my parents. Either way, I felt trapped in a room filled with misery and listlessness. I lacked compassion, and possessed too much apathy. I didn’t care about much, and there wasn’t much of anything in my life that added a spark of positivity. All I seemed to enjoy were the negative factors that just shoved me deeper in the hole I was stuck in.

I expected high school to be even worse. If middle school was so horrible, high school has got to be absolutely unbearable, right? High school is an entirely different experience for many, and mostly people hear about how horrible it is. In middle school, my grades hit the floor and my parents were almost embarrassed to claim me as their child. Most parents had something to be proud of. I didn’t really have much to show for myself, then. High school was just going to be another huge disappointment.

I was wrong. I discovered ROTC. Many people don’t give the company the chance that it deserves. ROTC is more than marching and wearing a military uniform every Wednesday. In a way, joining NJROTC changed my life and it was in the best way possible.

Courage, honor, and commitment. Those are the core values of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and they are the core values that FC’s NJROTC program stands by. Learning and living by these values is very important, and has changed me in the best way possible. It might change you, too.

Upon joining ROTC and involving myself in it, I’ve found the motivation to work hard and improve myself. I’ve found the motivation to keep my grades up, and it gives me something to look forward to when I step into FC’s building in the morning.

What I really love about ROTC is the values it instills into cadets. It prepares cadets for their future, instills the core values into them and helps them learn leadership skills backed by the skills of being a follower as well. ROTC is all about becoming a leader and achieving self-discipline.

Many people don’t give the program a chance, but I am so glad that I did. I’ve finally invested in something that makes my parents proud, and I’ve turned myself around and picked myself up. Senior Chief Mike Beal and Chief Warrant Officer Gunner Mike Epperson are outstanding instructors, and inspiring individuals to look up to and learn from.

I pity those that don’t have something to give them a reason to wake up in the morning. I used to be in their shoes. It isn’t fun.

If there is nothing for you to do at school, and if there is nothing that you find compassion in, try joining ROTC’s company. Many don’t believe it’s the program for them, but surprises are possible. Everyone was shocked that the rebellious girl that spent her time drawing on her eyebrows and throwing down in a moshpit would ever be interested in something like JROTC.

JROTC offers scholarships, various teams to participate in and enjoy and teaches cadets skills and habits that will carry on into their lives after high school. ROTC has already taught me so much in my first year in joining and has helped me turn myself around. I didn’t expect to enjoy this so much, but I do. It is a huge source of happiness for me.

Wear that sharp khaki uniform with pride, work hard to get promoted and the benefits that are to be reaped are more rewarding than words can describe. Pride is beginning to hold my shoulders up.

I used to be like you. But now I have learned to enjoy school, become a better person, and unlock potential in myself that I was never aware I possessed. Anybody who is reading this has the ability to change their life if they are not happy with what they are doing or who they are. Every single person on this universe is given the chance to change their life into something they can revel in. Expect the unexpected. Take chances.

Column: Senior offers tips on conquering high school ‘hell way’

by Allie Moburg

The first step to conquering any foe is knowing what you are up against. The high school hallway provides many obstacles for the scholar on his or her way to class. In order to conquer the “hell”-way one must be able to recognize these obstacles.

Art by Allie Moburg.

The first, and probably most common, obstacle encountered is a group of hallway goers that I like to refer to as “Baywatch”-ers. Yes, every students’ favorite part of the hallway experience. “Baywatch”-ers are the hallway dwellers who seem to move in slow motion. Contrary to popular belief, moving slower does not always have the same effect as seen in ’90s lifeguard drama television. Rather than stares of admiration, “Baywatch”-ers receive glares of aggravation as students frantically try to scurry around in an attempt to get to class on time.

Another common hallway hindrance is a large group of people I have dubbed as “Locker Blockers.” These avaricious groups tend to gather in large clumps next to, you guessed it, lockers. This then creates a narrow wedge for fellow students to try and sidle their way past. Not only does this force peers to battle the wall as well as the oncoming traffic jam, but it prohibits others from getting to their lockers as well. It must be assumed these all-important conversations are truly life-changing.

Very similar to “Locker Blockers” are the “Muddlers.” “Muddlers” are known to simply gather right in the middle of the hallway. This is basically a way for a group to inadvertently say,”What we’re doing is more important than what everyone else is doing.” All other traffic is forced to adjust around this one group of people. Cases of “Muddlers” can also be smaller. This category could include a group of two who stop to discuss something or even one person who decides to wait in the middle of the hallway for another person. To me, “Muddlers” are those who create disorder in the flow of the hallway traffic. As Merriam-Webster Online maintains, to muddle is to mix confusedly or make a mess of.

Another obstacle Found in the hallway is a group of boys that every student will most likely encounter at some point. I have decided to call this group the “Rowdyruff Boys,” and yes, that is a ‘Powerpuff Girls’ reference Also, I’m sorry boys, but this obstacle, in my experience, is male dominated. If a pupil ever finds themselves in the hallway with a group of “Rowdyruff Boys,” beware because, this is probably the most dangerous hurdle a hallway goer will have to face.This group tends to be, as the name lends, well, rowdy. They push each other and generally just horse around seemingly oblivious to those around them. This group pays no attention to fellow students who, subsequently, receive more damage than the intended “victim.”

The final obstacle on my list is what I refer to as “Siamese Twins.” This is a little nickname for those couples in the hallway that are always touching. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly am not talking about every couple, just the ones that interrupt the daily commute to class for other students. An example of this is when a couple may decide to hold hands, but instead of walking close together they walk farther apart, thus creating an impenetrable link that is impossible for other students to get around if they’re in a hurry. Let’s be real. Couples tend to walk more leisurely than those flying solo, Now, that’s fine, but slow along with a chain of limbs stretching across a student’s path is not a recipe for getting to class on time. The other problematic situation that can pop up in the hallway does just that, it pops up out of nowhere. This situation is when a couple is walking in front of a bunch of people in the hallway and they stop, very abruptly, for a surprise PDA session. I don’t personally get bothered by PDA too much but, take my word for it, if you are walking too close and this happens the results tend to be very uncomfortable for most involved.

So, those were five common obstacles seen in the hallway. Watch for the obstacles the next time you find yourself sauntering through the halls and, here’s the big secret to conquering the hallway just try to avoid them. It seems pretty simple but, yes, just try to keep an obstacle-free route when walking to class. Do this and hopefully enjoy a foe-free frolic through the hallway.