What exactly did they have back then?  Well before the technology we have today people would, instead of going on their computers and playing and chatting online, go outside with their friends and have fun by, say going to a bowling alley.  Instead of talking to relatives Living far away via a quick email people had to send letters that may not even arrive to its destination, and even if it did it would often take a while for it to be delivered.  Now we have the Internet to send emails to people that can take less than a few seconds to get across the entire world.  But this quick, faceless, and impersonal new style of messaging has its bad sides as well.  For example, because of the new messaging style the new generation is the least empathetic generation of all time, as researched by the University of Michigan, and this can cause severe amounts of cyber bullying.  There has also been a dramatic change in availability to information.  Nowadays, as long as you are connected to the Internet you can learn almost anything, anywhere, and at anytime desired; however before the Internet a person would have to drive to their library and search through the books for the information that they wanted.  The availability to access so much stuff can have negative effects as well; everyday children are exposed to more and more filth such as pornography.  If a child really wants to access something like this then eventually they will, regardless of their parent’s approval of it.  Ever since the Internet, schools have been rapidly changing.  In the 1990’s students would do everything on paper and would have to look through archives of encyclopedia in order to find details to any kind of schoolwork that they may have.  But, after new technologic advances students can get all of the information they could possibly need, Also classes are moving closer and closer to the internet, in fact it is possible to take a large amount of classes on the internet without even having to leave your bed. Mr. Shaw, a high school teacher had this to say about the Internet’s involvement in class, “It has greatly enhanced my ability to access information and share it with my students”.

Cell phone usage has also changed the world in many ways.  Cell phones have allowed the ability to communicate with anybody at almost any place in the world. Needless to say, the ability to communicate at such a rapid and convenient way will change how we all live. Before cell phones were around people had to go through the hassle of gathering all their friends together in order to do things like gossip or catch up on the latest rumors.  But now that phones are around most people only have to reach into their pocket, pull out a piece of plastic and press a few buttons to find out everything that has been happening with their friends and family.  The cell phone has changed many things; this includes the act of bullying.  Like the internet, cell phones have made talking faceless and impersonal which can cause kids to say things to people that their sense of decency usually would not allow them to do, this can lead to kids being bullied so much that they are willing to commit suicide which is exactly what Joseph Daniel Scruggs (a severely bullied student) did.

The world of video games has also gone through huge changes since the Atari times.  Advancing from their 8-bit predecessors, newer games are much faster, much smarter, of higher visual quality, and are also much more violent.  When video games were started they were about as simple as a arrangement of pixels no more advanced then a small square; however, video games have been making rapid progress since those times.  Instead of Atari’s space invaders being about as advanced games as they get, these games ability to make a super realistic simulation of armed combat is only matched by the huge amounts of money made selling these games to the billions of players worldwide.  Newer, more violent games have also brought a huge amount of negative attention.  Many parents take a strong opposing stance claiming that video games make kids think and act more violently. Cassandra Holtsclaw, a parent says this about violent video games, “Yes, I believe that these violent games are bad for our kids”.  Video game designers however are defended by Harvard Medical School center and the journal adolescent health proving that there is no correlation between violent video games and violent teenagers.

In addition to new games, cell phones, and the Internet. Technology has become smaller and portable.  For example, the TVs of the 90’s were at least 75 pounds and had somewhat small screens.  Newer TV’s can have more than twice the screen size and have much less weight.  Like the cell phones, video games have reached the handheld world.  Things like the bulky PS2 could easily be played in almost any form of transportation thanks to the new portable gaming systems such as the PSP. Chase Howell, a student described the ability to play games mobile like this, “I think a mobile gaming device is a key part of future of gaming”.

The world certainly has changed in the past few decades, with the Internet, video games, and new cell phones being invented or improved.  Whether these changes are good or bad is always argued for some reason, but always remember that the world is still bound to have advances and new inventions to come and change our lives in the future.

The newest addition to the Saugatuck baseball/softball family is Demerest Field; the four-year-old baseball complex brings those desired feelings to the baseball team every time they walk out onto the field. The expansive dugouts, freshly groomed infield and completely fenced in area give them the security and determination that a good game is on the way.

The softball team, however, has mixed feelings as they walk out onto their field for the first time in nearly a year.  The outfield is like a minefield, completely covered in potholes and craters from the previous fall where the middle school rocket football team holds their practice every afternoon. There are certain places where the grass doesn’t even exist anymore! There’s nothing left but a section of mud.

The infield actually just got re-done, because the previous year’s infield was a caution area all on its own. Who knows how long it was—before this year—since that infield has ever been replaced or groomed properly?

Imagine walking out onto that field, feeling all of those feelings and watching your feet for craters, when you look up and notice that the fence starting at the left field foul line extends all the way down past the zone where the ball is still “in play”. Then you notice the right field fence; which, also starting at the foul line, simply stops after it passes the score board. If you connect the two visuals together, you should be getting an image of a softball diamond without a center fence. Center field is wide open.

But never fear! The temporary fence is here! The ominous blue bendy fence that gets stretched around center field every year sits humbly on the outskirts of the field, essentially taunting each and every player as they walk out.

The feelings of unease start, here. Remorse floods each outfielder’s mind as they remember the umpteen number of balls hit into the outfield that sneak past them and slide under the fence—automatically giving the other team second base, when we could have easily kept them at first with our aggressiveness. Or even worse, when we smack a “rope”—softball lingo—into the gaps of center and left field or center and right, easily making it to third base or more, and it shimmies right under the fence, pulling us back to second.

Third basemen Nikki Kupres knows first hand what it feels like to have to ball slide under the fence. She hit a great line drive just a few games ago right through the eyes of the center fielder with one extra person on first base. Nikki is told to hold at second and the other person holds as well, only on third base. Nikki says, “That’s a loss of runs! It also sucks because you’ll never know how far you could have actually gone if the ball stayed in bounds. It could have been an in-the-park homerun!”

She also feels that the field is embarrassing to her home team in the eyes of the visitors. “It [the field] doesn’t reflect well. It’s honestly embarrassing!” It doesn’t reflect a positive outlook on the team themselves.

Off of the topic of simply the horrendous temporary fence and the players’ embarrassment, Coach Matt Diaz also believes that the softball field needs some improvements, “I would love for our field to be completely enclosed. I believe this would make teams earn bases instead of given to them on errant throws. Right now every throw missed is automatically an extra base for a team.”

Winning and losing are major differences when it comes to a varsity sport, and when balls hit weak spots in the field—it all has the possibility of changing the outcome of the game. These are things that the players have no ability to control. When the ball hits a lump in the infield and spins in a totally different direction, there is nothing that can be done but to simply roll with the play.

The softball field not only has support from its players and coaches, but also from parents who get sick of seeing the run down nature of the field when it could be so much better. Mike Eveland, father to the varsity pitcher stated, “They [softball field] need major improvements, and if they can do it [make improvements] to the baseball field…softball is just as important to the school as baseball is, so why give more presidency to one team than the other?”

Demerest Field was built when the new varsity football field was put into place because the placement of the new football field completely eliminated the varsity baseball field. There was a millage passed to build the new “Dan Wilson Plaza” and evidently Demerest Field, but there didn’t seem to be a single dollar left over to make even some of the necessary improvements to the softball field. Negligence seems to be a key factor in the condition of the softball field.

There are young girls that still have a whole high school softball career ahead of them; how are they going to feel when they get up to the varsity level to practice their very first varsity practice of their first varsity season and their field is falling apart?

The softball field and players need equal attention as the baseball team. A temporary snow fence does not come close to equaling a true center field fence, a rugged outfield is not going to help the outfielders catch balls and make outs and win games, nor is a rigid infield going to help the infielders make essential plays. Softball needs equal opportunity to make their field as good as can be possible. Maybe then they could feel better about hosting a game, and playing on a field that looks as good as they feel when they play.

Originally, when she began to dance, the only classes that were offered were ballet, and tap dance. As the program expanded, more classes began to become available to her. Her love and interest for dance began to grow, as she began to take further classes. “I started in Kindergarten many years ago, and I just loved it.” Monica stated.

For the past 12 years, Monica has committed herself to dancing almost every day. Her dance schedule generally consists of an hour on Mondays and Tuesdays, an hour and forty-five minutes on Wednesdays and an extensive four-hour long practice every Friday. Abby McDuff, a former classmate stated, “I have been dancing with Monica for 11 years, and she is very dedicated.”

Because of her practice, she has made dance look easy to the public eye, but behind the scenes, her heart and on-going commitment to dance has made her a stunning dancer, and an excellent performer.

For Monica, dance has given her the ability to express her emotions through a different type of communication. Dancing for 12 years has taken extreme patience and dedication along with balancing schoolwork and family.

In addition to dance, Monica strives in the classroom environment as well as the dancing atmosphere, juggling between two Advanced Placement (AP) classes: English and History, along with a foreign language class, and a huge time commitment of being Saugatuck’s Drum Major.

The dedication she has to her dancing goes to show how well rounded and dedicated she is to everything she does. Monica has always had a passion for dancing, and continues to work hard everyday to perfect herself in her techniques.

Have you ever wondered how Autism works? Many kids are diagnosed with autism at an early age. Most cases are found out by the age of 3-5 years old. Most kids either act at a different age group than their actual age. Example: A kid at age 15 could act like a 13 year old or an 18 year old. Autism can stay with you your entire life. It also could stay with you through your college years and then you mature enough that the side effects are too small to even notice.

Autism isn’t a disease or anything. It’s a mental function that hasn’t developed right. Many people notice the signs of Autism in their kid at a young age because they either act differently that a previous kid or stands out from other kids. Most signs don’t get developed until the person is older because sometimes kids develop at different rates than their peers. Most take years to mature while some mature faster than others.

Education and Autism are two things that either gets along together or not. A student that has Autism can be good or bad. Some student’s work really well with others, and some do not. Most times students need to be doing something while they work or they need to have a project that is hands on so they can learn better. Some may learn best if they are auditory learner (need to hear things) or learn better while multi-tasking.

I am a student with Autism and I know how most others with Autism work. Kids many act differently or act in many different ways with or around other peers. Some students want attention, pressure (like hugs), or play time to get the feeling they want. Every child with Autism is different. Every symptom eventually fades while the person matures. Most symptoms are found very easy. Like hugging, touching, annoyance, always wants attention, and doesn’t like to be alone for long periods of time.

It’s not easy living with autism. People may bully you in your early years because they think you are a weak target to pick on. Sometimes kids will get into fight because they are getting picked on so much. I have learned to ignore it because the weak ones are really the ones who bully others because they are not strong because you pick on a weaker target. Most of the time I see teens with autism hang around others with autism in groups dotted around school. Sometimes the best thing to do in school is to hang out with others that have the same functions you have in common with. Most times autistic children find it hard to find friends outside of their groups.

Many people didn’t know what autism was throughout history. Many thought it was a mental disability and gave kids medicine to try and counter the symptoms. Some medicine would cause the child to act calm or not always hyper. The bad side to this is that once the child was of the medicine they would start all over of what they were previously doing.

Temple Grandin was a movie about a child who had autism at a young age. People would pick on her all the time because she acted differently and did stuff on her own. Her teacher helped her get through high school when they had time to spare time to give her. Later in the movie Temple graduated high school and started getting picked on in the work force on a cow farm. She soon became the designer of a new cow factory that was suitable to slaughtering cows. She made it through high school because she invented a machine that she called “the squeeze machine” which would, when she pulled a lever, the machine would squeeze her like someone that was hugging her.

Claire Danes played as Temple in the movie showing how life was for Temple as a young child. Claire showed how Temple made it though her school years and what she did when she was older.

My opinion is that students with autism should hang out with other people and let them mature on their own. Some parents may try and keep their children away from others, therefore the child will not mature correctly and then later on in school others don’t want to be around them because they act differently than everyone else. I believe parents should let their kids roam around with others and mature with them instead of having them being left out at school and other activities. In my opinion, students with autism should be able to hang out with who they want and not be bullied by others with or without autism.

In society today there exist many different types of gamers such as casual gamers, hardcore game and those who play Facebook games. These different gamers are scattered across the entire world but they are united with the fact video games growing more and more popular. Some gamers even exist right here in Saugatuck.

Current gamers have the benefit of having a wide selection of high quality games to choose from. Whether some likes RPG, First person shooter, adventure, open-world game, they could most likely find a amazing game such as Skyrim, that fits that at least one of those categories. Andrew Holtsclaw a gamer at Saugatuck Schools says that he mostly prefer game genres that are “Action/Adventure”. People who are also attracted to high quality visuals and neat designs are drifting more to video games, especially PC games as video game developers continue to make there games look better and better. When asked the question “How important are graphics to you?” Andrew Poolman responded by saying that “I don’t really mind [graphics] “. This gamer also says that the PC is favorite game platform. Games have also been made the main source of entertainment by people because they’re a more engaging entertainment medium than TV/Movies. Gamers today have both a good selection of creative style games, for example Borderlands and realistic style games such as The Witcher. On the idea of which one is preferable a creative style game or a realistic style game a person who would like to remain nameless, responded by saying “I like both.”

Indie games have also played a big role in diversifying the entertainment that gamers can consume. Indie games are defined as games that are produced without the financial support of a video game publisher. Minecraft is a perfect example of a successful indie game that people love because of its open world, building and survival qualities. While Minecraft is not known for it’s amazing graphics gamers who enjoy the game. Indie games having been growing in popularity due to a website called kick-starter. Kick-start allows gamers to pitch directly fund games they think would do well their own donations. Funding a game in this way removes the need for a video game publisher and creates more indie games simultaneously in the process. The Iphone marketplace games are another common way to find Indie games because the simplistic mechanics of Iphone games don’t cost a lot of money to perfect. Indie games are commonly found on the online video game market place known as “Steam”. Steam is also a great asset for PC gamers because “Steam” functions as a digital market place for literally thousands of games where users can simply download to their computer and play. Steams creator “Valve” is also famously known for it’s games such as “Half-life” and “Left 4 dead”, as well as many others.

With more and more and people becoming gamers in the world today the idea of average people being gamers in the world today becomes increasingly common as well. Facebook and Iphone games play a huge role in getting more average people playing video games because they can supply games with game play mechanics that are simple but also entertaining as well. Especially some games that succeed in this endeavor are game such as Angry birds, Temple run, Mafia wars, Farmville.

Within this school I have also noticed the vast majority of the guys in my grade are gamers whether they are gamers on the PS3, Xbox 360 or PC. There is the seemingly obligatory debate between which console is better Xbox 360 or PS3. The Wii never appears to make it into these debates most likely because not a lot of people in my grade play it as the majority guys in my grade prefer first person shooters i.e. Call of Duty. The Wii also is meant to be a family friendly console and features new versions of classics Nintendo games such as Pokemon and Zelda. This first person shooter genre also leads to a large amount of video game rage from people camping, and lag. Other factors of this video game rage are things such as overpowered weapons (commonly abbreviated as OPed) and generally unbalance that Call of Duty games are well known for. Some extra rage also comes from the fact that Call of duty’s multiplayer never goes any place new and hasn’t that many game play changes. Battlefield on the other hand has many deferent kinds of game play changes in addition to the standard shooting and stabbing. Players can destroy almost any barriers they want to, with the right amount firepower and actually drive around a diverse set of vehicles. While these dramatic changes aren’t exactly interesting for professional all of these slight, refreshing changes for average gamers add up to make a more interesting game as well and as a lot of the time happier players

For the most part there aren’t that many hardcore female gamers as there are hardcore male video gamers because whether it is Xbox 360, PS3, or PC, video games themselves are generally marketed to older male audiences anyway. That is changing though because of games such as Mass Effect were players have the option to play though the game as either a female main character or a male main character as opposed games where a male character is the only option.

Although gamers have many things in common and things that are different, all gamers share one main thing in common. That is that all gamers no matter where in the world can have a much better gaming experience than they did in the past. Also, every thing in gaming is constantly changing whether it is for better or for worse. The way gamers get games is changing from buying physical copies in the store to digital distribution while sitting at home, as well to the overall quality and depth of a games that is steadily increasing for the better and not the worse.

Black people have overall been greatly discriminated against as a race. Slavery may have been outlawed for awhile, but segregation was still a problem. As more and more Blacks realized how mistreated they were, more and more stood up and spoke out against those who partook in their mistreatment. The Ku Klux Klan, an anti-immigration organization devoted to the supremacy of Whites, had created a stronghold in the city by the 1920’s, and by the 1940’s, fights between the two bucking races were becoming more common. The Klan, as it was also known as, was known to hold rallies where they set a cross on fire, and stand around it. By the mid-1900’s, the KKK had also taken a stand against communism, even though they were known to utilize terrorism to further their goals.

Then, the omnipresent hatred between Black and White men boiled over into a full-scale riot. According to www.pbs.org, it was on the evening of June 20, 1943, in the integrated amusement park known as Belle Isle that the infamous Race Riot began. Also according to pbs.com, rumors had spread throughout the city, causing more Whites and Blacks to join in on the fighting, and eventually, more than 6,000 federal troops were stationed around the city to prevent further destruction. In the end, twenty-five African American residents lay dead, as did nine White residents. There were many who had hoped to hear words from beloved President Roosevelt, but they were only given a little bit of encouragement from him in a letter he sent to a New York congressman, being his advisers told him it would be “unwise” for him to speak on behalf of the recent riots, in that it may cause protests from the south wing of his political party. And only a little over twenty years later, history would repeat itself.

It was July 23, 1967. one early Sunday morning. A police raid was executed against an unlicensed alcohol-serving establishment, or “blind pig”, on the corner of 12^th Street (now Rosa Parks Boulevard) and Clairmount Avenue on the Near West Side. All had not gone smooth to say the least, as there were 82 patrons residing there, according to 67riots.rutgers.edu. A welcome-home party was in progress for two returning Vietnam veterans. The neighborhood that the raid had taken place in was predominantly Black, and as unrest was shared between this social class and the police, from their constant abuse to the Blacks, it was no mystery that a riot made its way to the streets of Detroit.

Many were forced to leave their homes, as a result of the danger and devastation that surrounded them. Mrs. Deanna Howell, 5 years old at the time, was one such example. Not far off from where she lived was the notorious 8 Mile Road, one of Detroit’s more notorious streets. But, at this time, any place was unsafe around that suburb. Her family moved to the Warren suburbs where her parents had friends that would allow them to stay until the rioting subsided. It was only a few days before they journeyed home, though. They were met by an overwhelming environment. The National Guard had been positioned on 8 Mile Road to secure and protect the peace, in order to prevent the riots from reaching the suburbs. Mrs. Howell remembers there being vandalized stores, with shattered windows, as well as burned buildings, along Van Dyke St. Two months later, her family moved to another part of Detroit. “As a young kid, the riots brought a mixture of fear and confusion. I wasn’t really sure why they were rioting, and it was quite frightening,” said Mrs. Howell. She said it was devastating how the city had turned out, and busses were being used to integrate Blacks and Whites through housing and education, in hopes to bring about a solution of a better economic average amongst Black and Whites, but it only made things worse, if not that, they stayed the same. The Whites started to move out of the suburbs in what would be called the “White Flight.”

There seems to be a cycle of hatred, then destruction that keeps repeating throughout history all because men can’t learn to live with each other. But there was one man, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who tried to bring this war between the races to an end. His speeches would be inspiring to many, and would persuade many to solve problems by peace, not war. Here is one quote in a speech he gave in St Louis, Missouri that would sum up the cycle of racism: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” He was greatly outspoken on the integration of the Black and White races, and mentioned in one of his speeches how he would like to see his daughter in a school where Black and White kids alike were accepted. But, on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. As one man, he made a difference in the way racism would turn out, or not turn out, for years to come.

Detroit was once a place you might have thought a good investment to become a resident of, but now is commonly thought to be one of the worst cities in the country for its crime rates, which are, according to http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/mi/detroit/crime/, 0.43 for murder, 0.57 for rape, 7.76 for robbery, and 15.06 for assault (numbers represent number of Detroit residents out of 1,000 that commit that crime). Is it possible that this chain-reaction of events could have been averted if Black men and White men had realized that we are all of one race: men? And it is not just Detroit that racism plays a negative role in of the city, which is why it is a problem greater than any one city. But, one could say it’s a shame how things turned out for the Motown.

Trent is a fun loving, charismatic, boisterous, young man who loves to make everyone else around him laugh.  He loves to have a fun and is friends with everyone.  He always had a passion for art, but he didn’t realize how much he truly loved it until he took his first high school class.  “Trenton doesn’t give a half effort.  If everyone worked like that, everyone would be brilliant.  He really spends the extra time and has grown greatly,” says art teacher Christa Wise.  “The thing that I like most about art it is a way for my to express how I’m feeling.  And it’s fun to do,” adds Trent.

This year, Trent got the opportunity of a lifetime for aspiring artists when he won the Ox Bow award.  The award is a $1000 scholarship for the prestigious art camp. Students from Saugatuck who were interested in attending Ox Bow this year were required to submit 3 pieces of artwork, along with an essay written describing why the student wanted to attend the weeklong program.  Four judges then compared everything submitted by the students until they reached a conclusion as to who would win the award.  This year, according to Wise, the judges’ vote was three to one.  The judges remarked that the thing that drew them most to Trent was his compelling art work and the statement he made in his essay, stating how art had changed him and how much he really loved it.  Competition for the award was especially competitive this year, with 3 students vying for the award.

Ox Bow is a serene area near the Oval that is secluded from the rest of the world.  There is a tranquil inland lake residing in the dunes where the students make art, day in and day out.  There is no cell phone reception out there, which makes it easy for the students to totally disconnect from social media for the week and reconnect with art and the surrounding nature.  The class that Trent will be attending is an early college class with an intensive landscaping focus.  “The students are surrounded by strong artists.  Ox Bow is basically a summer camp for grown ups.  Many people who attend have masters in art,” remarked Wise.  Trent will spend the whole week doing art from dusk until dawn.

The Ox Bow Scholarship is an award that holds high merit with the Saugatuck/Douglas area and surrounding communities. Winning the Ox Bow award is not only challenging, but also is also very prestigious and highly desired by the young artists.            Besides Trent, there will be about 20 other students at the camp that week, from a 500-mile radius.  “I’m excited to meet new people,” said Trent.  The week that Trent is attending is meant for young people, namely those with precollege art interest.  The week will consist of intense landscape drawing.  According to Wise, although the classes go from 8 in the morning, until 6 at night, students will often times work late into the night, since there are no real “hang out spots” for the kids, besides the drawing studio.

The value that students get from a week at Ox Bow is almost immeasurable.  “One day at Ox Bow is worth about 2 weeks at school in the art room,” said Wise.  In addition, being surrounded by such a high talent level inspires students to work harder and rise to a whole new level in their artwork.

“I’m really excited because this is a great opportunity to increase my ability in art and gain new skills,” says Trent with a smile.  Furthering his art skills was also a large contributing factor as to why Trent applied in the first place.

For many who were at the academics banquet where the Ox Bow scholarship was announced, the most memorable moment was when Trent’s name was called, followed by the resounding screech of delight from his grandmother.  “I love it when his grandmother screamed,” said friend Josh Marczuk.  The smile on Trent’s face was telling of his sheer excitement at winning the award.  “When they called my name, I felt very excited.  And lucky,” said Trent.

Looking to the future, Trent isn’t too sure what he wants to do after college, but he is keeping art as an option.  This fall, he toured Colombia College Chicago and really loved the atmosphere.  Ideally, he would like to go to college in California, but he is also looking at Savannah College of Art and Design as another option.  As far as working in the art field, if he does decide to go with that, he doesn’t know what kind of art major he would take.

No matter where he goes in life, for Trent, art will most certainly be a part of it.  For now though, his focus will be on this summer and the enriching experience that he will get from attending Ox Bow.

Last year was all about the poof, glitz, and glam, but this year is more elegant and sleek. The dresses styles are slimmer fitting with less bedazzle all over and sequins accents. The popular colors are pastels and blues. Sophomore Erin Gallagher is excited about going to her first prom with senior Spencer Wiley. “I’m excited for my first prom. My dress is long, purple, and no poof. It has some sparkle on the top too. I got my dress in a boutique, in Arizona, over spring break, and it surprisingly did not take that long to find,” she says. This year’s most popular place to buy a dress is not at a department store but in smaller stores like boutiques or bridal stores. Some of the best places to go are Caché in the Woodland mall, David’s Bridal, Adriana’s in Holland, or Peaches in Chicago. There has also been a lot of online ordering. Popular places to order dresses are Promgirl.com or fishinthesky.com.

The popular restaurants this year are similar to those of past years. Prom goers are looking for a classy restaurant that is affordable. The Piper, City View, Carrabba’s, Salt of the Earth, Everyday People, and Olive Garden are some choices that are fun and affordable.

Everyone is excited for this year’s dance because of all the details and preparation that the class of 2013 has put into planning it. Some of the details include a 104.5 D.J., wristband tickets, and an enormous venue. When asked about the details about prom, Katie O’Shinski, the prom committee leader, said, “Were going to have a D.J. from 104.5 that everyone has heard. I am super psyched about that. He is a D.J. that plays on the weekends and has played during Party in the Park. The venue is super nice. It is big compared to past years, but there are a lot of decorations that the decoration committee has put into it. So it all works.” Senior Diego Perez Pala is excited for the D.J. he says, “I think the 104.5 D.J. will be the bomb diggity.”

The juniors approached planning prom different than most people do. They have separate committees within the big one. They have the main committee that plans the details like the venue, time, cost, D.J., and invitations. Then there is the food committee and decorations committee. The separate committee helped pull the whole thing together. Katie O’Shinksi also mentioned that they are going to have two underclassmen taking tickets and taking coats at the door. She also said that the prom King and Queen voting on Friday, May 4 at lunch, and they will be announcing the winners during the dance. She also said that they decided not to have a theme this year.

Prom this year will be different and exciting, and one to remember. For the seniors of 2012, it will be a great ”last prom” and for the juniors, they will always be remembered as hosting the best prom ever. Prom will be May 5, 2012 from 8:00pm- 11:00pm at the Midtown Center in Holland.

Guided academics is a class where you have a supervisor and you get to work on homework all hour.  It would give kids a chance to get caught up on our homework and stay ahead.  Students that are in sports don’t have a ton of time.  So Guided academics should always be allowed in their schedules.

When students that have A or B averages and they ask to get guided academics, they are turned down.  The schools reasoning behind that is they need to reserve those classes for students that don’t get as good of grades. They are there so they can get help with their classes and get better grades. Those kids that don’t have the best grade, you walk by a guided academic class and some them are just messing around on YouTube, texting, or sleeping.   So they don’t even use the class.

The school could say that if colleges were to look at a transcript and they see guided academics on your schedule that it looks like you weren’t trying.   Or that those kids don’t want to go to college and they need all the help that they can get to succeed in high school.

However, I would be grateful to have a class like that.  Last year I had English 10, Algebra 1, Physics A, and World History all in the same trimester.   Without a sport going on, it would have been hard to get all the homework done for it.  But in addition to all the classes, it was my softball season.  Every night I would be staying up till 12 o’clock doing homework.

For athletes having guided academics is a healthier choice.  When you are up till 12 o’clock every night trying to get your homework done, it puts a great deal of strain on your body.  Everyday you are tired and are having a hard time staying awake for your classes.  Also, I rarely ever get sick. From all the pressure and stress of getting good grades, and having to stay up late every night to get them, it takes a toll on your immune system.  So by having a guided academics class it would greatly reduce my stress level.

When I asked if I could possibly put a guided academics into my schedule before the trimester started, I was told no. That whole trimester I had to double my efforts in order to get a majority of A’s.  If I would have had a guided class I would have been able to get all A’s and it would of ended up looking better on my transcript that I got an A in physics instead of a solid B.  So everyone should have the equal opportunity to take guided acidemics.

For those who aren’t aware ““Minecraft”” is a do what ever you want to game. The game created by Markus Persson in. (Also known as Notch.). It has won numerous awards such as PC Gamer UK’s “Game of the Year” as well as winning the “Most Innovative Game Award” at the Developers Choice Awards. Jim Rossignol, a writer at the website “Rock, Paper, Shotgun” says the game is “a kind of generative 8-bit Lego S.T.A.L.K.E.R.” S.T.A.L.K.E.R is a first-person shooter game that takes during a nuclear apocalypse.

The game will be entirely downloadable for 1600 Microsoft Points ($20) for Xbox live gold members. Xbox Live’s Larry Hryb (also known as Major Nelson) says that the game will feature “an innovative new crafting interface, natural controller movements, a full Tutorial mode to teach the basics” The Xbox live will also be getting free updates, but they won’t come out as fast PC’s updates. Notch has also said as well that the “Minecraft” for the Xbox won’t be “a straight port”, so one should expect a slightly different game anyways.  A couple down sides about the “Minecraft” for the Xbox is that users wouldn’t be able to edit their in game character, or mod there client. Yet another downside of the Xbox version is that it will be nearly imposable to use their own texture packs. The texture packs are made by fans and change the style and color of the blocks and interfaces that appear in “Minecraft”. One major up side though is that players, who have laggy computers, can play it on the console where lag will be kept to a minimum. Even special “Minecraft” Xboxes painted to look like a “Minecraft” block of dirt, and bright green controllers have been made.

“Minecraft” will be released along with other games roughly within the same time frame. These games include Trials Evolution in April 18 for 15 dollars and Fable heroes in May for 10 dollars. This way the gamer who are short on cash or short on interest about “Minecraft” can try these other games instead.