Loveline 9:8
Hello Grizzlies, this week's loveline comes from Psuedo Nym our foreign exchange student from Upper Whatchamakalistan. Dear Ladies, he writes, Homecoming approaches as does the day that I return to my home on the Makalistan plateau. My heart would beat all the easier if you would make sure that I don't go dateless to the Homecoming Dance. I will be in the library after school today until 2:45 with two lenses in my glasses. Come decorate my table with a carnation and make my stay in this country worthwhile.
From The Fishbowl
Hello Logan High! We are so excited to be back at school and see all of your smiling faces! We hope you all had wonderful summers and can't wait to start providing the paper again.
With Love,
The Editors
Edward Norton
Kayla Ewert
Katie Dahl
Dakota Hawkins
Rachel Wootton
and
Skyler Wilcox
Texting: The New DUI?
First of all, let’s establish that the following is not a rant about texting. After all, your brilliant fishbowl editors aren’t about to waste their monthly column preaching the wrongs of phone usage. What can we say…just because we work day and night to bring you this newspaper doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy high-end technology once in a while too!
Instead, this article is an entreaty to students and adults alike to drive responsibly. Most of you are probably familiar with the fatal traffic accident caused by a texting driver that occurred not too far from our school. After sending a text, a 20-year old Tremonton man lost control of his vehicle and hit another car, spinning it into oncoming traffic where it was broadsided by a truck. Two ATK engineers were killed in this tragic accident. If this didn’t catch your eye, the news of a proposed legislative bill sparked by this fatal crash will likely draw your attention to the texting/driving controversy now under debate.
Senator Lyle Hillyard’s proposed law has already been unanimously passed by a Senate committee and is moving on to a hearing in the full Senate. If passed, anyone caught texting while driving for a first or second offense would be given a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail. A third offense would increase the penalty to a class A misdemeanor, involving up to a year in prison. However, if you receive three convictions within 10 years, or someone is killed due to texting and driving, the punishment would be a third-degree felony. These penalties are the same as those received for driving under the influence.
Now don’t let all the legal jargon throw you off. Basically, what our senators are trying to say is: IF YOU’RE DRIVING, DON’T TEXT!!! It’s a pretty simple concept. Quite frankly though, the idea that state legislation is needed in order to stress the danger of text-driving is ridiculous. Honestly, aren’t we intelligent enough to know that anything taking our hands off the steering wheel and our attention off the road is hazardous?
If all of this hasn’t convinced you to put your phone away while driving, here are a few other solutions up for grabs. First, cover your steering wheel with double-sided tape. Unless you can text with your elbows, this should keep texting under control until you arrive at your destination and flag someone down to peel your fingers from the wheel. Second, stuff your phone down between the seats in your car. Not only does this put a damper on texting, it also gives you a chance to search for loose change during your attempt to recover your phone. Or finally, for those of you who just can’t put your phone down, why not just sell your car? That way, you can have your parents or friends drive you around for the rest of your life! Then, you can text as much as you want, and you’ll even have the money from your car sale to spend on a better texting plan!
Ultimately, the moral of this story is to accept the responsibility that’s been given to you. The coveted license in your wallet means more than a passing grade on your driving test. It represents your commitment to drive safely, without distractions. So whether you choose to simply keep your phone in your pocket or tape your fingers to the wheel, be proud that this small sacrifice could end up saving a life.
MERRY CHRISTMAS LHS!!!
Twas a night in the fishbowl, before newspaper day,
When your Grizzly editors were working and craving souffle.
The articles were formatted with detail and care,
In hopes that the finished newspaper soon would be there.
LHS students were heading home for the day,
Looking forward to dinner and time spent at play.
But Mr. Wade and the editors had work to do,
And had just settled in for an hour or two.
When out in the hall there arose such a clatter,
We sprang from our chairs to see what was the matter.
Away to the windows we flew like a flash,
While stacks of papers and pencils fell with a crash.
The English doors opened bringing in cold wind and snow,
But when nothing else came, we turned with a disappointed "ohh".
When what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But a bright Christmas sleigh and eight prancing reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
We knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
With a smile and a bound, he came down from his sleigh,
His arms full of presents and the coveted souffle.
Glancing around, our struggles he saw,
And sat to the challenge with nary a pause.
Before we could blink, the work was all done!
So we sat down for eggnog, souffle, and some fun.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But we heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Merry Grizzmas to all, and to all a good night!"
~Elizabeth Nelson
The “Joys” of Senior Year…
For one fourth of the students at Logan High, it’s SENIOR YEAR!!! A year of slacking off, little homework, and a lot of time devoted to finally creating that perfect social life…right?
For those of you sighing with longing and muttering "or not" in your heads, we editors admit that we agree. What we always believed would be months of kicking back, relaxing, and laughing at the intense workload of the underclassmen, has quickly metamorphosed into days filled with endless college applications and essays.
More and more seniors have been spotted toting scholarship pamphlets from class to class, plastering their walls with sticky notes containing hundreds of university user-names and passwords (or maybe that’s just me), and creating calendars scribbled with application due dates. All in all, life appears to have gone a little crazy.
Ah, the good old days of our freshman year when college was only a speck on the horizon. When we could spend our time doing nothing more than worrying about fitting in at school or trying to guess when the next Earth Systems pop quiz would be. Those were the days of carrying around heavy textbooks and wishing we had cars. Times when we could actually relax and catch up on episodes of "The Office" (or "Gilmore Girls" for me). Sigh. If only we had appreciated those days when we had them.
Now, all we have to look forward to is submitting another of our numerous scholarship applications. Or finally completing another essay focusing on the most sparkling aspect of our personality (I’m still undecided on this one) or worse, expounding on our most significant failing (mine is indecision). We never knew how long and difficult the road would be to get into our perfect college.
Luckily, we editors honestly believe that in this situation, the end result will be worth the uphill battle...or at least that’s what we tell ourselves as we sit typing essays into designated boxes on our computers for hours on end.
The main thought that keeps a smile on the editor’s faces is that in six months, we’ll all be happily calculating all of the money we’ve earned through scholarships, and scouting our the best places to eat and live near the dream university that has undoubtedly accepted us.
So Logan High seniors, this month, the fishbowl has an inspirational message you. Make sure you keep up the hard work on your college material. Trust us, in ten years when you’re the CEO of a international company or a bestselling author, it’ll all be worth it. And yes, when you get there, feel free to credit your success to this article.
~Elizabeth Nelson
Introducing….
Have you ever wondered what it's like to live in a fishbowl?
For those of you thinking, “Absolutely not; what moron spends time imagining life as a goldfish,” you should probably skip this article and continue on to the sports section.
However, for those of you thinking, “Well, I do have to admit that it's crossed my mind once or twice,” I want you to know that I see where you're coming from. For one hour a day, I spend my time with seven other Editors in Logan High's own fishbowl, that odd windowed room in the English building.
After a few days, this is what I finally decided living in a fishbowl would be like. First off, there's a lot of people who walk by and pretend they know me. Everyone waves and smiles and I try not to let thoughts of “Who are you and why are you waving at me” cross my mind. Then there's the students that bang on the windows and run away laughing, amused by their own immaturity. But my favorite are the girls who attempt to use the windows as a mirror. Hate to break it to those of you who've tried this, but unless you want me to mime what you're doing, you're probably not going to have a lot of luck improving your looks.
You're probably wondering why we editors submit ourselves to these daily and often embarrassing fishbowl visits. The politically correct version of that answer is that each of us have a deep love of English, and we'd do anything to maintain its connection with our soul. But the answer possibly more connected with reality is that in all honesty, we enjoy watching our fellow students make complete fools of themselves. And, of course, writing articles, stressing deadlines, and formatting the paper is just the icing on the cake.
So who are we, those shining students whose light graces the fishbowl every day? Let me take a minute to introduce us. Faith Humiston is our news editor. She's a tiny, blonde girl who's possibly the most organized individual I've ever met, not to mention a fantastic swing dancer. Ruth Li is over features this semester, and definitely wins the award for the quietest editor in the bunch. She's the English Sterling Scholar and a member of Girl's League. Grace Saul will take over as the features editor for next semester. Grace is a familiar face at theatre productions around the valley, and is currently writing as an advanced writer for The Grizzly. Gaby Ramirez is our peppy, athletic sports editor. She spends free time in the Fishbowl trying to put a stuffed animal through a makeshift basketball hoop. Konlin Shen, our online editor and Quote Master, is basically the most brilliant person I've ever met, and since I'd hate to understate any of his fabulous qualities, I'm just going to refer you to his editorial on the previous page. Tess Davis and Emily Lyons are our photo editors this year. Both are very opinionated, energetic, and have a unique fashion sense that I definitely couldn't pull off. And then there's me, editor-in-chief, dubbed “Most Honorable Sovereign”. I pretty much just watch everyone else work and occasionally put in my two cents worth. And supposedly I hold the group together and oversee formatting, but we'll have to wait and see if that's actually needed.
Logan High, we're your editorial staff this year! We're all excited to be putting The Grizzly together for your enjoyment. We're open to ideas or concerns, but there is always the chance that if we don't like what you say, we'll stuff you in the top secret Fishbowl safe! Dun dun dun! So come visit or just keep fixing your hair in the reflections, we'll be here for you either way.
-Elizabeth Nelson