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
Catching Eyes
Getting that special someone to notice you is always a challenge. You don’t want to come on too strong, but at the same time, you still want to be noticed. Because I’ve never found myself to be skilled in that department, I took it upon myself to ask around. I asked 20 boys and 20 girls about the best ways to get that special someone to notice you.
My fellow men made several suggestions. They said to smile and wave, hold the door open for the girls, make the ladies laugh, wink, drop a pick-up line, dress to impress, and find out what the girl’s interests are. And with that insight, I continued on with my quest.
Next, I traveled from girl to girl to see what works the best for them. I was amazed that most girls replied with many of the same answers that the guys gave. However, they did add, that they like the guys to just be themselves. They also said that being nice never hurts. That is something that I know I missed in Understanding Girls 101. So I am passing on the word.
At the next available opportunity, I plan to put my newfound knowledge and skills to the test. So you better watch out girls; and guys, you better be taking some notes
Back to School Part 2
Personally, I consider myself an ample student. My attendance is decent, I get good grades, and I don’t usually give my teachers a hard time. I don’t really have difficulties dealing with school, but when it gets to the end of third trimester (now second semester I guess), I believe that I am the person most excited in the whole school for it to be summer. It is fabulous; all of a sudden I wake up one morning and I don’t have to deal with any homework, nagging teachers, or getting up early for three wonderful months.
At the same time, there is always something kind of exciting about the new school year. I get to see all of my friends that I don’t usually spend time with outside of school, there isn’t any real homework for a while, and all of the teachers are still in fairly good moods. Many of us get to go back-to-school shopping and return to Logan High with a brand new wardrobe. Summer is great, but by the end, I usually find that I’m ready to go back to school.
This year was different. With all the new changes, school seemed particularly formidable and extremely overwhelming. I don’t know if it was the new attendance requirements, the strict electronics policy, or the new schedule, but I was seriously dreading coming back. The start of school was so stressful, I felt like the first day of our new, and supposedly improved, schedule was the longest day of my life. I know that the classes are shorter, but they feel about the same, making the school day just seem two hours longer. Not to mention that first hour starts fifteen minutes earlier and school gets out five minutes later. The earlier start is unfortunately exhausting. Turns out that fifteen minutes is a more dramatic change than you would think.
Luckily, there is one bright, shining light to the overwhelmingness this year. For one fourth of the students here (myself included), it’s our senior year! We only have to deal with high school for a few more short months. Then we get to graduate, go to college, take classes we really enjoy, make different friends and have new experiences. Until then, activities like homecoming, powderpuff, Christmas, and senior ball, are all so much more exciting and make this year seem more endurable, and yes, maybe even enjoyable.
-Alisa Metcalf
The Beauty Myth
If you flip through any modern fashion magazine, you'll notice long, lanky limbs, defined waist-lines and small hips. This is the image of perfection, of beauty. This is what girls have to look like. This is a beauty myth.
Not many girls look like the models in the magazines, yet most of them want to. This image of beauty is used against women as a marketing scheme. It urges them to buy products in an effort to resemble the tall, thin girls we see plastering magazines and advertisements everywhere.
Here's a basic lesson in business: in order to make a consumer buy a product, they must feel like they need or want it. So, for women to buy various beauty products, they must be uncomfortable with themselves. For example, somewhere along the line, cellulite and stretch marks have become ugly.
As most girls know, there isn't much you can do to avoid either of these. It doesn't really matter how skinny you are. Cellulite and stretch marks are natural, but that doesn't seem to matter. Various advertisements boast the “cure” to cellulite. That's like finding the cure for detached earlobes.
I understand business is all about profit, but the fact that the fashion industry can cause so much pain and hatred in teenage girls irks me to no end. Girls, there is no need to apologize for your existence or hate yourself because you were born with the “wrong” genes.
As teenagers, we need to understand that what we're seeing in magazines or advertisements isn't exactly the truth. Computer editing can make someone look super-naturally beautiful. Ad designers can stretch the bodies to make them look longer and thinner and smooth out faces to a canvas of creamy perfection.
Plus, the idea of this single image of beauty is absurd. There is so much diversity and beauty among people that society can't define “beautiful” with such a narrow image. Everyone is beautiful; people just have to appreciate beauty for what it can be. Each girl has to create her own definition of beautiful and not let some group of marketing schemers tell her if she's ugly or not.
I've heard before, “Love thy differences.” These three simple words contain much profundity, and they apply to so much more than just our bodies. To me, it is important to understand and embrace these words. We should love the one piece of the universe that is ours and ours alone.
First Day of School Blues
One week before school, I received a packet in the mail. It contained my schedule, a copy of the attendance policy, school rules, a schedule of times for various shortened and assembly days, a few "Welcome Back" letters, picture/register/locker information and a book list. But wait! I couldn't find a bus schedule or confirmation of the exact time school would start?
Because of the new schedule and the fact that the first day was on a Wednesday, I was a bit confused. I called a few of my school chums to inquire about the start time. All of them were “pretty sure” it was going to be a late start schedule. However, because I still didn’t know what time the bus would come, I pulled my limited math skills out of the far reaches of my brain to calculate the correct arrival time based on the schedule from last year.
The next day I did make it to the bus stop in impeccable time and was soon off to school. When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find a pancake breakfast had been prepared for the students and staff. I love pancakes, but was already full on cold cereal. I went to my first class to see what the day's schedule would be. I discovered that there was another hour before the first assembly, so I talked to friends, teachers, and a few new arrivals until it was time to meet in the auditorium.
It turned out that the only information I deciphered from the first assembly was that students were supposed to go to their classes afterwards and to "make sure and come to the important assembly at the end of the day." For much of the time I couldn't hear what was going on because of the constant chatter. The students were not very attentive or cooperative.
After the assembly I went to all of my ten minute classes where attendance wasn’t taken. I was in each class for just enough time to say hello and leave. Since ten minutes went by so fast, many teachers didn't have enough time to hand out and go over the syllabus. After the short classes, I ate lunch. It was nice not having to worry about whether I had A or B lunch, and I was able to visit with people I hadn't seen all summer.
Following lunch was the pep/informational assembly in the gym. A few of the faculty leaders scheduled to speak were still speaking to the other classes resulting elsewhere in lag time. We sat around while a few adults in the room tried to come up with things to fill the time. An adult started a cheering contest, and after that another adult asked, "Does anyone know how to use the sound system?"
After this continued awhile, the faculty speakers came into the gym. Introductions were made, but since the microphone wasn't working very well, it was difficult to hear. Mr. Comadena then talked about the attendance policy, after which Mrs. Hansen gave a brief speech on the dress code. Immediately following, the seniors filed into the gym. After this the Hi-Lo's and the cheerleaders did their performances. There were a few class rivalry games in which prizes were given to the winners. The assembly was drawn to a close about fifteen minutes before school ended and the students proceeded with their afternoon activities.
As I pondered the day, I started thinking about ways it could be improved. The teachers were given a short amount of time with their classes, while most of the time was dedicated to informational assemblies. Some may misconstrue the first day of school as having little value just because of the short class times, a lot of waiting time, and not putting the new attendance policy into effect. So, how can the first day of school be improved?
First, the packet that is sent to the students before school starts should include the definite start and end times of the day, as well as a bus schedule. Also, if there is going to be a breakfast next year it should be widely advertised so more students will participate. I think breakfast was a great idea and there may be a better turn out next year if more students know about it.
To start the day, students could go to their first hour classes. The teachers would then be given enough time (maybe more like 30 min.) to take roll, hand out a syllabus, and explain it. This would keep class business from dragging out into the second and third day of school.
Also, instead of having two assemblies at the beginning and end of the day, there could be just one. This could be held in the middle of the day with two rotations (like the regular assembly schedule). This would better ensure that students who need to hear the attendance policy would actually be in attendance. Assemblies at the beginning and end of the day make it much easier for students to just "wander away." The assembly could be kept short and to the point. Only the most important information should be mentioned.
However, if students feel the first day of school would not be complete without a pep assembly, then it should be held at the end of the day as an optional activity. (This should also be included in the initial letter so that students going to the pep assembly can arrange for appropriate rides).
I believe implementing these suggestions would help kick the year off in a manner that best accommodates everyone.
-Heidi Coe
I’m From The Internet
This may come as a surprise to you, but I’m an editor for The Grizzly. I’m a math kid, the kind that can’t even pronounce “pronounce” correctly. But fear not, fair Grizzlies, I will have no unsupervised contact with words – I’m just your humble “Online Editor”. That’s right, I maintain The Grizzly website, a website you probably never even realized existed until just now. But then the question remains: if I knew I was doomed to fade into obscurity, why did I bother? The answer is simple: I like the Internet.
You heard right: After careful consideration, I’ve taken on the responsibility of broadcasting breaking LHS news to not only my fellow classmates, but also the world. Or perhaps I just heard Mr. Wade say “computer” and then zoned out – like I said, words aren’t my strong side.
Perhaps this declaration is a little too nerdy. After all, isn’t the Internet a wretched hive of scum and villainy, where the adventurers of Dungeons and Dragons lurk, quoting Star Wars and using the phrase “lol” indiscriminately? To a certain extent, I’d have to agree. There is no doubting the existence of net gamers imbibing caffeinated drinks and chomping down on potato chips (or slurping Instant Noodles, depending on which demographic we’re talking about. Just trying to be PC – get it? PC?). However, with the uprising of video games like Halo and Guitar Hero and websites like YouTube, virtual reality is becoming more and more socially acceptable. In fact, normal people even talk to me about “KevJumba” or “Mordenkainen’s Penultimate Cogitation” (okay, maybe Mordenkainen’s Penultimate Cogitation is just me. You really have to hand it to the man; he was the most powerful archmagi of Flanaess).
The truth is, the Internet has bled into real life, seeping into every crack of the American persona. Have you ever been Rick Rolled? By that, I mean you innocently click on a YouTube link stating “Obama Reveals ‘Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It’”, and suddenly you are entreated to Rick Astley’s 1987 hit single “Never Gonna Give You Up”. At first you are shocked and humiliated. But after a while, you find yourself promising never to “tell a lie and hurt you.” Don’t be ashamed, you’re in good company, along with the Church of Scientology and the Eastern Washington University women’s basketball team.
The other day, I discussed the very essence of the Internet with a friend over MSN messenger. I told him how excited I was by the Internet’s increasing importance in the average American life. Breaking news, cultural information, and artistic talent can spread across the world in a matter of seconds. The Internet could be the solution to world peace and global acceptance of cultural differences. With the click of a mouse, a 30-year-old mother in Spain can read the thoughts of a teenager in South Korea. The internet is no longer a place for the acne-ridden geek, but rather, as MySpace cleverly advertises, “A place for friends”. My friend responded aptly: “LOL.”
Konlin can be found on both MySpace and Facebook.
He realizes that this article has effectively lowered his chances of ever finding a girlfriend.
The Legacy of President Bush
As election season draws near, it is time to reflect on the memories of our current president before he leaves office in early January. Our dear and beloved president George W. Bush will leave behind a great “legacy” that will have a significant impact on the next administration. President Bush has redefined the presidency and its role in American politics more than any other president in recent memory.
His impacts upon history will be felt for many years throughout the entire American sector with his numerous scandals, false claims, controversial foreign policy decision making, and my personal favorite, his distinctive talent for use of the English language. The latter results in President Bush fabricating his own words or events and sometimes mispronouncing words in a funny way. Critics term such speech, “Bushism.”
His most divisive decision made in office was to begin the war on terror. At the time, the grounds seemed appropriate to bring the terrorists of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan to justice after the horrifying events of 9/11, with the key word being Afghanistan. Today we see ourselves in a war, in the wrong country with no clear agenda, following the Bush policy of “stay the course”. We were supposedly there to take down the Saddam regime, but this has now turned into a war of attrition that has no clear definition of what a victory even is, Bush only gives us a vague explanation of what he claims a victory is, which is a stable Iraq. However, stability and security within Iraq has only nominally increased over the last five years, and Iraq’s Prime Minister Al Maliki is now asking U.S. forces to leave. The Bush administration has spun this statement and denied it, refusing to abide by it by maintaining a combat presence in Iraq. Even at this, President Bush declared victory in Iraq on May 1, 2003. That was over 5 years ago. Only time will tell if we will maintain an unlawful presence in Iraq indefinitely.
Another defining characteristic of the Bush administration is the President’s knack for appointing unqualified, partisan and incompetent people to powerful positions within the government. Karl Rove stands out as one of the worst, being involved in various Bush scandals. His influence stretches from the Attorney General fiasco with Roberto Gonzales, to the shameful leak of CIA operative Vallerie Plame’s identity. The hallmark person appointed to power has to be David Paulison, the leader of the newly created department called FEMA, an agency designed to deal with major natural disasters. As we all know, FEMA epically failed at its job to relieve American citizens after Hurricane Katrina. Once again, Bush was to blame for putting an inexperienced person at the helm of FEMA to give himself political expediency.
The next president will enter office with the chore of cleaning up the chaos President Bush has left behind. Examples are a failing housing market, a failed energy policy, a war with no end in sight, a record national debt of $482 billion, a corrupt government, a failed attempt at reforming education with “No Child Left Behind,” a broken economy, an unpopular foreign view of America, an erosion of the rule of law, a claim that the President has “executive privilege,” and so on.
The scandals and controversies of President Bush are countless, and all of them are unacceptable for a man that was elected by the people to set an example by rightfully upholding the laws, not standing above them. I can only hope that the next president has a better sense of the American people’s interests, and greater competency at exercising the powers of the executive office, whether that person is Democratic Senator Barack Obama or Republican Senator John McCain.
-Mark Burgess
Attendance from the Administrative View
By now many are familiar with Logan High’s new attendance policy and motto, “every day every class counts”. Unexcused absences result in loss of credit if not made up in Saturday school. This policy allows 21 non-excused tardies per quarter, three for each class. Parents may provide a valid excuse for an absence in four different ways: e-mail, phone, note, and in person. These must be excused within five days, students earn an hour of Saturday school for each truancy at the cost of $5. The money pays for the teacher in charge of Saturday school that day to be there. All check-ins, check-outs, and excused absences must go through the attendance office.
According to statistics of the 2008 spring trimester provided by Larry Comadena, there were 14,362 unexcused absences, and 8,971 tardies. These statistics were taken into account when the LHS logistics team was putting together the current policy. The logistics team includes vice principals Dan Cox and Stuart Howell, among other staff and faculty.
The logistics team examined over 29 different high schools’ attendance policies while looking for one fit for our school. Some of these Highschools include Murray, Sky View, Box Elder, East, and Pine View.
When comparing at these school’s attendance policies to Logan High’s, the logistics team pinpointed a common flaw with past policies. All the policies have been individual teacher driven rather than school-wide. Logan’s administration believes that this policy will work better because it is the exact opposite.
Larry “Como” Comadena, dean of students, says, “Everyone is on board. We have a new superintendent who is totally supportive. The policy is the same for every teacher, every classroom.”
Como is enthusiastic about the new policy and is working to perfect it. He says that this is the first year we’ve had a school-wide attendance policy.
Principal Patricia Hansen agrees that having a united policy will be more effective. She says, “We’ve got more teachers supporting the new policy this year.”
Many students question why the new policy is so strictly enforced. Comadena says, “Unenforced attendance policies are the root of all school problems.”
Hansen comments, “Attendance policies teach lifetime habits: being on time, prompt, and having a good work ethic.”
Comadena and Hansen agree that a new attendance policy will help students progress and create good habits in the work field.
Como says, “Comments, questions? No problem; come see me.”
Como said he and the rest of the logistics team wants to do everything they can to make this work, including implementing a drawing at the end of the year. If students have 85 percent attendance or more they are more likely to win prizes such as used cars, clothing, ski passes and cash. These are meant as incentives to be in class and on time, said Comadena.
-Janaea Gensel
Our 2008-2009 Student Body Officers
Upon the completion of the SBO Assembly last April, victorious presidential candidate Ryan Lambert was left onstage with his pet lamb. This same lamb was instrumental in his election the previous year to an executive position. Explaining why he brought the lamb back for another year, he said with a grin, “The ladies love the lamb.”
This strategy was once again successful for Lambert, as he won the close election over fellow senior and former SBO Executive Spencer Champlin. Jordan Ballam triumphed yet again to become the vice president. Seniors Morgan Olson and Taylor Thornley also won their respective campaigns to become secretary and historian. Juniors Hilary Dodd, Carter Fawson, and Russell Olsen rolled through the executive pool to complete the seven-person SBO squad.
These seven have been working hard with Dona Reeder, their advisor, to plan and prepare for many of the biggest activities at LHS. Among these has been the ever-anticipated first week of school, where the SBO’s planned the assembly and prepared a video starring Executive Russell Olsen. “World’s Greatest” was also presented as the theme for this year along with the theme t-shirts, on sale at lunch and in the media center for $3.
Homecoming Week is coming up September 22-27 and is the biggest responsibility of the year for the SBO’s. Some traditional events include Movie on the Lawn and the Powder Puff game. Whatever your pleasure, Homecoming is engineered and put on by LHS’s very own student body officers.
Lambert commented, “You know, we’ve got a bunch of good, hard-working kids, and it’s gonna be a big year.”
This sentiment was echoed by many students, including freshman Jamie Peterson, who noted, “I’m really looking forward to all the activities they have here [compared to the middle school].”
With encouragement from the President, the SBO’s are ready and working to make this year “The World’s Greatest.”
-Brandon Peterson
To Be or Not To Be: Logan High Students Compete in Shakespeare Festival
Early in October, several Logan High students will travel to Cedar City to participate in the Shakespearian Festival. This annual event brings together high schools state-wide to compete in scene and monologue performances. This lets students to perform their favorite Shakespeare excerpts and get feedback from professional actors.
“It’s adjudicated by the Shakespeare actors from the summer, so the students get feedback right away,” said Mitzi Mecham, Logan High School drama teacher.
The hype surrounding this event is huge among drama students, and several of them plan to enter. Among those are two sophomores who made their way to the State Drama Competition when they were only freshmen: Ali McGregor and Lauren Sidwell. Joining them this year is sophomore Ashtyn Smith.
The Shakespearian Festival season started at the beginning of June and goes until the end of October. This year, nine plays are being performed. However, only four are actual Shakespeare plays.
Students seem to have a slightly negative view of Shakespeare. “Shakespeare’s weird,” said Lauren Sidwell, a self-proclaimed drama nut. As John Keating says in Dead Poets Society, “A lot of you look forward to Shakespeare about as much as you look forward to root canal work.”
So why does Shakespeare seem to get so much publicity? Because students can’t stand trying to read the Old English scripts? Because people, like the actors at the Shakespearian Festival, feel that his works are worth telling and retelling? Go to the festival and find out.
-Isaac Spooner