Children Come First?

That is the letterhead that ominously adorns the letter from Dr. Hite, the superintendent, that explains to schools and the community all of the cuts and “adjustments” that have to be made due to the budget cuts and the reasoning behind them. Yes, money is sparse.  It needs to be used wisely. I just wished that we could back our words up with actions and put the children first.

You want to save money Dr. Hite?  How about we get rid of all of the excess funds that we waste money on? For example, get rid of under-performing teachers. You know the ones that don’t teach at all, stick random numbers labeled grades into School Max, and call it an education? But wait, I guess we can’t do that because…

Unions Come First.

Honestly, that seems more believable. But I refuse to accept it and neither should any student in this county. Oxon Hill High School has proved that no matter what the cause is they will stand up for what they believe in no matter what. Whether it is bullying, the principal, or even Ms. Cash-Williams and other unsatisfactory teachers, the students will speak.

We need to speak louder, especially now. We are no longer first. It’s time for us to take our position back.

 On the other hand, if one was to ask about the bad incidents at Oxon Hill, a person would have to sit through the laundry list of reasons why our school is the worst place on Earth…and afterwards watch as they encourage or even participate in the very type of situation they were just complaining about.

 Don’t just complain. Do something about it. At first, I didn’t believe anyone took that advice seriously.

 I am so pleased to be proven wrong. 

 There was a time when the biggest news at school were the fights and arguments that occurred due to obscene comments found on the Facebook Smut page, November to be exact. If it were to be simply put, it was simply cyber bullying. And to all of those who think that they don’t have a cyber bullying problem at their school, I dare you to search the name of your school and read or watch what pops up.

 Today, if you were to Google “Oxon Hill High School”, I’m pretty sure that you can still find some pretty disturbing images and words but WAIT! You can find something else there as well. You will find our school featured in the Gazette, The Washington Post, ABC News, and even FOX News. Why? Media has been interested in the students at our school who decided that enough was enough. Remember earlier, when I mentioned the choice was yours to make a change?

 One Less Bully, One More Friend is a campaign for students to make the decision to not participate or encourage bullying. In fact, the purpose of the initiative is to make all forms of bullying…unpopular. It isn’t about following the crowd, or being discouraged that no one agrees with you. It is a student led movement that says ’hey I’m not going to stand for this anymore’.

 SGA, with the support of Ms. P. Brown and Sgt. Johnson, SGA sponsors, our principal, Dr. Cadet, and community leaders, has spear-headed this campaign and plan to share it with the county and beyond.

 They go from class to class, educating students about the causes and effects of bullying, encouraging students to tell their stories, and what they should do if they feel they are being bullied. They wear One Less Bully, One More Friend T-shirts, bracelets, and signs with anti-bullying messages every Wednesday, but the message is spread everyday. They also have an email address, onelessbully@gmail.com , and a Twitter account, Onelessbully, where inspirational quotes are give daily and people can share their stories or support, or even ask for advice on what direction they can go in for solutions.  The committee has even more plans to help the cause, which include holding a One Less Bully, One More Friend rally which is rumored to be taking place in May. All students can purchase T-shirts or bracelets during their lunch time or see Ms. Brown throughout the day. Proceeds will go towards the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC) State Charity (Special Olympics Maryland) and the Prince George’s Regional Association of Student Governments (PGRASG) Regional Charity (Big Brother Big Sister of the National Capital Area).

 On Jan 21, 2011, the Oxon Hill High School Class of 2011 hosted the school’s first ever “Glow Go”. The dance was held in the multi-purpose room. Props must be given to all who helped with the decorations and made this event a success. For those who missed it, the class of 2011 covered the windows in the multi-purpose room with black paper, the DJ had lights from his station, everyone had something on them glowing (shirt, pants, glow bands, and more). There was a gorgeous center piece created by Mr. Young that added both colorful lighting on the ceiling and created a NO BUMPING ZONE.

You can see the work the Class of 2011 put into finding a DJ that helped further the great experience because of the wide range of music played. The DJ played Hip-Hop, R&B, Techno, Baltimore Club, Reggae, Go-Go and ended the perfect dance with some Old School two-stepping music that had even Mr. Singleton tapping his foot.    

Most might have been shocked when they first walked through the entrance of the dance because of the police there to help keep the environment controlled.  For once though, even with a dance of this magnitude, they did not have to prove why they are the police. The only complaint was the lack of snacks and drinks but, the school had the class’ back because the vending machines were available to quench the thirst of  those excitingly two-stepping.  The only improvement to this dance I would suggest is redesigning the centerpiece. As nice as it was, it could have become dangerous with the students wildly two stepping, while “whipping their hair” (GO-GO version). 

This was a dance that I think all can appreciate, it did not focus on one portion of the student’s favorite music but catered to all that attended. As a critic of art I will give the Class of 2011 a “4.8 out of 5” for its Glow Go and I can’t wait for the next one to come. If you missed this exciting event hopefully another will come so you to will join in a dance to remember.

Learning the tricks on how to be safe and be protected from predators is the number one key. There are actual people who sit around all day and prey on innocent people who are less protected. Knowing the difference between a legitimate and non legitimate website can be a bit tricky. These site looks just like the real deal, but its motive is different from what the buyer thinks it is. Even reading all the credentials on the website seems real. There are simple ways were you can tell the difference between a legitimate site and one that is not.  

Things like identity theft and credit card frauds can happen faster than light online. Even though the site looks safe it isn’t. Purchasing a $15 item can possibly really be a $150 item according to the credit card bill. According to the article “How To Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft”, it’s good to use strong passwords, locking up all your personal items in a safe place and monitor your credit report. Another good thing is having a good security system such as anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. Even programs such as these can be scams so beware.

Sites like Amazon and Ebay claim to be safe, but some people have actually been ripped off. On an Ebay forum, a man was ripped off for $218 and still has not until this day received what he paid for. It’s quite hard to tell if the seller the person is buying from is actually serious about the deal. So is it Ebay’s fault that they have people selling frauds? There are so many sellers on Ebay that it’s hard to keep track on everyone of them.

Staying safe on the internet is more important that every because people are getting desperate more than ever. By using the basic steps of staying safe on the internet, no one person should run into any major problems with any type of fraud.

“What our company does is help schools and other non-profit organizations in an exciting and extraordinary way.”

EZSwipe integrates the technology in any organizations website which allows their donors to go on the website and donate money. When donating money there is an option to choose what school activity you want to give money to. Whatever money is donated goes straight to the school.

“It is out vision to do this all over the world!” exclaims Michael Manley.

Mr. Manley, has visited the West Coast, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York and of course Maryland. He plans to expand EZSwipe. Mr. Manley wants to help encourage groups of kids to stop the ‘peddling’ of items.

“The percentages that the school is left with, candy is 50% and pizza is 60% and 70%.”

Groups and organizations are being cheated because most of the money is going to the companies and not the school. So with EZSwipe money goes directly to the schools. Mr. Manley has teamed up with partners such as Bern Nadette from ‘Good Times’ and Earnest Thomas from ‘Everybody Hates Chris’. Not only have they joined up with this beneficial company they help get EZSwipe more publicity.

“I heard that a school near by you [Oxon Hill], a group of kids that raised $1,900 in 2 hours.” explains Ms. Nadette “With something like that we can go around to different schools and we can help raise funds for each organization they’re involved in.”

Ms. Nadette’s daughter was trying to sell candy around her neighborhood, but with these conditions it just isn’t safe anymore. So what she did was give her daughter $150 and she would just take the candy, but what she didn’t realize was that $75 went to the candy company.

“If I would have known that I would’ve never given her the money for the candy. I would’ve just given money to the school that only belongs to the school.”

By using the internet to donate money to the schools it is much safer. Kids don’t have to walk around for countless hours trying to sell candy that doesn’t even benefit the school in funds. With EZSwipe a group of kids gather around and call each person in their contacts to donate money to the school. It’s simple.

Adults think that today’s generation of teens are worse than the generations before and there is a lot more going on especially paired alongside peer pressure. Teens are pressured a lot today about things that deal with drugs, gangs, fights, and even sex.

Junior Dominic Williams said “Yes I think that people get pressured to have sex in high school.”

In high school to some people, it matters who they are and what they do

Senior Emmanuel Esteril says “No, sex is not necessary at a young age.”

Although teens get pressured to have sex it does mean that they have to do it. They do not have to do anything they do not want to. Sometimes it’s just that they feel pressured by others to do it.

Junior Akia Johnson believes that 50% or more of high school students are not virgins. Teens are losing their virginity at a young age and are even becoming pregnant.

There is a reality show on MTV called Teen Mom; the show is about teenagers who become pregnant in high school and the struggles and challenges that they have to go through. Teenagers should not have to deal with raising a child in high school. They are still basically a child themselves; they should learn to be more responsible and careful if they are being sexually active.

Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to abstention from sexual intercourse, alcohol or food. Not everyone believes in abstinence, especially most teens. They don’t believe in it because they think it either does not exists or it’s not cool to be a virgin in high school. There is nothing wrong with being abstinent and teens should really be more careful because having a STD, AIDS, or even a child in high school is what they would want their life to include.

The game’s November 9^th release has established a new record for the largest entertainment launch of all time with 7 million copies sold in the first 24hours.

“Everyone has it”, says FBLA Historian, Edward Waddill. “I play with all my friends all of the time.”

The game is most sought after for its multiplayer component. It features a campaign option, a competitive online option, and a revamped survival mode against Nazi zombies from its predecessors.

“Online is greatness. I have not even tried to start the campaign mode yet”, says senior, Charles Reyes.

With the fun factor that Black Ops has to offer, there is also an addiction factor.

“I start playing every night when I get home” says senior, Jojo Doral. “I don’t even start my homework anymore until like 10 O’clock.”

With its seemingly unlimited online playability, this super-addictive and entertaining phenomenon appears to have no immediate end in sight; at least until the next installment arrives.

Many teens now days complain that the feeling of Christmas just isn’t there. Could it be that everyone is growing up and there are so many other things to worry about then gift giving?

There are so many stresses in our lives today that tear us apart from our family’s and the few holidays there are that try to bring us together. Christmas may be one of the biggest holidays all year and so many teens complain that it just doesn’t feel like Christmas to them. When asked about how he felt about Christmas; senior Jonathan Labson answered dully, “It doesn’t feel like Christmas is actually here because of how days are going by quickly”.

“It’s like everyone’s either out of state or in college or just not in town, it’s not like how it feels when I use to be a child, I’m not as hyped as I was before”

Anybody could tell you that Christmas for them used to bed waking up early, while the rest of your family slept, to open up presents. As the years went by, one would eventually have to start worrying about loved ones and buying presents for them. The stresses eventually started to add up and the feelings of Christmas became buried beneath all their worries. Couples everywhere exchange presents while friends try to find the perfect gift for each other.

Growing up sure has changed the way we look at life. We used to be so young and grow restless waiting for the days that we were older. Now it seems we completely regret feeling that way.

Though the Christmas season has come and gone, we sit here and wonder if the Christmas cheer we had as a child will ever return. We only get older and the world will lay more and more stresses on us. It’s good that a year is always a few days right after Christmas.