March - Pflugerville Independent School District

6
Volume 6, Issue 6 OPINIONS March 7, 2013
Hail Satan
Inside-Out Insight:
I'm Proud to be
`Murrican: Part I
‘Murrica is the
greatest country on
Eurf. And before you
say, “Oh look, Mr.
Copy Editor spelled
‘Murrica and Eurf
wrong,” I’m spelling
both of them as
our founding fathers
intended them to be
spelled, as if you had
a mouth full of Stars
GUS LOUIS and Stripes brand
copy editor Bald Eagle Burgers.
The real founding
fathers were a ragtag
bunch who all made a significant contribution
to ‘Murrican Supremacy, and
I will be recounting the efforts of the
more noteworthy ones.
Montezuma is credited with writing
the lengthy self-help guide, “Montezuma’s
Art of Snore,” and rewriting
the Declaration of Independence after
Josiah Bartlett complained that John
Hancock had signed too big for anyone
else’s signature to be read. Little did
Bartlett know, giant unreadable signatures
would be the sturdy moral foundation
of The United States of ‘Murrica.
Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecan-featheredserpent-God
of life, left his roost in Central
Mexico to seek out his luck in the
cold-wasteland that is New England. He
slept most his time in the British colonies,
but helped General George “D.C.”
Washington cross the Delaware river by
painting the oil painting, “Washington
Crossing the Delaware.”
The subject of our founding fathers
will be continued in the next issue of
Inside Out Insight. For a closer look
at ‘Murrican History, please seek out
the light of my life, Colton D’ambra,
Professor of ‘Murrican History at Joe’s
Clown College.
Cult of Happiness
Staffer discusses downfalls of false positivity
KATE STONE
news editor
According to the
gods of Wikipedia,
a cult of personality
is when a leader or
public figure uses
mass media to create
a flattering and
god-like image of
themselves in the
eyes of the nation
they control. (Historical
figures such
as Joseph Stalin and
Adolf Hitler come
to mind.) That being
said, I believe that we live in a cult of
happiness, one that holds power over our
society much like any other dictatorship.
Although I am a typically positive person,
my seventeen years on this planet
has taught me quite a bit. The real culprit
of this cult of happiness is fake positivity
and unnecessary cheer. People with se-
Nestled somewhere
between
the ten percent of
Americans who fear
heights (Acrophobia),
and the two
percent of people
who fear thunder
and lightning (Brontophobia),
is the five
percent of Americans
who have a diagnosed
fear of the
dentist. Comparably,
a whopping 80% of
the general public dislike the dentist.
I wonder though, if those same 80%
of people dislike having new experiences,
coming into contact with people they’ve
never met before or learning a small dose
about their anatomy. Maybe so, but for
me, a visit to the dentist is always a dazzling
encounter.
Where else do I get to lie down in a
chair while someone is telling me stories
about their kids, or about how they went
to Garden Ridge and they found this box
vere depression are often told to “get over
it” or that “things will look up.” I resent
the fact that everything bad that happens
must have a happy ending. The reality
is, not every story has a happy ending.
Not every princess will get her prince
(or princess, we don’t assume people’s
sexualities here.) And you know what?
It’s okay for things to not be okay. It’s
okay to feel like the world is falling to
pieces around you. And it’s okay to want
to punch someone in the face when they
try to console you with cult phrases like
“It won’t always be this bad.”
While my musings may sound like a
vat of negativity and depression, I want
to encourage you to step away not from
happiness altogether, but from the unhealthy
suppression of negative emotions.
The reason for the danger in the
cult of happiness that we live in lies in the
encouragement for people to hide their
feelings behind a mask of fake smiles
of umbrella toothpicks which look like
the ones their grandmother used to put
in lemonade during the summers of their
childhood?
Better yet, all the questions a hygienist
or dentist could ask are tailored to be answered
with a simple nod or
murmur. There is no “why.”
It is multiple choice, and there
are two answers and neither
of them are wrong. Nothing
controversial is being discussed.
For most of the visit,
a pleasant, buttery-yellow
light is on my face. I’m a sort
of reptile in the sun. I’m safe.
When I leave, the family
dentist says that it was nice
to see me, and he will see me
in six months, and to not stop
flossing in and around my
permanent retainer, because
after all, you only floss the
teeth you want to keep.
Case in point, there’s no
need to be down in the mouth
the next time your six-month
and cheery expressions. Emotions are
often most potent at the hardest times
in one’s life. Simply telling someone that
everything will turn out okay in the end
is nothing more than an invalidation of
those emotions.
My solution is simply a challenge to everyone
reading this article, and everyone
that you, dear reader, come into contact
with. I urge you to stimulate constructive
discussion when you or the person
you are talking to is upset. Don’t hide
behind fake cheeriness or false hope
when life starts to go downhill. Rather,
throw yourself into productivity, into
music, into your schoolwork.
The only way to break free of this
cult of happiness is to realize the way
our actions detriment the lives of others,
and similarly, how the actions of others
affect us. Once that awareness occurs,
then we can stop living lives of fake happiness
and truly be happy.
Oral hygiene advocates smiles at dental visits
GABRIELLE WILKOSZ
opinions editor
check up rolls around. Like most things
in life, it is a matter of perspective. If you
have the right one, even something as
small as going to the dentist can be very
“full filling.”
(National Institute of Mental Health 2012)
Language is defined as ‘the human
capacity for acquiring and using complex
systems of communication.’ It is the basis
of society, and has allowed many great
ideas to be exchanged.
By learning an additional language,
one opens themselves up to many opportunities
and experiences in life as
well as making one marketable in the
professional world.
An obstacle to becoming fluent in a language
is getting started and finding the
Volume 6, Issue 6 FEATURES March 7, 2013
Dress code affects academics
TAyLOr BODeen
sta f reporter
As she fiddles with her lip ring
while working on a homework
assignment during her office aid
period, senior Raelyn Polzine
looks up to find an assistant
principal standing in front of her
with a dress code violation slip.
She looks down to see the house
slippers on her feet and the pink
highlights out of the corner of
her eye.
Dress code is something every
student thinks about, whether
they are going to abide by it or
break it. Some say dress code is
in place to keep people focused
and free from distraction, saying
Testing season lurks around the corner
ChriSTy Terry sta f reporter
Finals are right around the corner
and it’s almost the time of
year to form study groups, make
hundreds of flash cards and go to
extra tutorials. There are many
different ways to review and
study for the tests.
“I use a flashcard app on my
iPod,” freshman Ivette Denova
said, “it’s really helpful.”
Many people feel differently
about the difficulty of the tests.
While some think tests will be
easy and expect to get commended,
others are a little worried.
“I think the Chemistry test will
best methods of learning. There are three
objectives of learning a foreign language:
vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.
“I find that the DVDs made for little
kids is very effective at first, because
when trying to learn a new language
you’re practically a baby, in the sense that
you’re starting something completely new
you have no idea about,” senior Herani
Gebre said.
Even though the experience can be
unsettling, communication with other
it’s vital for students to excel in
school.
“I don’t know that there has
been a real intentional study to
see if dress code affects people
academically,” Principal Devin
Padavil said.
Students get dress coded often
because of the length of their
clothing, facial hair, piercings and
according to Polzine, the way they
choose to express themselves.
“Lip rings are not a distraction
because it’s not like, ‘Oh my
goodness, you have a piercing.
I cant even listen to the teacher
right now.”
be really hard.” sophomore Tara
Ebner said.
Students are striving to do great
on the upcoming tests in the next
couple of months, and are going
out of their way to make sure
they understand all of the subject
material cumulatively.
“I love knowing that I understand
my work,” freshman Carina
Baltrip-Reyes said. “Tutorials
are very helpful for me because
anything I don’t understand becomes
easier.”
When studying it is very helpful
to do everything to focus bet-
speakers is the only way to perfect an
accent.
“Native speakers are usually so enamored
with a ‘foreigner’ speaking their
language that they compliment me and
put me at ease,” French teacher Adrienne
Smith said.
Consider starting a speaking group,
plan activities incorporating themes of
that culture and learn to better express
yourself.
An additional way of effectively learning
Senior Darcy Johnson is in the
top eight percent of her class. She
receives nothing but A’s, yet she
breaks the dress code often. She
is focused, yet out of dress code.
“In our society, it’s hard to buy
‘in dress code’ clothing.” Johnson
said.
There are students that violate
the dress code but still receive
good grades and are focused in
class.
“Even though you aren’t supposed
to judge a book by its cover,
That’s pretty much how it seems
the world works.” Padavil said.
ter, for example take the things
needed for the work but not the
things that are not needed, leave
electronics in another room.
Also, going to tutorials before
and after school to make sure
all concepts are understood can
be extremely helpful for the outcome
on tests.
“On a scale of one to ten, the
importance of studying is a ten,”
English teacher Robin Sheport
said, “Students should ask teachers
questions, look over work and
come into tutorials to do well on
their tests.”
Learning second languages provides invaluable resources
sta f reporter
DOminique GiGer
is to surround yourself with the people
of the language. Try to keep up with the
news and popular culture in the area
of where that language is spoken. Read
magazines and books, listen to music, and
watch music in that language.
“Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable,”
Smith said. “It’s going to be a long
time before you feel comfortable using
the language, so get used to that and get
over that so that it’s not an impediment.”
7