The ABINGTONIAN - Abington School District

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The Abingtonian January 2013 Page 2 Creative Writing Club Presents: “Mucking Around” By: Susan Braverman If it was you that struck, keep your apologies, sit Shiva, deplore and weep but lack of tact leads to combat in which armies will muck around. brandish the big stick if you aim to displease you can, with ease, hit the back of my knees and force cumbersome curtsies and courtesies, that you’ll have a hard time trying to read. Key Tips to Lose Weight and Keep that Resolution By: Josh Seong 2013 has just begun, and one of the top resolutions for the new year is to lose weight. New Year’s Resolution statistics reveal that about 75% of people keep their resolution after the first week. After two weeks, about 71% are still following through with their goals for improvement, but after a month only about 64% have kept to their New Year’s pledge. Six months later, about 46% of people are still trying to lose weight or have accomplished it. One great tip to losing weight is to track your progress. Start off with a reasonable goal – don’t go crazy and make a resolution to lose 10 lbs in a month, or something along those lines. Decide on how you want to lose weight, whether it is a diet, an exercise program, or another method. Choose according to however you can fit the program into your schedule. Lastly, the most important thing is to throw out all of the unhealthy food in your pantry and refrigerator. It won’t help you at all when you are on your diet and you are tempted by that donut on the counter. Two noteworthy diets are Weight Watchers and the Paleo diet. Weight Watchers, although not free, lets its users eat anything within their point limit. The Paleo diet is not for everyone – users are restricted to foods that are unprocessed, such as lean meats, seafood, fruits, and vegetables, and must avoid all processed foods and dairy products. Hopefully, these tips will inspire you on the path to accomplishing your New Year’s Resolutions. Good luck! FEATURES What Not to Do When You Receive a Letter of REJECTION By: Rebecca Newman It’s that time of year again, folks. College hopefuls all across the country will soon receive their glorious letters of acceptance, by way of snail mail, email, and the occasional owl. Unfortunately, not all of us can be so lucky. This is a very specific example of what not to do when you’ve been faced with a letter of rejection. Dear Mr. *************, As your rejection letter was extremely vague, I was just wondering if there is something I can change about my application so other colleges won’t, you know, reject me. Otherwise, I’ll never know what exactly was wrong. Was it my grades? My poorly written essay? No passion? My claims of alien abduction? All of the above? I might be forced to float around in admissions purgatory for the rest of my life. Your personal bio conveys that you’d be more than willing to provide assistance to me as I “conduct my college search process,” so throw me a bone here! If you could hook me up with other schools that would be happy having someone with noteworthy “academic and personal accomplishments” like mine, that would be great. Outstanding even. You seem to think I have potential, which makes me swell with pride. I hope then it will console you to learn that your rejection was not “especially disappointing” for me, just mildly so. In any case, I’m glad you noticed my “impressive personal and academic accomplishments.” There you go throwing around “accomplishments” again. It’s almost as if you don’t really care about me. Say it ain’t so! Regardless, I wish you all the best in your continuing dream ruining teenagers’ lives. Warmest Regards, ************** P.S. I’d like to make a slight correction to your beautifully worded rejection letter (seriously, it was gold. I might steal it for my next common app essay). I was going to defer a year, thus making me the class of 2018, not 2017. Not that you care enough about me to tell the difference. And I thought we were above acting like petty children. P.P.S. I’m sorry I called your campus ugly. Was that it? I take it back. Why can’t we just be friends? P.P.P.S. Due to your lack of response, I’ve forwarded this to the rest of the admissions staff. And to everyone else on the additional guidance webpage. No hard feelings, ya know?
The Abingtonian January 2013 Page 3 FEATURES B&B At The Movies! “Heard This Month” Welcome to B&B Movies! Each month, Brendan and Breen will discuss great movies that you might have missed in theaters. This month, as we gear up for the second semester, we are discussing high school movies. Take your seat before the bell rings, and read on to see our picks for high school screen favorites. Ryan’s Picks: The Last Picture Show (1971) Peter Bogdonavich directs this brooding masterpiece depicting the fallout of a group of small town friends at the end of senior year in the 1950’s. Following two best friends, co-captains of the high school football team, the movie explores the dreams and disappointments of living in rural America. The boys must come to grips with the foreclosure of the town’s movie theater as well as with their own personal lives and relationships. One of the most evocative elements is the mood present throughout the entire film, a dreary decay that haunts every frame. The film was shot in black and white, uncommon for the early seventies, but the stark color scheme only adds to the bleached Texas backdrop. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards and also served to kickstart Cybil Shepard’s and Jeff Bridge’s careers. A fascinating look into the crossroad that every teenager must face at the end of high school as their adolescence abruptly ends and the pressures of adulthood quickly set in. Rushmore (1998) Ahh yes, Rushmore is another immediately endearing, quirky, coming-ofage gem from the brilliant mind of Wes Anderson. This indie favorite is a cult classic and a brilliant example of why Anderson is one of the most innovative and fun contemporary directors. Starring Jason Schwartzman, a staple of Anderson films, and a gloomy Bill Murray, the film follows a fifteen-year old boy who lives solely to attend school. He happens to be failing all his classes, but he is the king of extracurricular activities, from bee-keeping to play-writing. The plot thickens when he and his slumping, suburban father Herman Blume (Murray) fall for the newly appointed elementary school teacher. Anderson’s cinematography, pioneered in this film as well as his other early work, is as much of a character as any actor on screen, and the witty dialogue and off-beat humor construct a highschool fantasy unlike any other put to film. Brendan’s Picks Dazed and Confused (1993) Centered around several high school students on the last day of school and the night that follows, Dazed and Confused is an all-encompassing look into one day in 1976. The film is to the ‘70s what American Graffiti is to the ‘60s, both in its nostalgic tone and loose structure. Directed by Richard Linklater, the film has the conversational feel of his other works, such as Before Sunrise and its sequel Before Sunset, but the character’s pontifications never seem tedious or dull. Using a great soundtrack and authentic details, Linklater does not try to make a statement about the era or the decade, but rather presents it as he remembers it (he was even later sued by former classmates because they shared names with some of the students). Despite the large cast, each character is memorable, especially Wooderson, a long-graduated friend of the students desperately attempting to cling to his youth, played by a never-better Matthew McConaughey. Both a funny, intimate look into a decade past and a timeless portrait of high school youth, Dazed and Confused is a quintessential high school movie. The 400 Blows (1959) One of the first films of the French New Wave movement, Francois Truffaut’s semi-autobiographical film remains one of the best movies to capture the rebellious yet needy spirit of youth. Pieced together from events from the lives of him and his friends, The 400 Blows is a beautiful account of Antoine Doinel, a 12-year old who doesn’t feel appreciated at either school or home. While the film does not take place in high school, many of the film’s scenes masterfully depict both the chaos of school itself and how school affects its students. The film’s innovative shots had a huge influence on the French New Wave movement, while the story itself influenced many films, such as Wes Anderson’s Rushmore. While Truffaut continued Doinel’s story through other films, The 400 Blows remains the only essential one, a breathtaking depiction of misunderstood youth in 1950’s Paris. By: Halana Dash There’s nothing like an inspirational quote or two to add a smile to someone’s face. Books and websites are full of ‘em – but why look further than your own classroom? Every day teachers shout out tons of funny quips and serious advice – all we students have to do is listen. Here are some candid quotes from the last month that have made somebody smile! “The skateboarders just stole the idea of coterminal angles but with tricks.” -Mr. Tinney (heard by Abbie Starker) “Should you be nervous? Generally speaking, yes. It heightens your senses and decreases the chances of a sneak attack.” -Mr. Penderghest (heard by Rachel Clayton) “I mean, yeah, if I was Bradley Cooper I’d ride around shirtless on a motorcycle through Jenkintown too.” -Mr. Zanetti (heard by Christine Palazzolo) “You’re only as strong as your weakest battery.” -Ms. Ritterman (heard by Morgan Boetefuer) Stylish Student of the Month By: Liz Gassman This month’s Stylish Student is Becca Kruger, a sophomore known for her incomparable fashion sense. Despite the January cold, she is wearing cuffed denim shorts with a button up tank top, accompanied by knit thigh highs. We can all take a page from Becca’s book; try mixing in some skirts or tank tops to liven up your winter fashion, and beat the mid-school-year blues by reminding yourself that spring is just around the corner. It is never too early to add a little spring to your step, so if there is a great pair of shorts or skirt, try it out with some of your heavier tops, like a sweater or long sleeve shirt. The unlikely combination might just be your new favorite outfit! So, if Becca is wearing shorts in January, will she be sporting sweaters and jeans in June? Definitely not! “I can’t wait for the flouncy skirts, sandals and pastel colors that come along with spring fashion,” she enthuses. She will also, most likely, be wearing her Docs, which are Becca’s favorite new item in her closet. Boots are great for each season, no matter what style. They can always look great with jeans, shorts, and even skirts (except for maybe snow boots!) Not into the boot trend? Lately sneakers have made a huge mark in the fashion scene, studded or colored with neon brights. You can find the right sneakers for you and not have to worry about which season to wear them in; they’re just sneakers! Gear up for spring trends by loading up on bright colors, especially emerald green and nautical blues. Also look out for the inevitable floral prints, this year redone with an Eastern, or slightly digital, twist. You can find Becca in H&M, or hunting for deals in her favorite stores: Madewell and J. Crew. Head to your favorite stores to catch end of season sales and a look at the upcoming Spring inventory, and try something new! You might just end up being next month’s Stylish Student!
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