April 1, 2011 - Modesto City Schools

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Page 4 - Teen Life - THE PANTHER PRESS - April 1, 2011 Rain demands that drivers use safer driving technqiues By Ian Mason Around this time of the school year, the rainy season starts, accompanied by slick roads. Now, these roads can be hazardous to drivers, especially young, inexperienced ones. When it first begins to rain, oil deposits that usually lie dormant in the road are washed up and revitalized. This makes the streets so slick and dangerous during this time of year. Along with slick roads, hydroplaning becomes an issue. When it rains a lot, puddles begin to develop. These puddles can render brakes useless if a car drives directly through the puddles. These safety issues can cause major problems for experienced and student drivers alike. Junior Dashaun Wright recounts a near accident experienced during these times, “I was just driving along and didn’t notice a puddle around a corner. My car started to slip and slide, and I thought I Fashion Flare Interview of Bao Yang WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR MOST OF YOUR OUTFITS? “The music that I listen to influences my fashion sense. I listen to mainly indie and rock. I also keep up with trends with magazines. My favorite magazine is Vogue Magazine.” HOW DID YOU GET INTO FASHION? “Well, I started drawing when I was young and that’s where I developed my style.” WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE STORES TO SHOP AT? “My main stores would have to be Forever 21 and H&M just because they always keep up with new trends. WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO OUT- FIT PIECE? “My go-to pieces are a pair of leggings and oxford shoes. I love wearing leggings because they are so comfortable and my black oxfords go with everything so I love them.” WHAT IS A NEW TREND THAT YOU ARE EXCITED ABOUT? “I’m really excited for the high wasted colored shorts for spring. They have a 1930’s feel to them.” DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PURSUE FASHION? “Fashion is supposed to be fun. Be confident and positive about your style and have fun with it!” By Mehnoor Haseeb Press photo by William Shewfelt RAINY RISKS–Rainy season creates many hazardous situations for drivers who speed through standing water. was done for.” This type of situation is common for drivers and creates a need for drivers to be vigilant and careful. Dear Ebony Dear Ebony, I have been having a tough year, and my temper has really flared out of control. I feel angry all the time, and I have begun to lash out on other people. I always regret it, and I don’t want to feel this way anymore. How can I control my temper? -Furious Dear Furious, Exercise is a great way to relieve anger. You could always go to the gym or even MHS’s weight room to relieve stress. Kickboxing would also be good for you. No one gets hurt and you get to punch out your problems. When you feel like you are going to lash out or take your anger out on someone, try to take some deep breaths to calm down. Think about why you are really mad. If you try to think about your actions before you do them, then you won’t lash out at others. Dear Ebony, My ex-boyfriend and I have been talking about getting back together but I don’t know if I want to. I love him, but he has cheated on me more than once. He claims he has changed. What should I do? -In a Dilemma Dear In a Dilemma, It sounds like you should not get back together with your boyfriend. He takes advantage of you and takes you for granted. Things will stay the same if you get back together with him. He reels you back in and then continues with his bad attitude. Find someone who’ll treat you better and appreciate you. By Joan Mante One good way to avoid accidents in the rain is to replace your tires. The tread that keeps your car essentially glued to the road can wear out quickly, which makes it very easy for the car to lose traction while driving on the wet road. Junior Jack Lewis says, “My mom made me get new tires as soon as it starts to rain.” This can be a good strategy to avoid accidents. Driving the actual speed limit is also imperative for safe driving and reduces the chance of an accident occuring. Many students can be in a rush to avoid being late to school or other activities, so they go beyond the speed limit. Junior Kirsten Arce says: “When I’m really in a rush I tend to speed up. People do it all the time.” While it may be true that people speed all the time, there are also accidents that occur all the time. In times like these, drivers need to be careful. By doing this, we can make our streets safer for everyone. Faster iPad offers new features By Moujtaba Kasmani Apple Inc. released the second iteration of its iconic tablet computer known as the iPad on March 11. The revamped device, which has a base price of $500, has implemented many new features and has improved upon many previous features. The two new cameras are integral to Apple’s Facetime video chat service. The improved form factor of the iPad has made it thinner and lighter. It is now only 0.34 inches thick and weighs a mere 1.33 pounds. The screen of the device is 9.7 inches measured diagonally. It also has an improved speaker grille. The iPad comes in black and white models, has 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes of storage and is available in both Wi-Fi only and 3G models. The 3G models are only usable on either AT&T’s and Verizon’s cellular networks. The most drastic improvements to the device are the more powerful processor and faster graphics performance. Apple has replaced the single core A4 chip in the previous iPad with a dual core A5 chip. The upgrade allows the tablet to run up twice as fast as the previous iPad. Apple is also touting a companion accessory for the iPad 2. The iPad Smart Cover is a magnetic cover that attaches to the device’s front side and protects the screen. Junior Ryan Makin said of the tablet, “It has the PhotoBooth app that we all love on the Mac, and it’s amazing for playing games. There are apps to write up your history essay or make a Power- Point for that English project.” Apple’s original iPad took the world by storm, selling over one million devices in 28 days. The iPad 2 managed to reach that milestone in its first weekend of sales. It seems that Apple will reign supreme in the tablet market for the second year in a row.
By Evan Mason In recent weeks, MHS has enacted a more effective policy for keeping track of first period tardiness. After the first period bell rings, the gates around the school campus are closed, forcing students to go to the office and check in. “This policy has been enacted because too many students are habitually late to first period,” said Assistant Principal Richard Fonseca, who is in charge of student supervision and attendance. In other words, the problem isn’t students who are occasionally tardy, but those who are repeated offenders. “The problem is with students who do not have an excuse for being late,” Fonseca said. The first-period tardiness is not acceptable because students have the most time to get to class before first period, according to Fonseca. Before first period begins, students have 10 minutes to get to class after the first bell rings, whereas students have 7 minutes to get to class in between other periods. Fonseca says that the number of tardy students has decreased. April 1, 2011- THE PANTHER PRESS - Campus Life - Page 5 New school policy aims to reduce tardies, spare most students Campus View By Lily Shen Seniors shouldn’t have to come to school on final days. On the Monday of the last week of school, seniors come to school to practice for the graduation ceremony. But, the last two days of Tuesday and Wednesday are a complete waste for seniors. It is a productive time to exchange yearbooks, take pictures, and spend time together before graduating. But, teachers playing a movie in the room or allowing seniors to play games and talk is pointless. Seniors should have a choice as to whether or not they want to attend school. * There are too many private colleges and universities to account for. Students have little awareness of small yet respectable colleges. These colleges aren’t necessarily low in education rankings, but are not well-known. More representatives should be presented at high school to provide an insight for a diverse range of colleges. * One huge investment for all students is an efficient laptop. Students have easy access to computers at school but a laptop provides easy convenience if the student needs to finish something quickly. Laptops take generally fewer time to load. Also, once a student leaves for college, a laptop is almost necessary in the college classroom. Once files are saved on the laptop, the college student could bring the laptop to a nearby library and print without a hassle. Being confined to a bulky desktop computer is not practical. Photo courtesy of Mehnoor Haseeb LINE UP – MHS students line up at the attendence office window after being tardy. THe new tardy policy of locking school gates hopes to remedy this by reducing the number of tardies. “It can be seen that the number of students that check into the office, because they are tardy, has decreased,” Fonseca said. “Hopefully this number will continue to decrease.” If the decrease in tardiness is sufficient enough, strict tardy policies can be avoided, “I am willing to work with the students,” Fonseca said. “If tardiness drops, there will be no need to lock the gates in the morning.” The issue is in the hands of the students at this point. It is up to them to attend class in order to avoid these drastic measures. According to Some MHS students, the new tardy policy is unfair in that it can punish kids that are almost always on time. In response, Fonseca says that students may be excused if they have a valid note from a parent, describing why they are late to class. The system is in place to decrease tardiness, not to victimize innocent students. Students are encouraged to get to school on time on a day-to-to basis. If they do, there will be no need for such a strict tardy policy. Juniors need to start thinking about colleges By Sophia Wong With the fall rapidly approaching as the 2010-2011 school year comes to an end, juniors should begin prepping for the extensive admission process. College counselor Amy Switzer said: “It’s a good idea to visit colleges because it gives students a good feel for the vibe of the school environment. Students are able to observe the surroundings and other things that they cannot see online. As seniors, students should keep in mind that they can miss three days of school for college visits.” Although juniors cannot fill out applications until the filing period opens in senior year, they can begin filling out the Common App at any time. This is highly recommended for juniors who are applying to private schools. Switzer said, “Students should take the SAT and ACT at least one time so they have a test under their belts.” Students should also begin to reflect upon their life-changing experiences to prepare for the required personal statement. Switzer said, “The purpose of the personal statement is a way for the admissions to get to know you, just more than your fill-in-the-blank application.” To help students prepare for the admission process and create an individualized four year academic plan, MHS provides students with Naviance, a comprehensive college and career planning tool. Switzer said, “If students have not yet accessed their Naviance accounts, Prom transportation and food choices abound By Lily Shen Students are so engrained with the fantasy of riding in a limo for prom. Seniors, especially, want to live their senior prom to the fullest extent. Senior Kaitlyn Ednave said, “I think when you’re a senior, you feel the need to go all out and travel in something big, like a party bus or a really nice car.” Senior Cheyenne Gomes said, “Most people either take a limo, drive their own car or borrow someone else’s car that is much cooler than theirs.” Senior Tiffany Cho said, “We were thinking of renting an RV for a day and packing as many people as we can, so we can be together and it won’t be expensive at all.” Riding in a limo or a party bus isn’t just the better option for its luxuries but because it is a method of carpool without a teenage driver. Also, students favor eating out on prom instead of at the actual dance. Senior Nick Weinmeister said: “People eat pretty much at any sit down place from here to Dublin even. Dinner at prom would be really hard to do, and it works a lot better for people to do their own thing.” Senior Rajen Duggal said: “I don’t think there should be a dinner hosted at prom because that limits people to certain food courses/desserts, and it may affect their schedule, like for getting ready, taking pictures, etc. Normally my friends and I reserve a restaurant that we enjoy or have a potluck.” they need to get their codes from the College Counter.” For students seeking financial aid, the College Scholarship Bulletin is another useful tool. It also provides information regarding volunteer opportunities and summer outreach programs, in which students can earn college credits. Switzer said: “If students can find an internship with a company or non-profit organization, the work experience will add depth to their resumes. Colleges like to see that prospective students had a mission to accomplish over the summer; something other than going to school from 8 to 2 over a course of four years.” Juniors who want to get ahead in the admission process should begin planning now, if they haven’t already. Senior Dominic Cipponeri said, “Dinner at a nice restaurant or at someone’s house is nice because then the group that you’re with can communicate with each other.” Senior Anna Mah said, “I think people like being able to choose their own meals. Plus, there’s the question of how much a dinner provided at prom costs.” Senior Joonhyung Kim said, “Prom is about dancing and partying with friends [and not eating]!” Cho said, “People enjoy the variety of restaurants we have in Modesto.” Junior Benjamin Lee said: “Transportation can be anything from a limo, car or horse. Food is good anywhere in Modesto.”
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April 1, 2011 - Modesto City Schools

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