February 2007 - Malcolm Shabazz City High School, Madison WI

Early Graduation:The Great EscapeBy Cole SchenckHigh school, for some it’sa place full of excitementand opportunities while forothers, it’s a prison cellwhere spirits are diminished.The good thing is, for thosewho are seniors, and want alegitimate way out of highschool early, there is a way:Early graduation.Graduating early consistsof graduating at thesemester instead of at theend of the year. In order tograduate early, students needto meet all necessary graduationrequirements bysemester.Graduation requirementsinclude earning twenty-sixcredits, with two credits ofmath, three credits of socialstudies, four credits ofEnglish, and two sciencecredits, one and one-halfcredit of physical education,one-half credit of health andone-half credit of computerliteracy.There is also an optionbetween either earning onecredit of fine arts and oneIndia’s economy may soon rival the United States’.By Prahallad BadamiThe economy of India isthe fourth largest in theworld. India is the secondfastest growing major economyin the world, with aGDP growth rate of 9.2% atthe end of the second quarterof 2006–2007.Dr. Marvin Cetron, whoheads ForecastingInternational, says India’sbiggest strengths are thenation’s English speakersand its democratic government.After World War II,“brain drain” became a cursefor India. Graduates fromelite Indian institutions likethe Indian Institute ofTechnology (IIT) migratedto America looking for betteropportunities. Since thattime, the laws have beenamended and have made itmore favorable for non-residentIndians to invest in thecountry and the economyhas shot up.The InformationTechnology (IT) industrybecame very popular.Software giants like Infosys,WIPRO and TCS (TataNewsWhat’s going on around the school?credit of School-to-Work, orearning two credits of worldlanguage, one-half creditfine arts, and one-half creditof School-to-Work. If youare a student that decides tograduate early, you are stilleligible for all awards, privilegesand distinctions givento the graduating class.Early graduation can beeither a good thing or a badthing depending on the student’ssituation.For instance, it would beunadvisable to graduateearly if you play any sport atLHS. In order to compete inathletics at LHS, a studentmust have a schedule thatincludes seven credits,which is not possible withinone semester.Another bad reason tograduate early is so you cansleep into the afternoon andvegetate on the couch inyour parent’s basement allday. It’s just a waste of time.Good reasons to graduateearly include getting out ofschool to jumpstart the restof your life.“I’m graduating early so IConsultancy Services)popped up in large cities likeBangalore and Mumbai.Microsoft and IBM outsourcedjobs to India.Hundreds of brokerages andinvestors have set up headquartersin India includingglobal powerhouses such asHSBC, JP Morgan, Chaseand Bank of America.What does all this meanto America? Writer MichaelElliott says, “Making friendswith India is a good way forthe US to hedge its Asiabet.” America has alwayshad China as its trade partnerin Asia. The US will alwayshave to deal with China, butthat is not easy as China is acommunist nation. India, onthe other hand, is a democraticnation where privatesector is popular. This is atrait that Americans appreciate.Recently, Americasealed a nuclear deal withIndia.Bilateral ties betweenIndia and America increasesIndia’s chances of becomingan economical superpowerof Asia in a short time.can start saving money forcollege, I already have afull-time job lined up at TheBuckle, I love you Angie!”Lisa Simonds (12) said.Other good reasons tograduate early include startingyour life over. If youhaven’t had the best experienceat LHS, or haven’t contributedat all to the school,its best to leave as early asyou can.If you are eighteen, andare planning on moving outof your parent’s house, it isbest that you graduate early.Students will be less likelyto go to school without theanguished yell “Get up; youhave to go to school!”Ultimately, the decisionof whether or not to graduateearly is one that has to bediscussed with your parents,your principal, and yourguidance counselor.If you have any questionsregarding early graduation,it is advised to set up a timewith your counselor to talkabout itlk about it.India Rises To World Power-A surging stock markethas boosted the number ofIndian billionaires to 23. Tenof them are new this year.-India’s $1.5 billion filmindustry called Bollywood isthe largest in the world,both in number of moviesmade and in number of ticketssold. India makes closeto 1000 movies a year, fivetimes Hollywood’s output!-Tourism in India hasrisen by about 20% overthe past two years. Some618,000 Americans flockedto India last year, makingup nearly 16% of India’stotal visitors.-About 2 million peopleof Indian descent live in theUS. The average householdincome of Indian immigrantsin the US is the highestof any ethnic group.-India has the largestEnglish speaking populationof 350,000,000 comparedto any other country,including the United States.Ashley McVicker (11) looks sad. Could it be the season?Are you SAD?By Ashley MangiulliIt’s the day after Thanksgiving and the count down to holidayshopping has begun. A month of preparation and stressclimaxes in a blink of an eye. Most people can not wait forthe down time after the holidays. However, some develop aform of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder orSAD.Winter is a time of short days and very little sunlight. Thegloomy gray skies often cause one to become depressed asthey yearn for the green grass and sun of the spring. Thereare appliances used in order to trick the body into believingit is experiencing the warmth and light from the sun. Theseproducts include a light box which produces the feeling ofwarmth.One of the most common causes of the holiday blues isthe isolation from friends over break. To offset this particularproblem, one is advised to continue their regular ritual ofsocializing with their friends or going to work.Also, for some the holidays remind them of a bad experienceor the passing of a loved one. If a person locks themselvesaway and dwells on the memories or experiences theycan eventually develop some form of depression. Duringthis emotional time, one should make sure that they arealways moving and that they place themselves with people totake their mind off the issue.Warning signs of this disease are fairly easy to pick up on.A person may develop abnormal sleeping patterns or eveninsomnia. Diet can also change which can intensify thesefeelings.Also, changes in mood may be a factor. A person may gofrom an ecstatic state to depressed state of emotion with in asmall window of time.By Miriam Vega“Teenage pregnancy iscoming up just as much astrying to stop smoking,” saidRicko Villarreal. Teenagepregnancy has been a problemfor many families, butthis problem has gone down38 percent between 1995-2005. More boys and girlsgo to programs and clinicswhere they can be providedwith birth control and condoms.Parents say that this is abig problem because theyare always seeing teenagerspregnant, but that isn’t thecase. Many students, startingin middle all the way to highschool, are getting moreinformation about sex andabstinence. Some teens getinformation from their parents.Worse things occur whenkids don’t talk to their parentsabout sex.“This can lead to manyproblems like poverty or illnesswith the child,” saidGretchen Lettau. Whenteens get pregnant there canalso be many risks for themom like gaining weightand poor eating habits.This risk isn’t only for theteens, it’s also a bigger riskfor the babies’ health. Somebabies are likely to get pooreating habits. Scientists saythat children born to teenagemothers can be in great riskof being abused.“Its children raising children,”said Ms. Lettau.Through out the years, theU.S. has the highest teenpregnancy rate in the world.Even though about one millionteens become pregnant,95 percent are unintendedand 1/3 result in abortions.January 30, 2007 3“I’m very happy with my little babyboy but he can also be a lot of trouble,”Photo by Kyle Schade- Viviana Pina Hernandez (‘05)LHSBabyBoomBy Lizzy DawsonWhat is in the water? Somany La Follette Facultyhave become pregnant, thereare five expecting mothers inour school, not to mentionthe people in guidancewho've already given birth.Heidi Hyland is pregnantand is due May 21. She isalready the proud mother of2-year-old Emma Jo Hyland.She expects a boy.Julie Tokheim is alsoexpecting a child to be bornon April 7. She wishes to notknow the sex of her babyuntil it is born, and she isundecided on what to nameher child.Tracy Carolan alsodoesnot want to know the sex ofher baby and would rather besurprised. She is expected togive birth around March 3,and jokes that she is going towait until the baby canchoose its own name.Jena Acker is also expectinga baby and, like the others,does not want to know itssex. She is expecting to givebirth on February 9 and doeshave possible names for herbaby-to-be, but it is a familysecret. She did tell us thatsome names she was interestedin giving her child wasIneeda Acker, or I-iza Acker,both of which are very interestingand cute names.Kathie Johnson is due onMarch 30 and decided not toknow the sex of her babyeven though she has alreadyhad an ultrasound done.Some possible names shelikes are Henry for a boy andElizabeth for a girl.Many of the teachers arehaving their children aroundsummer which is a very goodplan if you want a few extraweeks with your newborn,because they will have summervacation along with theirmaternity leave to spend timewith their little bundles ofjoy.Unplanned ParenthoodBut between 1990-2000,teenage pregnancy hasdropped from 117 to 84pregnancies per 1000kids/teens between the agesof 15-19. Many teenagerswho have kids are more likelyto not finish high school.Many teens that have onebaby are also likely to haveanother one within two yearsor less.“I’m very happy with mylittle baby boy but he canalso be a lot of trouble,” saidViviana Pina Hernandez, agraduate from la Follette.Today many of theteenagers who have babiesare great mothers but alsohave their own problemsnotbecause they don’t haveenough money, but becausethey don’t have the knowledgeenough to know how toraise children when they arestill children themselves.