By Ben Otte Co-Editor-In-Chief We break down the hottest trends among students, according to social media accounts. The trends are listed in no particular order. These were, by opinion, chosen as the most talked about topics on social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) most recently. Netflix – It’s no surprise that many students tweeted about this. Libraries closed on recent snow days leaving you with no other option to watch movies on your comfortable couch or in your warm bed instead of renting a film from the shelf. In addition, Netflix sales have skyrocketed causing stores such as Blockbuster and Hollywood Video to slowly die out. Starbucks – A trend seeming to pick up in upperclassmen: Starbucks has craved the taste buds of students quite a bit lately. Various Tweets describe the want teenagers have for this leading coffee store to start up a delivery department. Hunting Season – The first day of deer hunting proved successful for many students, according to bloody pictures on social media. Coincidence that many students were out sick in the beginning of the month? Not really. (Junior Cody Stern caught this 8-point on one of his first days out in the woods. Photo submitted.) “The Voice” – This primetime NBC show was a familiar favorite among students. Many students voiced their opinions about the show on Twitter by using the hash tag #VoiceSave. (Lampeter-Strasburg graduate James Wolpert was a contestant this season. He was voted off the show Dec. 10. WGAL Photo.) Chipotle – Now beginning to emerge as the top hang-out/eat-out spot for high schoolers, Chipotle’s menu offers spicy, tingling foods to the tongue that will ask customers to come back for seconds, thirds, and many more. What's so special about it though? Perhaps it is the architecture of the stores giving off a simple, futuristic style (one of multiple reasons).
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By Phoenix Ashman
Staff Writer Challenge Day was a day for the freshmen and teachers to get together and be open emotionally with each other. Many people would cry and some would try to stay strong, but all in all, Challenge Day is just that. It was a day that challenged your emotions. What Challenge Day did for me, I’ll remember forever. My close friend and fellow senior Lindzy Bixler, and I would not be friends today without Challenge Day. We used to hate each other over something stupid, but we came to be friends when we shared our vulnerabilities with each other. We’ve been friends ever since. Mr. Shue is all about molding the culture of the school and making it better. He shows genuine interest in what would make the school a more enjoyable experience for everyone. I wondered where Challenge Day went to ask our principal, Mr. Shue, and he was very easy to talk to about it. Principal Mark Shue said, “Challenge Day was here for a while but when PRIDE came along, the idea was to take the idea of Challenge Day and apply it to the whole school.” I am all for making the school a better place for everyone, like Mr. Shue. PRIDE is about making the school a great place to learn where Challenge Day was a way to connect with your fellow students. They are both about changing the school for the better. Forcing Americans to purchase government-issued health insurance may be the most unamerican thing about the Affordable Health Care Act.
By Shaylah Ponder Staff Writer ObamaCare is the health care act initiated by our President Barack Obama. Affordable Care Act was its original name. It was signed to reform the U.S healthcare system in 2010. Obama’s goal was to give more American’s the access to quality health insurance and to reduce the growth in healthcare spending. But is ObamaCare really fulfilling its goals? All through the Obama/Romney campaign, Obama pushed and pushed for the act to be considered by congress. Even back then people were not that pressed about it. Since 2009, Obama has said that people would still keep their insurance, but millions have lost their insurance due to ObamaCare. This evidently shows that this program is just not working. President Obama stated on November 14. in an interview with NBC news that “ We fumbled the ball.” The nonchalant sports analogy, seemed to lack a lot of sympathy towards Americans angered through this complicating process. ObamaCare is more of a burden than a blessing for some people. Yes does it give thousands of Americans the chance to receive health insurance,sure it does, but it also has insurance companies covering sick people and this increases the cost of everyones insurance. The simple fact that every American must be insured by Jan. 1 is rather absurd. In a country were we are the home of the free, it’s funny how we are being forced and required to be a part of this. Our money is being dictated by the government on what we spend and how we spend it, no penalty should be enforced. In my opinion this goes against everything that represents being an American and what it stands for. “I am sorry that they you know, are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me,” President Obama said last Thursday. ObamaCare is a policy that maybe should’ve been introduced at a better time for the economy. With people still recovering from the recession of 2008, now is not the time to be forced into a commitment to a system thats hardly even working. ObamaCare has affected everyone differently, but as the saying goes majority rules, and the majority of Americans can agree that ObamaCare needs to go. By Adrianna Clinton
Staff Writer Does a packet equate to completing a high school course? Among the many options for kids grades 5-12 who fail their classes is the Keystone Credit Recovery program; essentially one may complete a series of assignments in the course they failed to receive the credit. The program was originally established in 1974 by a group of teachers, counselors, and principals. It is affiliated with the accredited Keystone School that is a part of K-12, a similar online program designed to assist those in need of taking credits. The program offers online coursework in addition to the correspondence courses that are essentially packets. The standard at which to measure the students’ proficiency in the material as demonstrated in the completed work is entirely determined by the school, according to a student service representative at the Keystone School. However, the grade that is received of the packet is what essentially is placed on a high school transcript given the student passes their schools’ standard. The Keystone Credit Recovery program is not necessarily popular among Red Lion students because as we move forward a sa school, we are finding more kids passing classes, according to Principal Mark Shue. However it is still used across the country as an option for those who fail to master the content the first time. The packet does not necessarily contain the material of the course curriculum the student failed, even though it still shares the name of the course that was originally failed. Anyone can do the packet but they first must pay the $116 fee and sign a contract that states they will complete the work by a certain day. According to Keystone Credit Recovery program, reasons for being enrolled in the program include “lack of effort and excessive absence.” With that being said, literally anyone can complete the assignments. While the standard policy of Keystone is to immediately fail students suspected of not doing their own work, it is not unreasonably difficult for students to receive help for the assignments. Here at Red Lion, completing the packet is simply not enough for students to receive the credit. One must also take the final of the course they failed and pass it in addition to passing the Keystone packet. “If the student cannot pass the final, then they still haven’t mastered the content...I want to make sure kids go through our curriculum in accordance with Red Lion standards,” Mr. Shue said. While this option is available to all, it is hard to trust its legitimacy because anyone can complete the required work. However, Mr. Shue believes that the best option is to pass the class the first time, and if necessary take it again a second time.
While the idea of block scheduling may have been a rational proposition, traditional scheduling is much more effective and provides a much better learning environment.
“I like the traditional scheduling better because I can’t stand sitting in class for a really long time,” sophomore Rebekah Dutton said. Dutton makes a very valid point considering that every class would be over an hour long each if Red Lion switched to block scheduling. “I would end up losing interest and not being able to focus,” Dutton adds bringing another really good point into play. Many students don’t pay attention in class as it is, so having more class time is more than likely going to result in the students’ loss of interest, thus, lowering their grades. Lower grades would then result in more AAR (Academic at Risk), leading to more phone calls or emails to parents, creating a domino effect. “The traditional scheduling makes it easier for kids who don’t pay attention,” sophomore Debbie Paules said. Plus, with traditional scheduling students would not have to worry as much about forgetting the information they learned. Whereas with block scheduling, having the class only half a year may cause students to forget the information which may cause problems in the future. Going back to the traditional scheduling was definitely the more commendable decision, considering the effects the block scheduling may have on student learning. |
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