Issue 4

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#99CC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0488dfc3.jpg"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=82 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0498dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Mrs. Davies                      Room 206</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|</B><B>     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mrs. Davies Room 20"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>  </B><B>  back</B></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=398 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0498dfc3.jpg"> <div> <I>Issue 4</I></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="mild_intellect"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Mild Intellect</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The Junior's First Attempt</B></div> <div>                         <B>By Jamie Poley</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div>      The junior class of Liberty High School recently revived the idea of a “Junior Exec”, something that hasn't been done for decades, in preparation for the senior year executive meetings. Liberty's class of 2005's officers decided to start holding exec meetings with the intent of getting some direct input and feedback from their junior classmates. The class officers, who were all elected at the end of last year, saw reviving Junior Exec as something that would only make it easier come time for major decision-making during senior year. </div> <div>      The juniors held their first exec meeting on Wednesday, November 19<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> at 3 PM. The meeting served as a form not only to inform others of upcoming events, but for the officers to gain ideas and hear the voices of what the rest of the class wants done. </div> <div>      On Wednesday, the junior class discussed issues such as, but not limited to: the recent fruit sale, the potential “Junior Overnight” and a possible Junior/Senior dance. Currently, the junior class has about 12,000 dollars and is continuing with fund-raisers in high hopes for a wonderful senior class trip.</div> <div>      For more information about upcoming Junior Exec meetings, contact a current junior class officer: Mike Wagner, Jamie Poley, Chris Paddock or Kumar Laidley. </div> <div>                                                        <A HREF="#mild_intellect" TITLE="Issue 4"><U>Back</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> School can be difficult in more ways than one</div> <div> <B>                    By Brandy Treloar</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div>   <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >   The school tells its students that “ students are in school for education and to learn people skills”; ”School is your second home.”; ”Group projects can be fun.”; ”Participating in gym isn't that bad!” these statements are often made to assuage a students unhappiness.</FONT></div> <div>      School can be, and is to many, a hardship.  Having to face personal problems is hard if teachers expect you to be in a good mood everyday, never sick, and never have family problems.</div> <div>      Teachers say that students are here to learn people skills yet don't let students talk in class at the end of periods, breaks up groups of friends and put them with people that can't stand each other so then they'll get even less work done because they hate each other.</div> <div>      Teachers normally stick students in groups where they know they aren't friends; so they won't talk.  If they don't talk; the project won't get done. Think: if you were placed with someone you hate with a passion; like Hitler, would you get a lot of work done? NO!  You would be wondering if he wanted you dead, if he talks behind your back, and if he hates you like you hate him.  No room for thinking about the project…right?</div> <div>      Teachers say school is your second home.  School to many is a crowded building filled with people they never want to see again after graduation.  School is a place they have no choice but to go to and stay in it for 14 years, School is Hell.  School is only a second home to jocks, teachers' pets, and others who enjoy belittling people that aren't “in”</div> <div>      Gym is where you get to watch people who are better looking than you run around, chat with the friends you don't have, suck up to the teacher to get a better grade, and try to do what the other ones are doing, even though different people have different body shapes, and different problems with their body; like obesity, smoking/second hand smoke, and tiredness.  Gym teachers must realize that not all students can do what they ask; also they may be embarrassed to try because the others would make fun of them.</div> <div>      Problems will never stop calling, people will never cease to belittle you, and yet teachers expect everyone, everyday to be perfect, in great health, and mentally shipshape.</div> <div>      Teachers often expect so much from students when the students have so many problems like growing up, finding out who they are, are often poverty stricken, with family problems.</div> <div>      Teachers demand respect from students and teachers don't return the respect.  It's a hard world to live in especially for teenagers, and it will continue until teachers realize that we all have our own problems to deal with and we can't always do “our best” like the teachers say; how can they know what our best is?  Teachers and adults should be grateful if a teenager makes it through high school…breathing and sane.</div> <div>                                                                     <A HREF="#mild_intellect" TITLE="Issue 4"><U>      Back</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Movies Everywhere</div> <div>            Josh Chen</div> <bR> <div>      It's that time of the year again. The holiday season is here, and the movies are more and better than ever. During November and continue on to December great movies just pop out in the theater like flies on cake. Whether they are old trilogy, remakes or new sequel, the quality of these movies are usually decent. Movies like “Gothika”, “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”, “Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat”, and “Matrix Revolution”. </div> <div>      “Gothika” starring Halle Berry as a criminal psychologist awakens to find herself a patient in the same mental institution in which she works, with no memory of the murder of her husband that she's accused of committing. As she tries to regain her memory and convince her co-workers of her innocence, a vengeful spirit uses her as an earthly pawn. </div> <div> The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the third and the final of the great trilogy, which sums up the adventure of Frodo, Sam and the furious king awakens. </div> <div> Mike Myers stars in the title role of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, the film adaptation of the beloved literary classic. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss was first published in 1957, and remains one of the top ten best-selling hardcover children's books of all time</div> <div> The Matrix Revaluation shows the fate of Zion and Neo in an epic war against the machines and agent(s) Smiths. Although critics did not highly rate this sequel as the other two, it is still a great movie for those hardcore Matrix fans. </div> <div> So, when you are bored at home, you can think about going to the theaters and check out these flicks for yourself.</div> <div>                                                                     <A HREF="#mild_intellect" TITLE="Issue 4"><U>Back</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Regents Rebellion</div> <div> by Ashley Argent</div> <div>          </div> <bR> <div>      The senior class this year is looking for trouble once again. No, we aren't speaking out against the administrators, or fighting in the lounge, they're thinking bigger and better. </div> <div>      Ernest Feasel, a social studies and government teacher relayed an astonishing fact to his seniors: 24.7% of the graduating class of 2004 will NOT be able to graduate because they have failed regents required to graduate, and according to a Cornell University study 28% of NYS school superintendents have reported an increase in high school drop out rates since a high school diploma was pushed aside for the Regents diploma.  This angered the senior class. Why should they be held back from being successful because of one test?</div> <div>      The senior class has decided to take action. Aside from writing letters to Education Commissioner Richard Mills explaining to him how unfair the regents failure level is. The seniors got to thinking of things to do that would attract more attention, things like a regents bon-fire, and students are even willing to try and raise enough money to get a billboard put up on Route 17, a highly traveled road.</div> <div>      The regents have not only angered many students at LHS, but other communities and high schools in the Sullivan and Orange county regions. Many adults have started support groups to get Richard Mills to open up his eyes, and see how he's holding students back. </div> <div> A popular website has been created by a statewide coalition of parents, educators, businesses and civil rights organizations, and if you disagree with the regents and the possibility of it halting your students success, you can print out a petition, and get everyone to sign it at <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.timeoutfromtesting.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.timeoutfromtesting.org"><U><U>www.timeoutfromtesting.org</U></U></A></FONT>.  Students in local schools are printing out petitions at school to bring home to parents, and some are even going to their schools board meetings. </div> <div>      The senior class has been debating weather they should get other schools involved with helping them to bring down the regents, but it appears as though that's already happening.</div> <div>                                                           <A HREF="#mild_intellect" TITLE="Issue 4"><U>Back</U></A></div> <div> Season of Giving</div> <bR> <div> Jared Levine</div> <bR> <div>      <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Nowadays, the holiday season is synonymous with gift giving and shopping. If you stop and think about it, though, why is there such a craze to give presents and spend money? Has getting what you want taken precedence over the religious sentiment of the holiday? True, December can be called the season of giving, but it is safe to say that it has become a media-laced month that has been grossly blown up for economic stimulation.</FONT></div> <div>      What is the meaning of Christmas? Ask people on the street and most of them will tell you what Derek Austin, an 11<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> grader at Liberty High School, said: “It's a day of giving and receiving gifts.” There are even those such as Dave Olson, another student at Liberty, who drew a blank trying to define the most celebrated holiday of the year.</div> <div>      Even other religions that have holidays around Christmas time, such as Judaism and Hanukah, have seemingly lost touch with the meaning of the festivity. </div> <div>      And with so many advertisements flaunting holiday gifts, red and green or blue and silver wrapping, and affordable financing plans on products that range from automobiles to toys for the kids, how could anyone avoid the unavoidable rush to pick up that gift…or send out a list reminding others to pick it up for you? </div> <div>      However, despite losing sight of what is supposed to be the focus of Christmas, the present ceremonies around the tree always seem to bring families together, and being that that is what is most important, perhaps the giant advertisement that is December isn't so bad after all.</div> <div>                                                          <A HREF="#mild_intellect" TITLE="Issue 4"><U>Back</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Blood Drive a Success</div> <div> Michael Carcamo</div> <bR> <div> <I> </I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><I>Michael Carcamo</I></FONT></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="063c6cf0.jpg" border=0 width="198" height="207" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>      Was the ARC (American Red Cross) blood drive a success?  Yes it was. So many seniors had the chance to sign up for it to help out the American Red cross give blood. The American Red Cross gave thanks to those who took the time out to help other injured people throughout the world and those who participated in the blood drive to help out, which took place in the Liberty high- School band room on December 4 of 2003. </div> <div>      Some teachers also took time to give blood. In order to qualify to give blood, you had to be 17 and weigh at least 110 lbs. You had to go to different sections in order for them to take blood from you. You go through registration, signing papers, pricking your finger to see if you had enough blood cells to give a pint of blood, blood pressure, and then they take a pint of blood out of you. Eating breakfast and having lunch was the most important thing you had to do in order to give blood so you wouldn't pass-out. The nurses were very polite and very professional at all times. </div> <div>                                                                 <A HREF="#mild_intellect" TITLE="Issue 4"><U>     Back</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>"Emergency Senior Class Meeting!"</B></div> <div> by Rebecca Cuttita</div> <bR> <div>      <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Lucida Calligraphy" >It was during J Period on a Tuesday afternoon in November that the news of an "emergency senior class meeting" began to circulate. Ideas were tossed around as to what the meeting would be about, but it wasn't until early dismissal students were prohibited from signing out of school early, that seniors really began to take note of the meeting. </FONT></div> <div>      At 2:30 P.M., the senior class was summoned into the auditorium by Dr. Rosenberg, Ms. DelSignore, and Ms. Weber. The meeting started off well enough, despite a sparse showing by the senior class, who scattered themselves throughout the auditorium before being reprimanded and told to move up to the front. Dr. Rosenberg opened the meeting, saying she hated to pull the seniors out of class, but the matter at hand required it. She then gave the floor to the Assistant Principals, who took over from there. </div> <div>      Ms. DelSignore began by thanking the seniors for their good behavior and for being "positive role models" for the eighth and ninth graders. She described the class as "bright, well-mannered, and mature.” She then quickly got down to business. The matter at hand, it seemed, was the "totally inappropriate behavior,” that is currently taking place in lounge. Supposedly, seniors are unable to lay on each other, and as Ms. DelSignore put it, "You can't have your heads in laps." It seemed to be a justifiable argument, and, as the administration was quick to point out, it's stated in the handbook. Had the meeting ended there, all would have been fine. The problem, however, was that it didn't . </div> <div>      The situation was stressed and over-stressed, until the seniors got rowdy and the administration annoyed. When senior Jessica Klein pointed out that Public Display of Affection (PDA) had become a school wide problem and asked what the repercussions for other students would be, Ms.DelSignore simply replied, "It is being dealt with." </div> <div> Ms. Weber, however, found it necessary to expand on the explanation, saying that lounge had been closed in the past for such problems and she was just trying to prevent that from happening to us. The problem with this response, however, was that the senior class has been in the high school for over four years now and distinctly remembers past signs on the lounge door stating why lounge had been closed. Those reasons including uncleanliness and underclassmen, but never unwillingness to abide by the handbook's rules of keeping ones hands to themselves. </div> <div> A heated Lorelei Reynolds promptly refuted Ms. Weber's statement, saying, "The lounge has never been closed for touching or sleeping; just for being dirty." From there on, the situation became tense and it became clear that both sides would continue to argue with no resolution in sight. </div> <div>      <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Lucida Calligraphy" >Dr. Rosenberg then offered to tell the girls a "little secret." She told the boys to “Close your ears,” telling the girls, "When you allow yourselves to be seen in that compromising environment, you give yourself a certain image." She concluded the “little secret” by telling students that there is a "time and place" for everything. </FONT></div> <div> The statement didn't go over too well with the seniors, who felt they were being patronized. Tension continued to mount and comments began to fly. </div> <div> "We're not all having a massive orgy," said senior Courtney Cross. Other students began to chime in, making statements that, had they been taken out of context, would make the senior class appear no more mature or intelligent than the average eighth grader. </div> <div>      <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Lucida Calligraphy" >The atmosphere seemed to deteriorate, as both students and faculty anticipated it would well-before the meeting was underway. The meeting, which had only lasted twenty minutes, was brought to an abrupt end with a frustrated Dr. Rosenberg wishing students a good afternoon as she and the Assistant Principals stormed away. Their departure was soon followed by the cheering of a rowdy group of seniors. The words used by Ms. DelSignore to describe the class at the meetings start, "bright, well-mannered, and mature,” although flattering, proved to be far from the truth. The meeting proved what many have known all along. The senior class seems to be incapable of growing up, constantly “dematuring” and offering little to no respect towards the faculty. At the same time, however, if respect is earned the administration has yet to prove themselves. When talking with older students they always seem to forget one thing; The seniors are not five anymore; Most of them drive, many of them work, some of them vote. In the real world the seniors are being treated as adults. The problem, however, is that in school they are still treated as fragile eighth graders. </FONT></div> <div>      Overall, the meeting could have been much more of a disaster than it proved to be. It is hopeful, though not probable, that over the course of the year two parties will admit their faults, and give a little, so that the school may possibly be able to carry on without constant confrontation between the administration and the senior class.   </div> <div>                                                                   <A HREF="#mild_intellect" TITLE="Issue 4"><U>Back</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>                                                        </div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>