New grading periods can have both positive, negative effects
August 10, 2010
By HiLite Staff
The 2010-2011 school year marks new changes in the grading period as this school moves to four nine-week grading periods instead of six six-week grading periods.
This divides the school year into nine-week quarters. In this new system, each nine-week grading period will be worth 40 percent of the semester grade and the final exam will be worth 20 percent.
The nine-week grading periods will allow consistency in the grading system between Carmel High School and other schools and school districts. Middle schools in the district use the nine-week grading period and Carmel High School is the only public high school in Hamilton County to not use the nine-week grading period. Read more
Success during high school comes from rising above failures.
August 10, 2010
By Steven Chen
<schen@hilite.org>
Life is full of failures, but amidst those stinging disappointments there are those trivial successes that always recede to the back of the mind. High school is defined by both failure and success. It is through this cycle that eventually comes to memory, especially the good times, when alumni reminisce of their high school experiences. However, at the moment, high school students cringe at the thought of their failures, not realizing the level of achievement they have already accomplished in their high school career. In the words of Dale E. Graham, “you only take with you what you leave behind.”
Realize that not only does this mean that all students should be actively involved (freshmen listen up), but they should get a wider taste of life at this school. There are over 50 clubs and activities listed in the Pinnacle yearbook each year. Some students may participate in a good handful of them, but most students choose a few and stick with them for their whole four years of high school.
However, most of these activities involve some sort of component that defines success and failure, be it losing an officer election, not medaling in some competition or even not living up to one’s expectations.
It is through the failures that I now dwell on. Getting more involved means more chances of failing. The next logical step to reduce the level of cognitive anxiety that failure causes is to be less involved. However, that defies more reasonable logic. Failing and making mistakes can breed success in many other ways. It can create determination and perseverance in an individual, making them stronger in the long run.
A prime of example of this appeared in last year’s December issue of Wired magazine in which celebrity star Alec Baldwin self-professed his failure in the film industry. However, he kept his head above water and persevered through tough times until the hit comedy show 30 Rock boosted his self-esteem.
Another example is politician Al Gore, who lost the heated 2000 presidential election but went on to promote his brand of environmentalism through talks on global warming. He made up for his losses by moving on and succeeding elsewhere.
Life can be traumatic at some points in time, especially in the turbulent high school period facing both hormones and homework. But that should not dissuade anyone, especially freshman, from participating in any activities, a decision that people will regret later.
My freshman year was bland; I stayed out of many school activities, justified by the fact that I was just a freshman and still getting used to high school. But I later learned that reasoning was illogical. In fact, because I was a freshman, it meant that I should be getting more involved with extracurriculars.
I tried to make up with it during my sophomore year, but it was no good. The failure of my inability to participate actively during my freshman year shadows all the trivial losses later on.
I realize that the trivial losses do not really matter; it is really the numerous accomplishments I have made that highlight high school. New friends and connections are cornerstones of this fact. There are over 4,000 students in Carmel High School, giving rise to numerous acquaintances formed each day.
Also, seniors, it is not over for all of you yet. You still have a year left to be more involved. Being a senior does not give you the right to slack off. In fact, senior year is the most defining year of high school; it is the year that you remember most.
Failure begets success. And success begets failure
Costco is more costly.
August 10, 2010
By Rebecca Xu
<rxu@hilite.org>
Money-sensitive people all over the world have discovered the wonders of Costco Wholesale. Buying in bulk to save more seems like a heavenly premise; you save money and you can use a product forever before replenishing. Despite its money-saving deals, Costco may actually contribute to more spending.
Almost every week, my mother makes a trip to Costco, the wholesale superstore we have all come to know and love. And every week, she comes back with mountains of products—toilet paper, Tropicana, bottled water and various snacks to name a few. This tradition has been in place for years. It’s all for the glorious cause of saving money.
As I stare at our supersized shampoo bottles and package of three dozen eggs, I have begun to wonder about the true effectiveness of Costco. The idea behind Costco is that for an annual fee, members will have access to reduced unit prices in the store, emphasis on the “unit.” Since practically everything comes in bulk, the price per pound or per individual package is lower than the same product in a typical grocery store.
For example, Cinnamon Toast Crunch comes in packages of two oversized boxes sure to last a family a few months. Aveeno lotion is sold in packages of two 18-ounce bottles, sometimes with a sample tube of something else thrown in. A box of Welch’s fruit snacks comes with 80 little bags.
Yes, these products are cheaper if you divide the total cost by the amount, but I question if they’re worth the time and effort to simply consume them. Our family got one of the super packages of Aveeno a few months ago and I’m still pumping out lotion by the handful.
Ironically, Costco advocates saving money yet consumers are attracted to bulk “deals” and end up spending more for products they don’t need.
Wired contributing editor Jonah Lehrer attributes this behavior to sensors in the brain that deal with happiness and pain.
Lehrer said, “In fact, researchers have found that even when a store puts a promotional sticker next to the price tag—something like ‘Bargain Buy!’ or ‘Hot Deal!’—but doesn’t actually reduce the price, sales of the item will still dramatically increase. These retail tactics lull our brain into buying more things, since our normal response to price tags is pacified.”
A blogger on the website thecouponproject.com further explains that consumers are submitted to the “Costco Marketing Machine.”
Each store is organized so that as a person proceeds through the store, he sees the displays of plasma TVs, computers, fine jewelry and other costly items before he reaches the actual food aisles.
Here in the store, the prices seem to be nothing compared to a $2,000 television or $6,000 diamond ring, thus encouraging the consumer to buy more.
As a result of these measures, people consume much more than usual, partially to make their superfluous purchases worth the money. After all, those giant Costco muffins aren’t going to eat themselves before they start to become stale.
In a sort of mindless delusion, buyers return to the store and start the process all over again once they run out of something. Sometimes they will stock up even if they have plenty of something. For example, the cabinet under our sink probably has four gigantic Pantene bottles. My mom says she always forgets if we have shampoo or not, so she every once in a while when there’s a sale she’ll buy another one or two bottles.
That’s not to say Costco doesn’t have its perks. It is noticeably less expensive in singular items such as electronics, appliances, books and gasoline.
Because they do buy and sell in bulk, prices in everything from swimsuits to iPods are lower than their counterparts in other stores. Also, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love the delicious free samples and free coffee. When it comes to the priced stuff, however, consumers get caught in the paradox of buying more to save more. Next time we visit Costco, I’ll gently remind my mom to lay off the 8-pack of toothpaste.
As media declines, knowledge of government becomes foggy.
August 10, 2010
By Mackenzie Madison
<mmadison@hilite.org>
Over the past few years, we’ve seen the decline of print media and the push toward online news sources. But as that decline becomes more prevalent, the “real” news becomes less prevalent, especially the news concerning the government.
As media declines, the public becomes less informed since the media does not have the means to get the information they need that turns into the stories they publish. Because they are not getting this information, the public is left in the dark. Now that’s okay when the public is not receiving the latest news on “Brad-Jolenia” (trust me, the world would be a lot better without those types of publications). But this lack of information is sort of scary when it has to do with a lack of information coming from the government.
If that wasn’t enough, it is also frightening to have an administration in office that supports more government control. The government could easily take over the media if it pleased in the current weak state that the media is in.
Pardon my biased views, but I see a second coming of the Pravda (The Pravda was the only newspaper in communist Russia and was controlled and censored by the government).
For instance, earlier this year, in March, major cell phone provider AT&T dropped all it’s employees’ health care benefits. Under Obama’s new health care plan, everyone has to be covered by health care, or health care from the government would be supplied for them at the expense of the company (if the company is not/no longer supplying health care benefits). But AT&T realized that by dropping all their employees’ benefits, they would actually be saving money, a major loophole in the system. Once Congress found out about this lucrative loophole, they wanted to meet with AT&T. They hoped to settle this before the media got word of this to come up with a solution so that other companies could not reap the benefits.
Obviously Congress didn’t succeed at stopping the word from getting out.
We can thank our media for that. Fortunately there is enough left of America’s media that someone picked up on it. But with the decline of media, if this had happened a few years down the road, this event could have been easily over looked.
Luckily, the new online frontier for news also sheds some hope. The web can be changed at anytime (news flashes and updates) and there is also a little more free reign on the web, but even that doesn’t won’t save the media if it is controlled by the government.
Overall, there is always a question whether or not we can trust the media, but certainly with this decline, the question becomes more prevalent.
Underclassmen should find more opportunities to get involved in this school.
August 10, 2010
By David Zheng
<dzheng@hilite.org>
When I was a freshman entering high school, I saw my transition as just another phase in my life. I wasn’t particularly fazed by this school’s 4000+ kids, or that classes were going to be more plentiful and difficult. It didn’t bother me there were so many more opportunities to make or break relationships with friends or more chances to get in trouble with teachers and other adults. I simply viewed high school as another time to fit in with the crowd and do my own thing. Instead of living life to its fullest, I just wanted to slack off and barely get by.
At freshman orientation, the first thing my GKOMs told me was I should get involved with Carmel. They told me I was going to regret it if I didn’t find ways to be an integral part of the school, and instead just let the current guide me through my life. As a freshman, even my friends were encouraging me to join a club or participate in an extracurricular activity, but I didn’t listen to them.
Now, three years later, I regret it.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but the truth is being involved in is the best thing someone can do as a freshman. I basically didn’t participate in anything my freshman year, so I had to scramble as a sophomore to play catch up and delve into activities and find my passion. With a little bit of dedication and some good time management, one will find school to not be too time consuming, and will realize there’s nothing to do because he/she made the mistake of not getting involved.
And in my opinion, it’s one of the worst feelings ever when all your friends are doing things they care about and you made the mistake of not finding that special something for yourself. And not only does getting involved keep you entertained, but it allows you to make new friends and develop lasting relationships with them.
For example, joining the HiLite staff was one of the best decisions of my life, because I met so many wonderful people who I may not have met otherwise.
Freshmen (and maybe sophomores): don’t make the same mistake I did. Join a club that sounds interesting to you. Here’s my shameless plug to encourage you all to join Breakdancing Club. Or even start your own club because you’re interested in something and need an outlet for developing that interest into a passion. The teachers don’t bite, and I’m sure you will be able to find a sponsor.
I didn’t believe my GKOMs as a freshman, but now I see the credence in their advice. As cliché as this may sound, you only go through high school once. If I had stepped up and become more involved, I don’t know how else my high school experience could be any more memorable or enjoyable.
Step it up, seniors. Now is our time to shine.
August 10, 2010
By Sara Rogers
<srogers@hilite.org>
As a member of the newest Senior Class here, I feel obligated to address our embarrassing lack of school spirit and overall enthusiasm. I am by no means trying to belittle our accomplishments as a whole.
Undeniably, the Class of 2011 has excelled academically, athletically and otherwise both inside and outside of CHS. So why is it that we struggle to excel in demonstrating school spirit? It’s the responsibility of the Senior Class to set a precedent for underclassmen. School spirit starts at the top. This year our classmates will serve as team captains, club presidents, leading roles and top musicians. In comparison, it does not take much to show support for those people who have put in countless hours of hard work and effort to get those positions.
Statistics from previous years help provide actual merit for this argument. In the past three years, the Class of 2011 has never won a major Homecoming event. In fact, last year even the Freshman Class had a higher participation rate in Homecoming-related activities, such as playhouse building and the 5K run. It would be upsetting to be one of the only senior classes never to win an event.
I challenge the Senior Class to step it up and set an example starting today. In order to make this process as simple and effortless as possible, here are some suggestions.
1. Participate in spirit days. Embrace an opportunity that involves dressing up like a 5-year-old, superhero or Harry Potter character without consequence. If this is entirely too unbearable, at least wear Carmel spirit wear.
2. Attend a sporting event. Whether football, soccer or tennis, seniors should pack the stands. After three years of standing behind the other seniors, it is our turn to crowd the front row and lead the cheers. Join spirit clubs such as Wild Bunch or Big Game to find opportunities to support your Hounds.
3. Get friends to join. Going to a game, joining a club or participating in a spirit day is far less intimidating when you know you aren’t going in alone. The more students get involved, the greater the difference.
Don’t forget there are 36 weeks left before graduation. That means our class has 36 weeks to leave a lasting impression on underclassmen and the Carmel community. Whether students acknowledge it or not, CHS presents endless opportunities for students to grow academically, socially and otherwise.
In the next year, we should strive to leave behind even more than what CHS has provided to us. Three years ago, administrators told us how “you can only take what you leave behind.”
Well this is it, seniors. It’s time to step it up and leave behind our mark on CHS.
Multimedia/Links »
Social Networking
Weekend Weather Outlook with Patrick Bryant
Photo of the Day
Events in Carmel
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||
True Media Concepts
HiLite Video
Photo Slideshow
CHTV Video
Advertisement
