Uniformication - Isaac Sprague

Uniformication

by Isaac Sprague

    Many people know that I went to Australia last year. However, many people do not know that I wore a school uniform while there. When we think of school in the US we think of kids dressed in jeans and t-shirts. But, in Australia when thinking of a kids in school a person thinks of them dressed in their school’s colors; sadly my schools colors were green, white and black. Disgusting. Most kids in Australia, however, never get to benefit from a free dress code. They were forced to wear the itchy, uncomfortable and lame clothes that the generations before them had to wear. I do understand the benefits of wearing school uniforms such as everybody is the same so bullying lessens, people don’t have to figure out what to wear, and teachers can easily tell if someone is an outsider.

    The problem with some of those benefits is they are not necessarily true. When someone says that uniforms allow for less bullying this isn’t true because while at my school in Australia it was easy to tell the difference between people and their social groups. For instance, the “pretty” girls with all their makeup were in a group of their own and the weird kids were in a group of their own. However, it did help in some instances for a select group of people.

    Another negative part of a wearing a uniform for me was I had to make sure my uniform was always clean. Now most people say, “Wasn’t it nice not to have to find something to wear everyday before school?” Well, I say it was awful because as a guy if I do not feel like wearing something nice one day I just grab my jeans and a t-shirt and slip on a pair of shoes. The benefit of this is, it can all be done in seconds. But, when I had a uniform I had to abide by rules. I had to make sure that I had the right pants, the right shirt and that my collar was perfect when fitted with a sweater. I also had to make sure that I had black shoes with laces and that I was wearing black socks at all times otherwise I would be reprimanded by a school official.

When it comes to outsiders, the assumption is that kids will immediately tell an official that there is a person they do not know in the school area. But at my school in Australia I was not in a closed building. Our lockers were outside under a canopy and people walked freely in and out of the building. Another problem though was that not one kid was worried when a stranger walked onto the campus. This was because whenever a person walked onto the campus they were either a friend of a student or a parent of the student. So, really there was no way to tell the difference between friend or foe. At least with Australia’s laws I didn’t have to worry about someone coming to the school with an automatic rifle because they are a lot more strict than on gun regulations.

In the end I did not like uniforms and I will never like them. I enjoyed my time in Australia and my friends at my school there. Do I think that uniforms are right for our school? No.

What I Hate About Talking and English - Connor Reynolds

I really hate certain things about the English language and how people use it. Here are my five biggest English grammar pet peeves.

#1. I Seen That

I put this as my number one because it’s said wrong so often and it’s so simple to say it right that it’s just annoying. All you have to say is, “I’ve seen” or “I have seen”. You’ll sound smarter, and it is the correct way to talk.

#2 Articulation

Articulation is my number two because it’s a personal problem for me.  I usually forget to articulate, and it causes me to mumble.

#3 Taking Fast

This one goes with articulation because when I talk I tend to say what I want too fast, so I don't articulate, and this contributes to my mumbling.

#4 The Word “tour”

The word “tour” has always been a problem for me because I want to pronounce the word like “tore” instead of “to͝or” so this word is at the top of all the words I hate. If I were in charge of the world,  I would change the pronunciation to “tore”.

#5 Using “well” instead of “good”

I have a problem with this because when most people are asked, “How are you doing?” they respond, “I’m good.” This is fine if they just ask, “How are you?” but if they put “doing” in the question you should answer, “I’m doing well.” This one bothers me because my friend tends to ask me this question then make fun of me when I say it wrong.

#6 “Joe and I” instead of “Me and Joe”

One common English error is saying, “Me and Joe went to town with Dale,” when it should be said, “Joe and I went to town with Dale.”  I understand why a lot of us say it this way because when telling a story the storyteller is the MOST IMPORTANT PERSON AND SHOULD ALWAYS BE INTRODUCED OR TALKED ABOUT FIRST. That is why we say this and wrong. I also hate it when Mrs. Watson corrects me on this.

The Pros and Cons of Begin a Pastor's Kid - By Allison Redmond

    The Pros and Cons of Being a Pastor’s Kid

by Allison Redmond

Being a Pastor’s Kid DEFINITELY has its ups and downs. Even during the lowest of lows, I love my life, but that doesn’t mean that I am always happy. Here are some of the best and worst parts of being a Pastor’s Kid.

PRO: LOTS of potlucks.

• -Lets be honest, church potlucks are THE BEST. With basically any choice of food you could ever want, you literally cannot go wrong. Plus, you can eat as much as you want without too many people judging you. Being a Pastor’s Kid, I get invited to a church potluck at least once a month, and it is amazing.

CON: Everyone thinks my life is perfect.

• I cannot stand when I hear, “You wouldn’t understand. You have a perfect home life.” Yes, my parents are amazing, and we all love each other. Yes, we try our best to get along, but that in no way means that we are perfect. We argue and we hurt each other, but the difference between us and some other families is that we forgive each other and don’t let someone’s mistake put a strain on our relationships.

PRO: I always have a quiet place to work.

• Like any normal household with children (especially boys), my house can get pretty loud. Being a Pastor’s Kid is awesome because I can go to the church whenever I need a quiet place to do homework or practice piano. Also, I even get to bring my dogs if I want to. Better yet, I get to hang out with God.

CON: The “sheltered” stereotype.

• This one REALLY gets me. Just because I do not laugh at your inappropriate joke, does not mean that I don’t understand it or am too sheltered to get it. What it actually means is that I think it’s disgusting and immature. I understand it. I just don’t think you’re funny.

PRO: There are always people there for me.

• I cannot describe how awesome it is to have a group of godly people who are always there for me in a time of need. My church family is the most supportive, loving group of people I could ask for.

CON:I am constantly held to a higher standard than other kids my age.

• I don’t care how many people tell me this one is not true, it ABSOLUTELY is. Now, I will admit that not everyone holds me to a different standard, but it does happen all the time. Not only that, but EVERY SINGLE MISTAKE I make is magnified 10,000,000% and everyone and their dog knows about it. It is absolutely unfair, but I guess that life isn’t fair.

    In all honesty, I love being a Pastor’s Kid. I have experienced many amazing events and people who have changed my life. It really scares me to think of what my life would be like if I wasn’t a Pastor’s Kid. I don’t even know if I would be a Christian. Yes, it makes my life extremely difficult, but I love my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

A Pretty Penny for a Diploma - By Zoe Walsh

A Pretty Penny for a Diploma

By Zoe Walsh

 

     The sentimental moments, last times, and new beginnings are here. Senior year is here. But what nobody warns you about is the expenses. HOLY COW!

     It all starts before your junior year is even over. You search through photographers for your senior pictures, and finally you find the right one. You schedule a date far in the future and put it in the back of your mind. Before you know it, it’s picture time. And of course, senior pictures require money. Add it to the soon to be growing expense list.

     Senior pictures are done. Right after senior year starts, you hear your friends taking about graduation party venues. Smart people have their receptions at their houses. However, that isn’t an option for me. So the pressure is on again because Concordia has limited venue space. The phone calls begin. And soon you find a perfect venue. But booking a venue requires money. Add expense #2 to the list.

     YAY! Your senior pictures are done and edited. Now you need to pick the ones you want and get them ordered ASAP. Add expense #3 to the list.

     It’s the end of October. Jostens wants you to order you cap and gown, and maybe a t-shirt, and sweats, and an extra tassel, and an extra gown, and some cool cards, and some even cooler thank you cards, and return address labels. But if you are smart, you will just get the basics: the gown, tassel, stole, and mortarboard…the absolute necessities to graduate. Even with the bare minimum, it’s way overpriced. Add expense #4.

     As graduation is getting closer, so is the thought of ordering invitations. You need the CUTEST graduation invitations, of course. But maybe you’ll settle for kind-of-cute after you realize the cutest invites are five dollars per invite. You need lots and lots of invites for your aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, third cousins, fourth cousins, fifth cousins, and people your great aunt hung out with in college. Then you go to mail the invites and you have to pay for postage for the 500 some invites you are sending out.  Add expense #5 to the list.

  The week of graduation arrives. You need a graduation dress, maybe some new wedges, and some new bling! You also need a cake for the reception or maybe two because you invited so many people. The guests will be hungry, so your mom orders pulled pork for sandwiches. You will need chips, fruit, and some drinks and some decorations to make the place look cute. Add expense #6 to the list.

     I’m sure I have forgotten something, but the moral of this blog is that senior year is extremely expensive! The burden of these costs, however, does not fall on me. So let’s take a moment to thank our parents for pushing us to get to this point, but also paying for the entire thing. THANKS MOM AND DAD!

 

 

 

 

Pet Peeves - Mallory Thompson

Pet Peeves

by Mallory Thompson

It is in our human nature to have pet peeves. Everyone has at least one pet peeve. Me? I have at least 20. For example, noisy eaters. There is always that one person who eats really loud. Or the person that chomps their gum. That drives me crazy. How can you concentrate when someone is chewing their gum like they are trying to grind it to nothing? Also the people who take 20 napkins at lunch but only use one and throw the others away. Take only one or two!

Another of my pet peeves is annoying drivers. Those people who don’t use a turn signal, people who ignore yield signs, people who won’t turn right on red lights, people who text or use their phones while driving, jerks who take up two parking spaces, and people who think they need to drive 10 mph in a 30 mph zone. Also those people who think they need to inch forward slowly at red lights until the light turns green. Anyone annoyed yet?  

Oh, and those people who just do annoying things to make me mad! Imagine you are in the middle of taking a really important test and all of a sudden you can’t concentrate. Why? Because your neighbor is tapping their pencil, foot, or nails. When they notice that it is really driving you crazy, they give you this evil smile and keep doing it. I want to just reach over and snap that pencil in half.

I also get annoyed when people use profanity. There are other words you can use. I can’t walk down the hallway without hearing at least two cuss words. I have even heard 5 year olds talking like sailors on shore leave. Where do you think they hear that? From their parents or siblings who come home and don’t think anything about cussing in front of little kids. It is crazy how many people use cuss words as everyday conversation. People think I am crazy or lying when I say I’ve never said a cuss word. It’s not that hard not to cuss when it is not in my vocabulary.

Another thing that drives me crazy is when people read books out of order. Authors write series for a reason people! If you are going to take the time to read books, read them in order. If you have already read the book and someone else is reading it, do not tell them the ending. I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me the ending of a book.

Finally, girls who wear spankies as shorts. Sorry girls, spankies are NOT shorts. Why do some girls think its cool to wear spankies out in public? It’s not, trust me. It is pretty gross. I understand that you wear them for volleyball, cheerleading, or dance, but after those practices, there is a thing called shorts or sweats. It is not going to kill you to pull on a pair of shorts over them. Please please please girls show some decency and wear some pants.

If You're Gonna Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk - Janae Champlin

If You’re Gonna Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk

by Janae Champlin

You know what bothers me? Teacher’s who contradict themselves. It is so frustrating to follow their rules when they can’t do the same. Teachers are not only supposed to educate us, but also be our role models. Take my choir teacher for example. He not only teaches us music, but he also gives us life lessons and pushes us to work hard because he is willing to do the same. I have great respect for him because he lives by the standards he sets for us.

Then there are the teachers who completely drive students crazy. My biggest pet peeve are teachers who use foul language in class. I understand that everyone has a bad day and something might slip out, but when I start making tally marks on my notebook because “d**m” “a**”  “s***” and “b******g” are thrown at us repeatedly, it gets annoying. That language is already used enough in the hallways, we don't need to hear it anymore in the classroom. Don’t be like us; be the example we should live up to.

There are also the teachers who lose their tempers in class. We all can get angry at each other, but if I can't give you a screaming lecture without getting sent to the principal's office then you shouldn't be able to do the same. Yelling at a classroom full of teenagers won’t do any good. You don’t scare us and we will only lose more of our respect for you.

My last bete noire is when teachers take forever to get papers back to me. They give us deadlines and we are expected to hand in everything on time. Even though we are able to work around our schedules and turn in our homework, it still takes them a couple of weeks to get it back to us? (Ahem, Watson?) That just doesn't make sense.

They all use the same excuses, that they're stressed and have a lot on their plate. Well NEWS FLASH, we are all human and we all have busy lives. We all have bad days and long weeks and that’s why we need the teachers to show us that we can get through it.  

We're Checking Them Out - Julie Gross

We’re Checking Them Out

By Julie Gross

            Has anyone ever noticed we all check out other schools?

Sometimes we say, “Wow our school is way better. We have cooler stuff than they do. This place stinks.”

Or, “What? Why don’t we have this at our school?! But our school is still better.”

I am completely guilty of this, truth be told, we all are. Last week I checked out the other schools at the marching band competition we went to. First things first: check out the cute guys or girls. Of course no one ever asks these people out or even talks to them; it is just kind of fun to window shop. Then look at the rest of the people. Looking around at a big event like the marching festival made me realize we actually have a rather normal school. I saw people playing ninja in the parking lot (awkward), “playing football” but they couldn’t even catch it, let alone throw it (I don’t understand), running around chasing each other (just plain weird), and of course, disgusting couples (no).

 Next we compare things like buses, classrooms, libraries, etc. It is not fair when places like Manhattan or Junction City come to any of our events or we go to their schools because schools like this always have everything better than we do. I mean everything. Once we think we have something cool, big schools have had like 20 of the same thing for the last 3 years. They have entire fleets of fancy charter buses, really cool outdoor spaces for lunch/studying, massive libraries, and really cool schools in general. For band and choir kids, we always compare the auditorium/stage. We actually have a decent auditorium because some of the schools I have been to have their stage in their cafeteria. It is echo-y, has awful acoustics, and smells yesterday’s tacos.

But one things we most often compare is the locker room. Since most of us visit other schools for sports we always see the locker room. Let’s face it, it is not very hard to beat our locker rooms. They are basically ancient mold caverns. Another facility we compare is the cafeteria. I have seen some really cool cafeterias. There are cafeterias with amazing salad bars, ice cream or yogurt machines, and even an outdoor eating space. I am always jealous of the huge cafeterias with all these different food lines (mainly the ice cream machines).

We also compare bathrooms. It always makes me laugh when other schools’ bathrooms have their school insignia on everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. It’s on the toilet paper dispensers, paper towel dispensers, soap dispensers, trash cans, and the doors to the stalls. Not necessary! We get it! We are in your school, and that trash can belongs to you!  Even though there are some cool things at other schools Concordia still wins, of course. You could say our school has lots of character.