Bored? Got Ya’ Covered..

When you are coming home from school on Friday, the last day of the week, students usually think, “Now I have two days off, and now I can do what ever I want!” Some may hang out with friends the whole weekend, some may have to run errands, some may have a lot of busy work to do, and of course there’s going to be that someone that has absolutely nothing to do on the weekends while at home. I have compiled a list of things to do when you are completely bored out of your minds…

1. Download some of the newly released songs on your iPod, this is somewhat relaxing and it gives you something to listen to.
2. Do your homework, of course.
3. Being on Facebook all day is pretty interesting.
4. Eat (only when you are REALLY bored).
5. Exercise, like go for a run or a ride on the bike. You would want to burn off all of that food you just ate.
6. Re-decorate/Re-arrange your room. There’s nothing wrong with a little change.
7. Talk on the phone, blah blah blah…
8. Write notes or letters to your friends. You’ll find it’s more exciting than texting!
9. Go to the mall, maybe to just hang out in the food court and eat, or go for some hard core shopping with your friends.

10. Watch T.V. But switch it up a bit, instead of watching MTV, try watching the History Channel, or the Discovery Channel. You learn something new everyday!

11. If you are one of those arts and crafts types of person, gather some old photos of some of you and your friends or family and make a scrapbook. It will be worth it when you look back on it 10 years from now.

12. Plan out your outfits for the next week at school. (Girls, this may take you a while).

13. Read a book, especially if it is a reading assignment for your English class.

14. Computer games are pretty fun when you are bored.

15. Who could forget the classic activity when you’re bored? Watch a movie! Not some recent movie that have just been released, but watch the old Disney classic animated movies.

There you have it. You might have some of your own ideas to save you from being unproductive on the weekends. You might even could volunteer somewhere over the weekend, like at North Augusta Community Ministries, or at the Recreation Department, or at Northside Lanes where they host “Alley Cats.” It wouldn’t hurt to help the community out some. Okay, so now you won’t be sitting on the couch at home saying ”I am SO Bored, I have nothing to do!” anymore now will you?

How to Spend Precious Study Hall Time Without Actually Studying

When students hear study hall (usually when signing up for classes for the following year.) it seems like a great idea. It’s nice to get all of that homework that your math teacher gave you out of the way, right? Or maybe you want to study for that English vocabulary test when you get home so you can go straight to the computer to update your Facebook status, practice your flugelhorn, or play guitar hero on your new Play Station . . . You know all that good stuff. But maybe you just cannot seem to actually study in study hall, and you want to waste wisely spend your study hall for anything other than homework.  Luckily, I have some fun suggestions for you…

• Play tic tac toe with yourself. You would be surprised who actually wins.
• Count the number of times the kid in front of you sneezes.
• Draw on the bottom of your shoes. (this way, your parents won’t see you “ruining” them)
• Create designs on a piece of notebook paper by punching holes from the tip of your pencil. Kind of like a light bright!
• Try to fold a piece of paper in half more than 10 times; It would be really impressive if you even make it to 8.
• See what kind of text messages you can come up with, with your eyes closed. (not advisable, but if you do, just remember Mr. Smith is EVERYWHERE.)
• Draw an infinite amount of three-dimensional cubes.
• See if you can block out all sounds other than the obscenely loud clock on the wall. It’s all mind power.
• Draw a tattoo on you arm with your non-dominant hand. Good luck.
• Create miniature origami. Again, good luck.
• Fill a sheet of notebook paper with a bunch of “squiggles.” Try to draw your monitor for study hall, or another student. Just throw it away when you are done.
• Try to touch your tongue to your elbow, attempting not to look like a complete idiot.
• Tear off little pieces off of notebook paper and roll them into tiny balls. Create a neat pile of them.
• Stare into space.

Well there you have it. All the fun little things you can now do when you are dying of boredom in study hall. You’re welcome.

Making the Grade

For most students, the worst part of school is receiving grades. Grades can either make our day go extremely well or can shroud us with sorrow and defeat. Since grades are the way in which our “knowledge” of a particular field is measured, it is important to do your best to keep them up.

If you dislike or are completely opposed to the current grading system, you are in good company. Many feel that the current system is inadequate, but unfortunately, there is no better solution to the problem.

Senior Maura Jackson agreed that the grading system was poor, but felt “that though [the grading system] needs major work, there is really nothing better to replace it with that could test our knowledge of things in school.”

Even though you may not agree with the current system, you must still learn to overcome it. There are even ways that you can use grading to your advantage! There are many tips that can help you to do better in school and improve your grades. However, the most important tip is to never give up. If you give up, you truly deserve the failing grade.

When you struggle the most with grades is when you should be seeking the most help, not giving up. Regardless of how you are doing, there are always ways to improve. It is your job to never give up so you can continue to seek these ways out.

The first step to making better grades is to pay attention in class. There is no way to avoid this. If you don’t listen in class, you will miss important information that you will surely be tested on. Even if you feel you know the information already, continue listening. Your teacher may throw some extra facts in that you didn’t know and the book didn’t have. Also, if a teacher notices that you are not paying attention in class, he/she will be less inclined to help you when you ask for help or for ways to get better grades.

Next, make sure that you dedicate some amount of time each night to studying and doing homework. For students who work, play sports, or have many extracurricular activities, this can often be a difficult task. Regardless, find some time to squeeze this in. If you feel that you are overbooked, try to look at your schedule and see when you can fit some study time in. This may be on the bus to a game, in between club meetings, or even right before or after school. You somehow need to make sure you get your assignments done and you understand the material before you enter for class. Macie Whatley, a junior, expressed “it is very important to get all your homework done. It helps you understand what you are doing in class and prepares you for the test. I am very busy in the fall, but I find time to get all my work done while we ride the bus to away tennis matches.”

If you find that you are still struggling to manage time and complete all your school assignments, prioritize what comes first. After all, much of high school is about learning to make tough decisions. Should you study for that big math test, or should you finish that last minute English project? Before you answer questions like this, ask yourself which is more important. If you are struggling much more in one subject than another, it only makes since to first study for the one you need assistance in. If you find that you must make a compromise between two subjects, decide which one is the priority and dedicate the most time to that class. If the question is about completing different assignments for one class, it may be helpful to look at the grading breakdown for the class. For example, if homework assignments and tests both count for 50 percent of your grade, it is important that you complete all your homework so you can have a buffer for your test grade. However, if the test grade is 80 percent and homework is 20 percent, you should put much more of your efforts into studying for tests. Take a look at this information of your classes to gauge where you need to be focusing.

Finally, make sure you take advantages of the resources available to you. At North Augusta High School, there are many opportunities that students can take advantage of if they are struggling. Several clubs offer tutoring, and many of the departments now offer tutoring on certain days as well. Find out what services are available that will help you and make plans to attend. If you are having trouble in a class, the best remedy is free help. Also, you can ask your teacher if she would be able to help you with a concept some time during the day. Don’t ever be afraid to ask, for the worst they can say is “no.” Most teachers would be glad to see you take the initiative to do better in their class. Rajan Amin, a senior, agrees that “teachers are the first person you should go to if you need help. Whenever I get confused in class, I just go before or after school and ask my teacher to help, and they are always glad to do it.”

Making good grades is certainly an obtainable task. However, finding the time to dedicate to preparing for class and doing assignments makes this very difficult. Ensure that, regardless how bad your grades are, you never give up. Always persevere and continue to look for methods to pull up your grades. This may involve sacrifices on your part, but compromising these for better grades may be much more rewarding in the long run. Good luck on your quest for better grades!

The Freshman’s Guide to Ambiguous Classes

Poor freshmen. Our school’s freshest, most inexperienced class receives a pretty harsh reputation as clueless, height-challenged newbies prone to public embarrassment.

However, high school might not pose such an adjustment issue to most. Math, science, history, and English, while more difficult, are pretty straight-forward and based in a routine that goes back nine years before coming here.

However, a new student’s glimpse at a senior’s schedule might elicit a stammering, monosyllabic response of ignorance; to wit, “Huh?”

Honestly, with such ambiguous course titles like “Service Learning,” “Teacher Cadet,” and “Theory of Knowledge,” can you even expect an upperclassman to understand the purpose of these alternative electives? Before you resign yourself to this lack of knowledge (or decide to apply for a class without knowing what you will be required to do for it), take a gander at the explanations below.

Teacher Cadet
Starting with the most straightforward, the Teacher Cadet class, taught by Mrs. Butts, is a course aimed to prepare seniors for a prospective career in teaching. Current seniors may recall teacher cadets visiting their homerooms three years ago to aid in high school adjustment. While this practice stopped after that year, cadets still receive experience in dealing with younger students by participating in elementary or middle school shadowing. In addition, teacher cadets learn educational theory. Grace Manci, senior and current teacher cadet, explained the style of the class. “It’s taught mainly in lecture form, so it doesn’t get boring. We also have class discussions. So far we have learned about child psychology and high and low self-esteem.”

The students in the class are graded less on traditional tests and quizzes than on application of educational concepts through projects like creating children’s books and reporting on lessons during their school-shadowing. In return for their efforts, the teacher cadets may receive college credit.

There are other benefits to the class. Another teacher cadet, Jon Leverett, said that the class is beneficial “because it helps you learn how to relate knowledge to other people, and it gives you the opportunity to share your opinions and views.” He went on to say that the class’s training aspect extends beyond teaching. “I enjoy working with kids, and the class can help me when I interact with them at church as a youth leader.”

While this year saw the change from having one period of the class to having two, the group of students selected for it is still exclusive. Jon explained that “(the application process) did require teacher recommendations, and the application consisted of writing an essay about an influential teacher or why you wanted to become a teacher yourself.”

Service Learning
The second ambiguous class on our list is Service Learning, a twelve-student fourth-period class focused on serving both North Augusta High School and the community at large. Taught by Mrs. Oswald in the business department, it is inextricably linked with the Future Business Leaders of America, as every member of the class is an FBLA Chapter Officer. However, its work extends beyond that.

Jennifer Price explained its basic functions as: “Basically, if anybody needs anything, we try to help them out.” She also mentioned that the class provides an opportunity for the students to learn how to apply their personal abilities in a business context. “Those who are gifted with computers make fliers, PowerPoint presentations, and brochures for organizations that need them. Those of us with really good people skills go out into the community and help with social events like the Business Expo or a Chamber Convention. We learn how to work with what we’ve got and how to make the best out of every service job.”

The grades in Service Learning are similar to those in Teacher Cadet, as they are based more in participation than in academic examinations like tests. In addition to action during class-time, the students are graded on their reflections (written essays about their efforts during the class and how it has affected them as people) and community service.

While Jennifer admits that Service Learning involves a lot of time-consuming assignments and service projects, ultimately she recommends that anyone attempt to become involved in it. “With networking becoming such a big emphasis in our society these days, I would really recommend people getting involved with this class, as they can meet so many (business-related) people who will help them out later in life.” In addition, the class helps build necessary business skills. “In Service Learning, we are able to compromise and work more efficiently by using our unique abilities to get the job done. It’s not easy since we’re all so different in our ways of thinking sometimes, but it really does get us ready for the business world since compromise has to be second nature there.”

Theory of Knowledge
The final ambiguously-titled class is Theory of Knowledge, taught by Mrs. Creamer to three elite International Baccalaureate candidate students: Re’ven Smalls, Chloe Phillips, and Emeka Okafor. This class is the most difficult to describe because it is so comprehensive.

Chloe Phillips said that includes, “the different areas of knowledge: history, science, the arts, and a lot of others. We take different knowledge issues, present about them, and have group discussions.” One of the most well-tread concepts in the class is the review of logic and ethics, including “Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle.”

By far the most academic of these unique courses, Chloe concedes that the class can be difficult at times, with written papers and oral presentations comprising most of the grading process. However, she supports it, saying “The most fun things about the class are the discussions. You can truly express how you feel and link your feeling to the subject matter.”

Sadly, with the demise of the IB Program, this class is likely reaching its end. However, the other courses are open to future participation by underclassmen. With their strict application processes and requirements, it is important to master the basic subjects before you delve into senior ambiguity.

Speakout: How were your first few weeks of school compared to last year?

"This has been my first couple of days at this school. This school is smaller than my middle school. The people seem nice though." Shyrone Bash, 9th

"So far it’s been the same as last year, it’s hard to tell if I’m going to like this year better." Saman Behzadian, 10th

"I didn’t like the scheduling, they have me in 3 study halls." Ashley Cannon, 12th

"It’s been busy, I’ve had to do lots of homework and studying. There was less of that last year." Katelin Cornell, 12th

"It’s been alright, but I don’t like the new cell phone rules." Roger Freeman, 10th

"I’m less busy because I have fewer classes." Shelby Fuller, 12th

"This year has been much easier because I have more study halls." Courtney Kocher, 11th

"This year has gone extremely well compared to last year. This year I have a girlfriend and really great teachers. Last year was bad because my dad died so my grades dropped." Casey Nichols, 11th