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Music
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Sports
Books
Worldwide&
Local News!
Perks of being in band!
Women in Literature:
How the world of writing is changing!
Editor’s Letter
It’s four AM in the morning and I just woke
up from a nap, a break from the
immobilizing panic of trying to get this
magazine done. I can honestly tell you that
myself, as well as the other four members of
this magazine have learned one thing.
Making a brand new magazine is hard.
When we all have various things to do in our
lives such as school, work, basketball,
volunteering, and drama, we have little time
to sit down and think about a magazine. But
nonetheless, we have completed a magazine
(somehow) which we have fittingly called
Homebase Magazine, an entirely different
concept of the magazine written for the
teenager.
When the group first started sitting down
and talking, we believed that there
were too many magazines that were made by
adults and that it might be hard for some
teens to understand their views on various
topics. With this in mind, we wanted a
magazine that was made by teens in the
perspective of teens. No more. No less.
We believe that is exactly that what
have provided you, the reader. With stories
regarding some of the hottest topics in
entertainment, sports, and news, you’ll get
your money’s worth out of the content in the
inaugural issue of Homebase. I hope you’re
prepared for what’s in store because I assure
you, the ride will be amazing.
Brady Jones-Editor
Hannah Watson: Head of Dept. for World Issues and News
Danielle Black: Head of Dept. for Social Media and Local News
Spencer Folkins: Head of Dept. for Literacy & Celebrity News and Reviews
Jackson Folkins: Head of Dept. for The Sports Corner
Brady Jones: Editor-In Chief
Head of Dept. for Music
Department of Music:
JP Holden
Simon Fregl
Brady Jones
Steve Murray
STAFF
World Issues and News Hannah Watson
Developing Countries
Now a days, teenagers are engrossed
in their phones, checking the latest tweets
from accounts such as “common white girl”
and their favorite celebs. Their days are
ruined when the employees at Starbucks
spells their name wrong on their drink and
they complain when their parents will not
get a glass of water for them. This
generation needs to become more aware of
the world around them and the way some
people are living today.
First world problems are not
problems. When I visited Kenya on
a free trip with Free The Children
during the summer of 2013 for two
weeks it was like going back in time
before technology was invented and
people had to help one another to
survive.
Education in Kenya is
considered a luxury. That may be hard to
believe when all students in Canada are
groaning to get out of bed in the morning.
However, I met two girls named Jennifer
and Faith who were very passionate about
school. They told me that they start school
around five in the morning and are still
working on homework even when the day is
over. “We spend all weekend in the
computer lab. Sometimes playing games but
usually we do homework,” laughed Faith.
Jennifer was very interested in law and
chemistry and wanted to become a lawyer,
whereas Faith was involved in all
extracurricular activities, from soccer to
book club. Every morning they keep in mind
that they are one of few who have an
education and can help bring their families
out of poverty. Although these two girls
were granted the opportunity to receive an
education there are many who simply cannot
go to school. I learned that most four and
five year olds wake up every morning at the
crack of dawn to herd the cattle and fetch
wood. They spend their days looking after
their siblings and helping their mothers get
water from the stream. These children watch
other kids go to school every day wishing
they could attend too but have other
priorities.
Clean water in Kenya is nonexistent.
One day, during my two weeks, I got to
experience the life of a mama. I walked one
hour from my camp site to a river with an
empty jerry can in my hand. When I arrived
at the river there were donkeys surrounding
it and children playing in the water. All I
kept thinking was “how many diseases are
floating around in this water”. I was
absolutely disgusted and could not believe
that this is what they drank, cooked with and
showered with every day. I filled my jerry
can with water and struggled to carry it over
the bank. We tied a rope on each end and the
Maasai warriors helped me lift the can onto
my back and placed the rope on my head.
Carrying a twenty pound child is much
easier than carrying a twenty pound jug of
water with all the weight supported on your
head for an hour. During the walk back to
the mama’s house I learned that this is what
they do
up to six
times a
day. Most
women
have to
walk two
hours,
which is a
total of
four hours each trip. Once they get home
they boil the water before they use it to cook
with. During a drought they sometimes have
to sacrifice bathing for weeks and go a few
days without meals. When we arrived to the
hut we took a few hours to do a Q and A
with the mamas. One question directed
towards my group was “How do you get
your water?” In this moment my face fell
and I started to tear up. How were we
supposed to tell them that our water comes
from a tap inside our house? After several
minutes of us pondering how to answer the
question, we replied with the simple, “We
have a well in the ground near our homes.”
After that day I never asked my parents to
get me a glass of water because if those
women walk hours to get muddy water, we
can all surely take a few minutes and stick a
cup under a tap.
Not only do the women spend hours
of their day walking to get water, but they
also have to create an income. Most people
in Kenya have goats, cows and chickens.
They do not kill them but sell their milk and
eggs at local markets in Nairobi or to
neighbors. However, many women make
jewelry, anything from bracelets to earrings.
All women are dressed head to toe in their
own creations of traditional accessories.
Free The Children has created a job for
them by selling their handmade work on
their websites and in stores located
throughout Kenya. Before, if a family did
not have a goat they did not receive any
money therefore their children could not go
to school and they had one outfit to wear
every day. There are still many families who
live like this because money is very scarce
in Kenya, however it is improving.
Next time you are in the city, count
how many restaurants you see. In Kenya,
there are no restaurants. A traditional meal
in this part of the world is flour mixed with
water. It sounds as gross as it tastes. For
special events one might put sugar on top,
however sugar is very pricey. Therefore they
might add lettuce if they have a garden, or
they might kill a goat and have the meat as a
side dish. With the left over flour and water,
Kenyans will cook it over a fire to make
rolls. Usually this would be a meal for lunch
or supper. However, if there is a
drought all they have is flour and any
leftover lettuce. For one whole day
during my trip, I got to experience the
life of a Kenyan. My group was
separated into different countries and
each country had different materials.
My group was Brazil. We started off
with just beans. As the afternoon progressed
we were able to trade some paper and
scissors in exchange for potatoes, carrots
and corn. At the end of the day I had a half
empty, warm water bottle, a burnt face and a
bowl of potatoes, corn, beans and flour.
Once the day was done I ran into my tent
and stuffed my face with granola bars. There
is not much of a variety of food in Kenya
and if a family of six was to have very little
money sometimes the mother and one child
would never eat.
The lifestyle these people live leads to poor
health. Therefore, when a child becomes ill
the mother has to look after her baby all day.
This being said, the child who is old enough
to attend school has to stay at home and help
her family. Since the mother cannot make
jewelry during this time, the family has no
money to buy food which means they go
several nights without nutrients in their
bellies. If a family was to live like this for
months at a time, the reality of it would
mean they would die. This is happening all
the time in Kenya.
Therefore, teenagers need to start
lifting their faces out of their screens for a
few hours a day and start educating
themselves on problems that are happening
in the world. It is this generation that can
change the lives of many but to do so we
need to change the way we live our lives
first.
We Day Atlantic
What is We Day you may ask? It is a
movement to empower children to take
action and create change. It was created by
Craig Kielburger, founder of Free The
Children. On Friday, November 28 I had to
chance to sit in on the life changing day.
I traveled with employees from
Potash Corp to We Day in Halifax. We
woke up at five in the morning to have a big
breakfast and then headed out to the site
where we would be working. Our job was
transportation and safety. We stood outside
and helped kids find their way to the
building as they unloaded off of school
buses. Around nine thirty one other youth
and I headed inside to warm up and wander
around before the show.
Inside there were eight thousand kids
pumped up and ready to get motivated to
create a difference. The show was divided
into five sections. The first was Me to We
Generations. In this section Craig and Marc
spoke about how much of an impact youth
have on changing the world. Every time I
hear them speak I always get a little teary
eyed because of how much they are
changing the world. I also learned about
empowerment in this section. By donating
fifty dollars it can buy a goat to help
support a family. This year Free The
Children wants to give families the
resources and skills they need to change
their futures. In this section there were
many videos of women in Kenya. Some
clips were from my trip and of course I cried
and had a goofy smile on my face every time
they came on.
The next section was about economic
empowerment. A motivational speaker that I
met in Kenya named Robin Wiszowaty
came on stage. She talked about how by
educating ourselves on food security we can
help save lives of many. Robin said “by
providing a goat to a family they have
started their own home business which
provides them with a lifetime of full
bellies!” At this time, Mama Toti who is a
Maasai woman from rural Kenya came out
on stage. The crowd went crazy and the
smile appeared back on my face when I saw
this women’s face glow from all the support
she was receiving. Mama Toti dreamed of
owning a goat for ten years. However with
her daily responsibilities of taking care of
four children it prevented her from having
enough money to own a goat. When she
joined the Me to We Artisans program, by
selling her jewelry she was able to buy two
goats with her first paycheque, and then two
more and so on. Finally she was able to
make an income with selling milk and able
to give her children the proper nutrition.
Mama Toti was very nervous going out on
stage but she did a fantastic job thanking
everyone for helping her create a healthier
life.
Next up was technological
empowerment. In this section a motivational
speaker named Spencer West who has no
legs talked about science. He said that “our
phones are more powerful than the
computers that first put human on the moon.
We can use them for more than just Angry
Birds and sending texts.” I already knew that
this generation is so consumed in their
phones that they have no idea what is going
on in the world around them, however, I did
not know with our phones we can change
the world. Spencer went on to say that
without science and the power of technology
he would “be another kid with an unknown
disease stuck in a hospital,” but now he can
share his story with the world and has
evidence that to change lives we do not have
to put down our phones we just have to put
them into good use.
At this time, we had a lunch break.
All day I had been searching high and low
trying to find my facilitator from Kenya. I
knew he was
at We Day
and wanted to
so badly to
talk and catch
up with him.
When I had
lost all hope
my friend
working at
one of the merchandise booths said she
would ask the guy in charge. When he told
me that my facilitator was on his way down,
my heart skipped a thousand miles a minute.
Imagine being inspired by someone and
getting so close to them you feel like they’re
your sibling, after only two weeks, and then
parting ways for over a year not knowing
when or if you will ever see them again.
When my facilitator came up to me, he
engulfed me in a gigantic hug. I could not
stop smiling and when we had to part ways
for the second time I cried. Not because I
was sad but because I was so
overwhelmed with happiness.
The fourth section was about
social empowerment. I learned how
to act upon local problems when
Travis Price who is the co-founder
of Pink Shirt Anti Bullying Day
spoke on stage. He wanted kids to
know that if they see a problem
happening in their school or town to
not sit back and watch but make a stand and
stop the problem. Also, Mia Farrow said that
“[we] are the generation [she] had been
waiting for [her] whole life.” Teens today
need to help people in improving their lives
so the future can be a positive lifestyle.
The fifth section was educational
empowerment. Being a sixteen year old and
two years away from graduation, I was able
to connect with this period. Craig and Marc
came back out on stage to give some
information on education. Craig said that
“education gives us the tools to create our
own path and come up with our own
solutions to the problems facing the world.”
He also said “education is the best social
investment you can make in trying to create
a better world.” All of what he said is true
but when two young girls who go to
Oleleshwa and Kisaruni Secondary schools
in Kenya told everyone their story, it was
then I realized that education can really
change lives. One girl said “when I was in
grade six, my parents wanted me to drop out
of school and marry an old man. They didn’t
think my education was important. I wanted
to go to school so I went to live with my
sister. When I was accepted into Kisaruni it
was the happiest day of my life.”
At the end a twelve year old boy
named Parker who found out he had cancer
four years ago spoke on stage. He said that
“kids can do anything” and followed that up
with, “We Day, I am now cancer free!” He
had the stadium in tears and everyone
cheered and clapped as loud as they could
for the young survivor. I was already feeling
emotional from the huge impact We Day
had on my life so far, that Parker’s story
made me realize that anyone can conquer
and achieve anything as long as they work
hard for it.
Ebola
Earlier this year, a deadly disease
called Ebola broke out in West Africa
causing a frenzy for the rest of the world.
Adults were worried for those in other
countries who supposedly had symptoms
whereas teenagers were worried they might
receive the deadly disease. Some people
seem to forget that as of right now Ebola is
only a major concern in West Africa. It is
spread through body fluids. However, Ebola
has not been talked about recently on the
news and has seemed to be forgotten about.
Right now, there are many people in
West Africa that are dying due to this
horrendous sickness. While people are
dying, doctors are coming up with
vaccinations to give patients in North
America and then later send the cure
overseas to those who need it. There have
been rumors that Ebola will spread to the
slums of Nairobi Kenya, and find its way to
America therefore taking over the world.
This outbreak is worse than the first Ebola
outbreak in 1976 when 280 people died.
Evan Watson, an eleven year old
who heard
about
Ebola on
the news
and was
scared for
his life
said, “I
was kind
of afraid that it might spread into North
America. I thought that it was a weird virus
and I hope that they find a cure for it soon.”
This disease has affected many
people’s lives and some are taking it as a
joke. Twitter news feeds are filled with
jokes such as “I hope your boyfriend gets
Ebola” and “I would rather get Ebola than
go to school.” With rumors that Ebola was
in New York and Dallas, Texas, many are
not taking the case as seriously as they
should.
The case in Dallas, Texas was the
most sever for North America. A man
started showing symptoms and was sent
home after visiting the hospital. However,
he got very ill and died at the hospital. A
few days after his death, the nurse that
treated the man had contracted the disease.
That same day, another worker was also
confirmed to have the virus. These two
people were very lucky to have recovered
from Ebola since.
Even though this virus is not a major
issue in North America, it is in a country
where health care is already poorly looked
after. Ebola needs to be talked about more
and taken seriously.
Help stop Ebola! Donate today to save the lives of those who are suffering from the
deadly disease.
Allan Legere
This week marked the twenty-fifth
anniversary of Allan Legere. He is a
Canadian serial killer who caused terror to
those living in Miramichi. On June 21 of
1986, Allan and two of his
accomplices cut the power
and broke into a local man’s
shop. He beat the man and
his wife and later Allan and
his partners fled the scene.
However, the man’s wife found her husband
dead and called 911.
In the end Allen Legere was locked
up. However, his case did not stop there.
When he was in the hospital, Legere found a
way to escape. He convinced the security
guards to allow him to use the washroom
without people around him. At this time
Allen picked the lock on his handcuffs with
an object he had hidden and used a weapon
to hold down the officers while he escaped
the building.
Also, during a period of seven
months, Legere committed four other
murders around New Brunswick. He
murdered a family and set fire to their house
before leaving. He was
then recaptured which
led to another arrest.
Therefore he sentenced
an additional nine
years.
The day that marked his twenty-fifth
anniversary, people who were affected in the
Miramichi area were reminiscing on the pain
he caused. Even though the town has moved
on from it, there are families that are still
grieving. After Allan was captured for the
final time the community became stronger.
Everyone is friendly with each other.
Although it was a tragic event, it grew
families closer and neighbors became best
friends. In the end, the event created a safer
community.
Go on a Me to We trip today and experience a world like you have never
experienced before.
Apply today and change the lives
of many!
Visit room 2026 every Thursday at lunch to help create a better
community and world!
Ferguson Shooting
For anyone who may not be
following the Ferguson report here is your
inside scoop on what’s happening.
This summer many protests began
after a police officer shot a black male
named Michael Brown after a heated dispute
in Ferguson, Missouri. After the shooting,
the town started a riot. The police enforced
strict rules such as curfew and they also took
care of riot squads.
Directly after the shooting, people
created a memorial where Michael died.
However, it was later disrupted when police
stopped the grieving of family and friends.
The disrespect police were showing towards
the people affected by the shooting caused
frustration.
Therefore, just days after the
shooting, during the memorials a group of
people began vandalizing vehicles,
confronted police officers and vandalized
businesses, to name a few. On this particular
day there were approximately thirty arrests
who all faced charges of assault, burglary
and theft. Police did become very
aggressive. For example, they shot when
they could, had SWAT teams and arrested
people without an explanation. This went on
for about a week after the shooting.
After many days of citizens watching
their town turn into a war zone, they started
asking for the violence to stop. At this time,
more information about the shooting was
publicly released. However, this did not
please any protesters and cases of vandalism
are still happening to this day.
Last month, the jury decided to not
indict Officer Wilson in shooting the young
man. After hearing this news, protesting
became international.
No one is sure when the war will
stop. Business owners and quiet citizens are
living in fear, wondering when they will get
hurt or vandalized. However, there are many
asking for peace, hoping for Ferguson to
stop the protests and handle the situation
professionally.
Literary & Celebrity News and Reviews
Spencer Folkins
The YA Movement The genre's becoming more and more popular, and it's leading more and more kids to learn to love reading. Here's a brief description of it's history.
For the past twenty or so years, the Young Adult genre has been growing, and so has its
nicely. YA later regained popularity in the
audience. I'm not a die-hard fan of the genre myself (too melodramatic for my taste, I'll read the popular stuff to see what all the hype's about), but millions of other kids and teens can't get enough. Even adults are even getting in on the fun, finding a love for alternate realities with corrupt governments and children fighting to the deaths and doomed loves. Some even find a career in reviewing this particular branch of lit. And authors are having a lot of success when it comes to marketing their stories to this younger audience.
So where did it all start? It's most likely a recent thing, right? A twentieth century invention to keep the kids entertained. But even the earlier stuff could arguably be considered as having been written for adults but embraced by teens. In 1943 a French author named Antoine de Saint Exupéry published a classic story titled The Little Prince. At first glance it may seem like a child's bedtime story, but look harder and think deeper, and you'll agree that it's a metaphor to be recognized by adults. In 1951 a reclusive writer by the name of J.D. Salinger penned a novel called The Catcher in the Rye, which many still consider to be a favourite today. It is widely considered to be the first YA novel. After that came William Golding's Lord of the Flies, which was first published in 1954 and was Golding's first novel. Unfortunately it is still assigned to kids to this day. It is not considered a favourite by many, to put it
early 1990's. Between Lord of the Flies and then teens were largely entertained by comic books. Before Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, there was Anne Rice's Interview With A Vampire. Next came Harry Potter, which exploded onto the scene and introduced the world to it's love of all things wizardy. Lois Lowry's The Giver, Twilight, Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, all of these have been added to book shelves in the recent years.
YA is becoming increasingly popular and doesn't show any signs of letting up yet. Publishers are putting it out by the bulk and readers are devouring it even faster than authors can supply. Even Hollywood's taking a hint, adapting many of the popular YA books into blockbuster hits. For years YA has been teaching kids to love to read, and because of YA it's guaranteed literacy won't die out any time soon.
This Year in Horror: a review
The genre certainly isn't dead. It's just becoming a bit repetitive.
My pick for the year's best horror novel is between two works. Josh Malerman's Bird Box and
Nick Cutter's The Troop. I had the pleasure of reading Malerman's Bird Box (standing at two
hundred and sixty two pages, considerably smaller than Troops five hundred and ten) over the
summer, and although it relied a bit too heavily on Alfred Hitchcock's theory that "it's not what
you can see, but what you can't see that's most frightening", it was an enjoyable experience. My
review of that can be found later.
Right now I'm reading Cutter's The Troop. So far I'm only a little over one hundred pages in, but
I am liking it very much. It's a genuinely scary novel. Although most of the novels length comes
from travelling down every single side road and segway you can imagine, it is "old-school horror
at its best", so says Stephen King, who recently made his own long-anticipated return to
old-school with his novel Revival. Scott Smith, author of A Simple Plan (1993) and The Ruins
(2006) calls The Troop "Lean and crisp and over-the-top. Disquieting, disturbing." And although
I'm only a little over a hundred pages in, I'm afraid to say that so far I am liking it more than Bird
Box. Perhaps it's only because there's more to love. Perhaps it's because Cutter is a pen name,
and Nick claims to have had a couple of things published under his real name and thus has more
experience with writing than Malerman, who's new to the trade besides being the lead singer and
songwriter for the rock band The High Strung. Who can say? Individually these are both
spectacularly scary novels in their own right, together there`s some friendly comptition.
Nevertheless, I`m looking forward to seeing what both authors have planned for the future.
My Review for Bird Box:
If going through pregnancy and raising not one child but two is rough, than doing so in a
post-apocalyptic world must be torture! I imagine doing anything in a post-apocalyptic
environment would be difficult; but childbearing is the situation Josh Malerman chose for the
main character in his (debut?) novel Bird Box to face when it all goes down.
I bought this book simply because first: the cover caught my eye. Second, what I read on the
back seemed cool. And finally, I was out shopping and had an extra $20 to spend and thought
"might as well buy a book".
Bird Box is about a woman (Malorie) surviving and raising a family after the world as we know
it goes to the crapper. A new species has appeared and once you see it you go insane and kill
those around you in horrible, violent fashions before ending your own life. The only way to
prevent this from happening? Don't open your eyes. Something is out there. So at least don't
open them outdoors.
But how can you teach your kids to shoot for the stars if they've never seen the sky? The timeline
skips from present day rowing-down-a-river blindfolded to flashbacks from the days after the
death of her sister which she spent living with a group of survivors in a safe house, pregnant.
I really loved this book. Find it hard to believe that it's only a debut novel. I love the short, easy
to read chapters. The longer ones are full of excitement and keep you hooked for the duration.
Especially the final two. I love how it kept jumping from past to present time. I love that it was
written by a young/hip/new writer.
The writing was good and the story was great. The characters felt real and so did there actions
and reactions. Overall, great read. This story kind of banks on Hitchcock's theory that it's not
what you see, but what you don't see that's most frightening. It never describes the creatures, just
lets your imagination make up your own description.
It maybe irrelevant, but I always imagined the creatures as being something out of a late 1950's
horror film. Knee height blobs of gurgling black, white, but mostly grey horror that's so outdated
it's funny even though it isn't meant to be. I don't know if it was that way for anyone else, but
that's how I saw them. Feel free to message me about your thoughts. This is one book that I'd
love to talk with someone else who's read it, considering that not a lot of people have.
I had a lot of fun with this novel and using my imagination reading it. Based on what I just read,
I would definitely read more from Malerman in the future!
Women in Literature 2014
The ever-exclusive entertainment industry is finally embracing girl power, and female artists are making up for lost time!
2014 was a big year for women. In the past you when thinking of authors for every ten male writers you might only come up with one female. While in the past it might once have been difficult for women to find publishing for their work, this year just wasn't so for this year. With an ongoing feminist movement and growing amount of supporters, women this year dominated the charts and blew up the box office.
In fact, female authors appear to be making up for lost time. In May New York Times Bestselling Author Emily Giffin released her novel The One & Only. Her book "[traverses] the slippery slopes of true love, lost love, marriage, motherhood, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption" and because of that she's been described as "a modern-day Jane Austen" by Chicago Sun-Times. Unfortunately her book was released around the same time as another bestseller, and thus buzz for The One & Only was drowned out by buzz for The Goldfinch, the Pulitzer Prize-winning third novel from Donna Tartt that took the literary world by storm. Both books are whoppers of a read, The Goldfinch weighing in at a staggering eight hundred-some pages, The One & Only a more comfortable four hundred-some. Though it's sad that praise for The One & Only might have been cut short by The Goldfinch, it is at least a feat to see a womans work overthrowing another womans work instead of a mans reigning supreme (not that men didn't also have their fair share of successes throughout the year. See This Year in Horror).
The next book by a female author to shake the literary world: Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you're sure to recognize the name Gillian Flynn, the writer behind the smash hit Gone Girl. Though she's been making a name for herself over the past couple of years with her books Sharp Objects (2006) and Dark Places (2009), it is with Gone Girl that for the first time her name has actually become household. The success of the film adaption only adds to that, and she played a crucial role in the making of that as well.
So with all these great advances for women in writing, why are some very successful female authors choosing to hide behind male pen names? J.K Rowling, the person who changed the face of YA and introduced the world to their love of all things magical with her Harry Potter series was found out for writing under the pseudonym Robert Gailbraith. And even though readers know it's her, she plans on releasing more works as Robert in the future. One could argue a different name gives her more room to pursue a different audience with a different genre book and more space for creativity, but why a mens name? And choosing to publish her first novels under her gender neutral initials: That says something about the industry. Though it's been a fantastic year for women in literature, it needs more work.
But don't let J.K sadden you. Women choosing to be published under male pen names are a
minority. There are still many women writing as themselves and finding success in the charts. And female authors don't show any signs of slowing down in the new year. Sally Hepworth's debut novel The Secrets of Midwives set to be released in February. It's the story of "three generations of women". Liane Moriarty, author of The Husband's Secret says "this is women's fiction at its finest", and Emily Giffin, author of The One & Only "a page-turning novel... A totally absorbing narrative [with] empathy and keen insight".
But women aren't only looking ahead to 2015. Margaret Atwood has plans for far further into the future. In 2114 a new work of hers will be released. That's right! One hundred years from now the world will be able to pick up a never before seen story by one of Canada's most prolific authors and a strong feminist herself. Only the title will be released later in June of 2015. It's part of a Future Library Project. A number of big-name authors are participating, and a forest in Norway is being grown to supply paper for the books that will be released in 100 years. That is, if books even require paper in the future. The goal is to ensure the existence of literacy for future generations.
All-in-all, it's been a great year. But female authors aren't done yet! And they don't show any signs of letting up for a long while!
Fallen Stars
In 2014 we said goodbye to a lot of big names, famous actors, actresses, poets, and personalities. Here's just a few.\l
Philip Seymour Hoffman - February 2nd. He was found dead in a bathroom with a needle in his arm. He'd struggled for a long time with addiction and had even been to rehab a few times. He had a number of projects on the go at the time, about a week left of filming for the second half of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and he'll never see the release of the film based on a novel by John le Carré which he starred in. Shirley Temple - February 10th. At age 85. The worlds most iconic child actress, she even had a drink named after her! Hopefully she's enjoying animal crackers in her soup somewhere in the great beyond. Mickey Rooney - April 6th. At the age of 93, if it hadn't of been for this legendary actor who also started out young in the business, Mickey Mouse may not be the mouse we know him as today. That's right! It's a rumor Walt Disney named Mickey after meeting the real Mickey. Maya Angelou - May 28th. The acclaimed author and poet died at age 86. Robin Williams - August 11th. Another person gone too soon. Williams had reportedly been recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disorder, a disease that steals the control of ones muscles, as well as dementia. Mixed with the announcement that his show The Crazy Ones was being cancelled, it seems all this bad news was too much for the beloved actor, husband, and father to bare. He took his own life, cutting his wrists and later hanging himself. He was found the next day and it was recently discovered that he may at the time have been suffering from hallucinations. Ironic and deeply saddening how the mind that brought joy to so many others brought the man himself to his ultimate and untimely end. Joan Rivers - September 4th. The at times controversial comedienne passed away on Sept. 4 at the age of 81 after a long and eventful television career. She went into cardiac arrest while undergoing a procedure on her vocal cords and was quickly rushed to the hospital. She died a few days later. Outrageous details emerged over the coming weeks after her death, one accusing the surgeon performing the operation of stopping to take a selfie with Joan, who was asleep.
The Sports Corner
Jackson Folkins
Goodbye to a Canadian Legend
Steve Nash was once the pinnacle of
the point guard position throughout the
NBA. During the early 2000’s the two time
league most valuable player was able to
lead his Phoenix Suns to the playoffs
multiple times and create a lasting
campaign for Mike D’antoni’s “seven
second or less offence.” Alongside Amar’e
Stoudemire , Steve Nash made his mark as
the greatest Canadian basketball player of
all time.
In July of 2012, Nash was traded to
the Los Angeles Lakers in an attempt to
form a championship contender. Sadly,
however, riddled with injuries since then,
Nash has been kept off the court
consistently.
Now in the 2014-2015 season,
with nerve damage in his back, Nash’s
career is all but over at this point. Now,
waiting for his guaranteed contract to end
in order to receive his money, Nash, age
forty, will most likely hang up his sneakers
at year’s end. Not only will the league and
its fans be saying goodbye to a great player
and role model for the younger generations
to study; we will also see the end of the
career of the greatest Canadian basketball
player to ever lace them up.
Sign up Today!!
The Peterson
Conspiracy
Not long ago, Adrian Peterson was
on the other end of this child abuse looking
glass. However, just over a year ago, AP
had to come to terms that his two year old
son was killed, by abuse of the boy’s
mother’s boyfriend.
Adrian hadn’t been living with the
boy and his mother, in fact until two
months before the boy’s death in October,
2013, Adrian didn’t even know the boy was
his.
Despite this incomparable tragedy,
the Minnesota Vikings star running back is
now under speculation of his own, after
child abuse reports were made about him,
it was surfaced that Peterson disciplines his
four year old in a physical manor that his
mother deemed abuse. The boy had been
hit with a switch, a thin stick or tree branch,
which photographic evidence has proved to
have left cuts and immense bruising on the
boy’s legs and buttocks.
Peterson never ran away from these
accusations and even had text messages
showing how upset it made to discipline his
son this way. However, that kind of
punishment was how Peterson was raised
in Texas, and therefore, that is what he
knows to work.
As previously stated AP has
countlessly cried that he never meant to
permanently hurt the child, and that it was
simply discipline. His remorse was seen in
court as well, “O stand here and take full
responsibility for my actions. I love my son
more than any of you could even imagine
and I’m anxious to continue my relationship
with the child.” (Adrian Peterson)
I honestly believe him, Adrian does
deserve punishment and a year without pay
from the NFL, four thousand dollars in fines,
two years of specialty probation,
completing a parental class, and eighty
hours of community service. Peterson used
an old fashion style of parenting that
society has recently deemed unacceptable.
Much unlike Raven’s running back Racy
Rice, who physically assaulted his wife in
public, Adrian Peterson deserves to be able
to move on and learn from his mistakes.
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Toronto as a Title Contender
Since their foundation in 1995, the Toronto
Raptors have been the butt of everyone’s
joke in the NBA. Being the only Canadian
team in the NBA, not many players want to
live in Canada nor do superstars who are
made here, enjoy staying very long; Tracy
Mcgrady, Vince Carter, and Chris Bosh for
example.
Making very few playoff
appearances and only once ever making the
second round, has made a stigma about
Toronto as a losing franchise. However, just
a year ago, the Raptors traded Rudy Gay in
a move that everyone thought meant Masai
Ujiri, the GM, was going to tank the season
in order to bring in a rookie from the star
filled draft class. But, the team, now
without their best scorer, was doing better.
The Raptors finished the season with a
franchise record 48-34 and the third seed in
the Eastern conference.
Now, fast forward to late November
2014, the Raptors are not only the best
team in the Eastern, but also tied as the
best team in the league with a 12—2
record. Behind the gritty leadership of Kyle
Lowry and the dominating scoring presence
of Demar Derozan, the Raptors and turning
some basketball “expert’s” heads.
Not only are the Raptors top six in
offence throughout the league, but also top
six in defense and defensive efficiency.
Toronto have transcended from a laugh
around the league into a true threat. A real
title contender.
What Not to Buy Your Sports Fan Loved
One
Well, it’s that time of year again and
everyone will soon be chiseling out their
pocket books, and searching for new
checks. However, there is no need in
spending all this money if they aren’t even
going to enjoy whatever it is you get them.
Oh sure, they’re going to put on a nice smile
and say thank you and you’ll believe it, but
wouldn’t you prefer it if deep down, you
knew that they would really love and
actually cherish? Well, here is a helpful list
for you.
First off, what not to buy. Believe
me, no matter how much they say thank
you or it doesn’t matter of how much you
see them with it; NO ONE LIKES KEY
CHAINS! If you are currently thinking of
buying a sports themed key chain, plush
toy, or ANYTHING of that nature, just stop.
No sports fan, no matter what age will
actually enjoy such a gift. I say all of this will
as much respect as possible but no child,
teen, or man open up a gift on Christmas
morning and fall to their knees in awe over
a tiny plush Benny the Bull.
However, there are plenty of things
you could buy your little sports lover that
they actually will enjoy and not necessarily
break the bank. For instance, if you have a
local sports team or one close to you, you
could always buy them a ticket to see a
home game. Now, this doesn’t have to be a
major league team such as the Miami Heat,
the New England Patriots, etc. You could
get them a ticket to a QMJHL game or an
NBL game, something hometown and
cheaper may be the perfect gift. Also there
will always be the classic gifts such as team
beanies, coats, sweaters, and so forth. Not
all of these are expensive, in fact you can
find NBA styled hats for as low as 19.99$.
However, some of the other items can
begin to get a little pricey, but if it’s the
right gift, I’m positive your special someone
will appreciate one great gift than three
unspectacular gifts. Another always home
run is to buy them a team jersey. Jerseys
are always a touchy thing because of just
how pricey they are, although, they will
light up any gift opener’s eyes and fill their
heart with joy.
So, in conclusion, in order to get
your special someone the perfect gift,
please stay away from those tacky knick-
knacks and terribly designed coasters. Try
and get them something they will truly
enjoy and admire for years to come.
It’s Definitely For You!
Smell Sexy for the Holidays!
Make sure you’re Clean for Mrs. Claus!
2.79$
Deals may vary
AXE CANADA
Music
Brady Jones
The Pinkprint
Nicki Minaj is no stranger to stirring controversy and with her new album coming out
next month, we can only be certain all eyes will be on her. With her single ‘Anaconda’ gaining
popularity as well as notoriety, Minaj has managed to be on top of the world of hip-hop and
looks to stay when The Pinkprint comes out. Expect an album that goes back to her hip-hop roots
in exchange for her past pop releases. The Pinkprint comes out December 2014 on Young
Money Cash Money Records.
Courtesy of Wikipedia
American Beauty/ American Psycho
Fall Out Boy made one of the most epic comebacks in the history of the 2010’s and they
look to further their comeback success with an album by the name of ‘American
Beauty/American Psycho’. Lead by singles ‘Centuries’ and ‘Immortals’, which appeared in the
recent Pixar movie Big Hero 6, there’s no telling what FOB has in store for next month’s release.
But from what they’ve released so far, it’s going to be good.
Sonic Highways
After releasing a smash hit in 2011’s album ‘Wasting Light’, the Foo Fighters felt like
they could go further and they did. Recording in eight different cities and exploring each of their
sounds and music scenes, they released their most ambitious album accompanied by a
documentary series in the style of Band of Brothers. Sonic Highways is in stores right now on
disc, digital, and vinyl, with the TV series exclusively on HBO.
JP Holden
Nickelback-No Fixed
Address-
Album Review
Your most hated Canadian rockers are back
and more different than ever before. After
their peak of commercial success in the mid
2000’s, the group from Hanna, Alberta have
tried to experiment musically to keep in the
bubble of popular music. Although that may
never be the case with their despicable status
in music, this album is a good one; the best
in six years. If you can rid yourself of the
preconceived notion of Nickelback, or if you
are a fan, you’ll be in for a surprising and
exciting ride with No Fixed Address.
I stress how much this Nickelback
album is different musically, but this being
said, Nickelback is still Nickelback. You
still get generic hard rock ballads that
you’ve heard for the umpteenth time, but I
promise you with the eleven songs on the
album, you get only two of those ballads.
Just by the first song, you get a catchy riff
that immediately draws you in and soon
afterward, Chad Kroeger’s voice drowned in
an underwater sounding effect. The song
itself isn’t a song you want to keep listening
to, but it pulls you in to the rest of the album
as you’ll know right from the start this is not
Nickelback you have listened to.
No Fixed Address’ two lead singles
follow ‘Million Miles An Hour’; the head-
banging, politically charged ‘Edge of a
Revolution’ and the poppy ‘What Are You
Waitin’ For?’. ‘Revolution’ is a really good
song, one of the most lyrically original
Nickelback has ever put out. I feel that they
might have hopped too late on the ‘bash the
government’ train, with Green Day doing
exactly that with “American Idiot” ten years
ago, but I can’t help agreeing with Kroeger’s
lyrics denouncing the NSA, CIA, and Wall
Street and nodding my head to the music as I
do it. ‘What Are You Waiting For?’ is
almost the opposite of the chaos of
‘Revolution’, resorting to a more 2014 day
pop song. It’s obvious that the band wanted
to appeal to the masses with that song, yet it
has all of the catchy pop characteristics we
either love or hate.
Their singles were a slight departure
from their earlier songs, but if you look deep
enough into the album, you will be fooled.
‘She Keeps Me Up’ and “Got Me Runnin’
Round are songs that could easily be played
in a dance club and I hate to say it, but
they’re super catchy. This is the first time
you will hear Nickelback bringing out
instruments and styles you have never heard
in their arsenal. Drums machines, steel
drums, horn sections, Flo Rida; to include
these in anything Nickelback is definitely
worth making fun of on paper, but when you
listen to it, it’s not bad and definitely
memorable.
It may not save them from all of their
hate, but for once, Nickelback has made
some music that is easy to listen to. It has
it’s low points, it has it’s sameness, but for
the most part you’re in for a ride that is
shocking to be coming from Nickelback. If
you have the money to experience the
variety, it is definitely worth it.
7/10
Simon Fregl
THE NEW AUDIENCE
FOR BEATS BY DRE! Gerbil-sized headphones for the
music-saavy! Must have! Buy now!
Farce of Award Shows I admit, I love it when some of my favourite
artists and bands when a Grammy and I get
to rub it into other peoples face; to bask in
the glory of my winning taste of music. But
the more I watch award shows like the
Grammy’s, the more I realize there just
another aspect of the artificial Hollywood
lifestyle, with all of the corruption in
judging what music should really be about.
A “Grammy-Award winning” artist is just
another label to put on an artist and labels on
music is exactly the reason why the state of
music award shows are at an all-time low.
It’s come to a point in life where I
don’t think we even know what or how we
label music. The recent AMA’s have made
me realize that they should really re-evaluate
their label of Alternative Rock. When
Imagine Dragons and Bastille are included
in the genre that pisses me off because
people also consider Nirvana as Alternative
Rock. And I think it takes less of a genius to
realize that those groups of bands do NOT
sound the same.
Better yet, where is the ROCK in the
Pop/Rock nominations? Because all I saw in
solo artists were Pharrell Williams and Sam
Smith, and in the groups were One Direction
and OneRepublic? Where are the Arctic
Monkeys? Where are the Queens of the
Stone Age? I assure you that not including
them in the nominations is as ridiculous as
their names themselves. It’s bullshit.
If people should not be labeled, why
should an art made by people be labeled
too? I understand you need this awards to
give out to these people, but it’s dumb. Give
it to the most popular people and screw the
Grammy’s. It’ll be better off for the music
industry as a dignified whole.
Steve Murray
Courtesy of Billboard Website
Being in
a band
Music has never been much of a big thing in
Sussex. Everyone listens to the radio,
everyone sings, very few people perform
and fewer people play instruments. In a time
where playing sports is the popular thing to
do, music has seemed to take a back seat and
I’ve always found that sucked. It doesn’t
help when some bands come to my school
for assemblies and you’re left with the
impression of, “Wow, they’re boring as
hell.” So when I was introduced by my
friend Jackson-also a member of this
magazine-to a new band that was just
starting up six months ago, it was one of the
most exciting moments of my life to join
them. Six months later, that feeling of
excitement still exists.
I feared while I was biking to the
house of Ben (guitarist/bassist), something
was going to happen that happened to all
bands. There would be immediate tension
and fighting and conflicts and the band
would shortly break up soon after. As soon
as I thought that, I took a header in the
sidewalk, skin scraped off the hand, couple
of scraps on my arms and face. It knocked
some sense into me actually because when I
knocked on Ben’s door, he, as well as the
three others in the band were very
welcoming. It’s always been that way in that
house. Be it the bandmates, or the parents
of, there’s this caring that has always made
me feel like I belonged in the band.
Unfortunately, two of the original members
left due to lack of interest, leaving Ben,
Dylan (guitar), and myself
(drummer/vocalist). Even with the other two
gone, that brother-like chemistry regarding
music has never left and has probably gotten
stronger with every band practice we’ve
had.
With that chemistry, we make really
good music outside of my bias perception.
The chemistry helps and I feel this
togetherness as the three of us are playing
some of our favourite songs from our
favourite bands. Like the welcoming nature
of the band family, it’s a feeling like no
other, to not only be connected talking about
music, but experiencing it for ourselves and
playing it.
Dylan, Ben, and I never had this set
leader for the band. It was never a
monarchy, only a democracy and all we did
and still do is bounce ideas off each other in
a fun yet respectful way. From there, we put
those ideas into place with the beautiful
combination of real instruments and music
that we all enjoy. And during that process,
there’s this connection between them that I
can’t really get from anything else. I can’t
get it with talking with friends, I can’t get
with playing basketball, only with playing
music with the band.
It makes me wonder why more
people don’t learn instruments and start their
own bands. It’s really sad, as music made by
humans is slowly succumbing to music
made by computers. There’s more human in
a band and I guarantee if more people got
together and played they wanted together,
there would be happier people and better
music in our world.
Brady Jones
FOO FIGHTERS @ the Molson Canadian
Amphitheatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada!
Pre-sales started December 1st!
Get em’ first before they’re all gone!
Musical Backgrounds
Brady Jones (Him and his minime):
Favorite genre/s: Hard rock, Alternative Rock, Punk Rock, Appreciation for about everything
Favourite artists/bands: Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Green Day, Rise Against
Instruments: Piano (11 years), Guitar (8 months), Drums (4 months)
Spencer Folkins (The Man In The Moustache):
Favorite genre/s: Indie rock, Alternative Rock
Favorite artists/bands: The Shins, Pepper Rabbit, The Killers
Instruments: Violin (2 years)
Jackson Folkins (Not Brady Jones):
Favorite genre/s: Rock, heavy metal, punk
Favorite artists/bands: Foo Fighters, Rise Against, Nickelback
Instruments: Guitar (2 months), Bass (three weeks), Piano (one year) (Music class)
Danielle Black (The Meat of Group Hugs):
Favorite genre/s: country, pop, rap
Favorite artists/bands: Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert
Instruments: Piano (11 years), guitar (3 months), bass (a year), radio (lifetime)
Hannah Watson (Raise on family and log cabins) :
Favorite genre/s: Indie
Favourite artists/bands: Ed Sheeran, Ben Howard
Instruments: Piano (10 years)
Danielle Black
Technological Issues
Out with the old and in with the new.
Although money probably is not something
that ASDS and SRHS have a lot of, there are
some issues students have been noticing
around the school that cannot be ignored any
longer.
For example, the netbooks are great
for students to use and are useful for all
kinds of projects, when they work. The
schools servers are constantly overwhelmed
with the amount of people trying to sign on
at once. Money is a huge reason as to why
the school/district cannot afford new laptops
or better technology to support a class all
trying to sign on at once. Also quite a few of
the netbooks are falling apart, the screens
are detached, keyboard keys are missing and
some screens have dents or cracks in them
as well. It is difficult to make good use of
them when there are so many issues with
them.
Another thing is the smart boards.
Great to have in class and as a school, SRHS
is lucky to have them but, as with the
laptops not all of them are in the best shape.
Some bulbs are broken, screens don’t work
to touch, laptop connection cables don’t
work, pens no longer function properly and
the list goes on. The smart boards are an
amazing piece of technology that can make
learning so much easier, but that is only if
they work properly.
Having technology in the class
makes learning different, it makes it unique
and it can even be fun. But, technology
requires constant upkeep, if it is going to be
put into classrooms it also needs to be
serviced and kept up with properly. This
would cost, but it would make things much
easier for students and teachers alike.
Dress Code Distress
Lately it seems along with the new
movement of feminism there is a lot of talk
about dress codes. In case you are unaware a
dress code is basically a set of rules in place
to tell members of a workplace, business or
school what is and is not appropriate attire.
Many female students are now standing up
against these rules saying they encourage
male teachers to sexualize female students
and that teachers have to stare at the students
inappropriately to judge whether an item of
clothing falls within the dress code or not.
Around the school more and more often you
can hear girls complaining of the limits the
dress codes set and how they are mostly set
only towards females. Not far from Sussex,
in Fredericton, a group of girls has begun
protesting and even made a video stating
their opinions on this topic.
At SRHS the guidelines set in our
dress code are, no undergarments showing,
no cleavage, no shorts shorts, no midriff and
the list goes on. Although these rules seem
fair there are some issues. For guys, they are
not supposed to wear shirts with foul
language, inappropriate language, photos or
logos or anything along those lines. Lately
though there have been many girls told to
cover their cleavage, meanwhile a male
classmate is sporting a shirt with a semi-
nude woman on it, this is where the rules
become unfair. Girls are told to cover up the
same things guys are wearing printed onto
their shirts, and normally nothing is done
about it.
The girls from Fredericton state that
if their male teachers are looking at them
and saying their shorts or skirts are too short
that it is encouraging their teachers to
sexualize their legs, which they find
completely inappropriate and unfair.
Although they make a valid argument they
are ignoring the fact that if their skirt or
shorts show too much, it does not matter if
the adult is sexualizing it or not, their body
is still not covered enough, that is just the
fact of it. There is a fine line between
oppressing women with the guidelines set
for dress codes, and giving boundaries that
need to be followed to make a safe
environment for all the teachers and
students.
Although this is neither an argument
for nor against this movement, a statement
should be made. If girls feel as though they
are being sexualized by their teachers when
they tell them to cover up more, this is the
question I pose. If you feel as though you
are being sexualized now, how will it help
by showing more? No, showing skin does
not give people the right to look onto you
with misguided thoughts, but, there are
many people out there who will. They could
be teachers, fellow students, parents coming
into the school, etc. The dress codes have
been put in place to help prevent this.
The argument of so called “Rape
Culture” was another point brought up by
this Feminist group. This new term
basically refers to the victim shaming
society we live in, some people even go as
far to say that our society encourages rape,
thus, Rape Culture. These girls feel as
though the dress code implies that their
appearances and the way they dress is
distracting to boys which they claim seems
give boys a right to be distracted by them
and act inappropriately towards them. When
the girls get blamed for it they do not see it
as fair.
As more and more youth join the
discussion the topic is brought up more, as it
should be. This is a discussion all schools
should talk about, and answer questions
about as well, and then make changes if
needed. The hope is that someday girls will
no longer need to feel as though the rules are
in place to do more harm than good, and that
an equal agreement will come from this
discussion. Some questions that need
answered are, do these feminists groups see
any good in dress codes? Do people in
administrative positions see any places
where the rules could be more lenient? How
can we make a change?
McDonalds: Coupons!
A Loss to the Entire Community
Last year the town of Sussex
suffered the loss of some of our stores in two
building fires. Only a few days ago, on
December 9th, Poley Mountain suffered a
tragic loss as their main building, the lodge,
caught fire in the evening and burned to the
ground. Causing an estimated 3M in
damage.
The fire crews from Sussex,
Penobsquis, Millstream and other
surrounding areas were called in to help
control the fire as it engulfed the building.
This left many people wondering if
Poley would even be open this year, to
which they replied.
Although this was a major loss to the
entire community Poley Mountain has an
entire community of support as many people
had grown up in and around the lodge.
Hoping that this year will be better
than ever, even without the lodge, many
people are keeping their hopes up and are
excited to hear the official opening date for
the local ski hill, which was originally
scheduled for this Friday.
Groups have already started rallying
in support for the business and helping in
any way they can. The investigation is still
ongoing but police do not suspect arson at
this point.
Creepy Claus
As Christmas fast approaches many people
will start to notice the obvious signs of the
holiday season, decorations, Christmas
shopping, busy stores, mall Santa’s and
screaming children. Ah yes, the holidays
have arrived. It is not an uncommon sight to
see a child being drug by their parents,
kicking and screaming, to go sit on the lap
of the Jolly Old Elf.
It is estimated that more than 90% of
children fear Santa Claus. Why? Many
people believe it is the unfamiliarity of a
stranger, dressed up as someone they’re not
and forcing children to talk to them and sit
on their lap, an action normally reserved for
parents or close family members. As we get
older, if the fear of Santa is still present it is
normally related to the fact that someone in
our lives has probably mentioned the fact
that an old man watches all the children,
year round, then sneaks into everyone’s
houses in the middle of the night, eating our
food and leaving gifts. Creepy right?
The Sussex mall and even
surrounding malls are sporting the tradition
of having a mall Santa. So if you or your
children have a fear of Old Saint Nick it is
advised you avoid the malls this time of
year. You never know who is in that suit.
http://www.creepysantaphotos.com/category/scared-of-santa/page/23/
School Sick
When schools put too much pressure
on their students we tend to see many teens
stressed, upset, sick and tired dragging
themselves to school with little to no rest
and they spend the day with no focus,
learning nothing due to their lack of
concentration. This becomes especially true
when students have a limit of days they can
miss without losing something. At SRHS we
are so lucky to have exemptions, the ability
to not do an exam if the student has not
missed more than five classes or if their
average and mark in that class is 80 or over.
Although this seems like a gift to students, it
also puts a lot of pressure on students to be
present every single day, no matter what.
Students tend to come to school sick
as to not lose their exemption, causing the
cold and flu to spread like wildfire. Many
students find that they feel pressured to
come to school even if they feel as though
they are dying just so they do not lose that
precious exemption. Many people from
other schools say it is “just an exemption”
and it is better to stay home than to go to
school sick. Although that may be true it is
not just an exemption for most students, it is
the one free pass on exam week where they
can use that day to either catch up on lost
sleep and prepare for their next exam or
even use it on their last exam to give
themselves an extra-long weekend to
recharge after the long and stressful exam
week.
Even though the rules are that you
cannot have more than five absences in one
class there are some ways a student can
appeal to the administration, the only
problem is that these appeals seem to be
rare. Example, a student is injured or sick
and misses many classes for appointments or
treatment, in most of these cases an appeal is
not granted, even though the student needs
to go to the appointments to get better
sometimes it is just not possible for
administration to ignore the absences.
Which makes total sense, but it is not always
fair for the student.
In years past Sussex Regional High
had the rule that if a student had an 80 or
over in their course then they could exempt
that course. For example if a student had an
80 in four out of five of their courses then
that student would only have to write one
exam. The school figured if the student had
an 80, they probably understood the subject
pretty well and therefor did not need to write
their exam. Makes sense doesn’t it? This
rule changed several years ago although
many students now think that it seems to be
a fair rule, as opposed to the rules we have
now.
Another flaw in today’s exemption
system is that even if a student gets their
exemptions that they normally use them for
their hardest exams, or for classes they have
low marks in. Theoretically they should be
writing those exams to show they actually
know the course and did not slack off all
year but, that is not the case.
This system doesn’t seem to make
as much sense as the old one did, many
students also agree. If a vote was taken
would the current set of rules stay in place?
Or would the students adopt the older rules
and see how they work out, even if it was
only for a year to see how those rules could
benefit them now. If students asked would
we see a change? We may never know. Or
we may find out soon enough.
That’s a wrap. Period.
