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NEWSPAPER

STAFF

Editor– Skyler

Imhoff

Copy Editor–

Austin Eichhorn

Junior Editor–

Maddie Tanner

Sponsor: Mrs. Neal

General Staff:

Taylor Petitt

Kathryn Mcllelan

Hannah Long

Shibani Modi

Mattie Olsen

Olivia Morris

Have a Cu l tura l New Year !

Facebook: MHS The Student January 2016 Volume 78, Issue 4

Marion High School

THE STUDENT

It’s a new year, filled with

brand new beginnings. So

how do these beginnings get

started? With New Year’s

Day of course, and the annual

celebration of dropping the

New York City Ball, an

American staple. But, how do

other countries celebrate the

New Year? Many traditions

are unique and special.

For example, in Estonia they

eat 12 meals on New Year’s

Eve to fill them with the

strength of 12 men for the

coming new year. In Den-

mark, people break dishes

outside to symbolize the luck

they will receive in the com-

ing year. And in Russia, a

person writes down a wish on

paper, burns it and then puts

its ashes into a drink. They

have drink the full glass be-

fore the clock

strikes midnight on January

1st. However, many other

cultures don’t celebrate the

New Year on January 1st. The

Jewish New Year, known as

Rosh Hashanah, doesn’t take

place until October, while the

Korean New Year, known as

Seollal, waits until February

to celebrate the beginning of

a new year on the lunar cal-

endar.

The most well known cele-

bration of the New Year,

other than our’s, the Chinese

New Year, which takes place

from February 8th,

to February 22nd. Otherwise

known as the Spring Festival,

it encourages participation in

dragon dances, ancestral

worship, and setting off loud

firecrackers. There’s even a

major parade in San Francis-

co, California, that is one of

the largest celebrations of

Chinese New Year, outside of

Asia.

There are multiple different

ways to experience New

Year, and these are some of

the lovely ways other coun-

tries celebrate it with their

own cultural touch.

-Olivia Morris

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New Year, New Me?

As 2016 rolls around, many people have new

goals in mind. Setting goals tend to give people

hope for the new year. After doing some re-

search, I found many common New Year’s Reso-

lutions. Here are some basic goals that a lot of

people set:

exercise or get fit

save money

spend more time with family and friends

travel to new and exciting places

be more organized

reduce stress

learn something new

enjoy life more

If we are all honest, a majority of these have

probably been on our

resolution list at some

point. However, many

people end up giving up

by half-way through the year. It was fun to see

the most common goals, but I wanted to take it

further than that. Over New Year’s, the hashtag

#NewYearsResolutionIn5Words was trending on

Twitter. I thought this would be a perfect way to

see what teenagers

had in mind for

2016. Some goals

were very serious and realistic. People our age

want to find love, happiness, and be successful in

the year to come. There

were several tweets

about putting others be-

fore themselves this year. It is easy to get caught

up in ourselves, but very important to think of

others as well. Some were also faith

based. Many youth wanted to focus on putting

their faith in God and getting on track spiritually

this year.

After reading through several serious goals, I

found some that

are common among

students. Let’s be

honest, how many of us find ourselves doing

homework every morning, at lunch, or the hour

before it’s due? I know I’ve found myself in this

situation several times this year and apparently

I’m not alone. A lot of us as students also often

LOVE, POSITIVITY, SUCCESS,

HAPPINESS , ABUNDANCE.

#NewYearsResolutionin5Words

Think about others before ourselves.

#NewYearsResolutionin5Words

Do my homework at home.

#NewYearsResolutionin5Words

Always have faith in God.

#NewYearsResolutionin5Words

3

procrasti-

nate. How

many times

have you had two weeks to write a research pa-

per, but you’ve waited until the night before to

do it? This year, many teenagers seem to want to

do better in school and actually do their home-

work. Hopefully we can all accomplish these goals

to become better students!

I also thought it would be neat to see what some

students at MHS were setting as their New

Year’s resolutions. I asked some, and here’s what

they said.

“My New Year’s resolution is to be

more confident in myself because the

more confident I am, hopefully the

easier life will be. I plan to keep this

resolution throughout the whole

year, as I’ll make sure to keep my head up and

start thinking more positively.”

Caleb Fishback, senior

“I’m going to try and do a 52 week money chal-

lenge. You start out and the first week of the

year you save $52, next week $51, then $50,

etc. By the end of the year

you are supposed to have

$1,378 saved up. I hope to

keep this resolution up be-

cause it’d be great to have

the money there at the end

of this year. I honestly do

think I can keep it because

I’m going to put a jar or box by my nightstand so

I’ll always see it and remember. Plus, it’s not like

it gets harder each week, it actually gets easi-

er. So if I can do it the first few weeks, I can defi-

nitely do the entire year.”

Molly Barclay, junior

“I want to focus on loving

myself more.”

Brandon Wood, junior

“My New Year’s resolution is to focus on im-

portant things like friends, family, and my rela-

tionship with God instead of be-

ing so caught up in my busy

schedule. I think I will be able

keep it. It may be a challenge,

but who doesn’t like a chal-

lenge?”

Ashley Randoll, sophomore

Students at MHS have different goals for this new

year. As you begin a new year in your own life, I

encourage you to set realistic goals and take

steps to achieve them! Reaching a goal is such a

rewarding feeling and you will be so glad when

you accomplish it. I wish you all a blessed new

year!

-Hannah Long

Let’s not procrastinate this year.

#NewYearsResolutionin5Words

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Read About Something New Sing, Dance, and Become a Family!

Do you like to sing and dance? Not only sepa-

rately, but at the same time? If so, consider join-

ing the MHS Show Choir! The Show Choir is an

auditioned group that sings and performs chore-

ography at the same time. The choir has a set

theme each season and this time contains a set

list of 7 songs. The list contains 5 co-ed songs, 1

all male song, and

1 all female song.

The choir practic-

es hard in order

to place high in the competitions they go to. If

they place high enough in their regular competi-

tions, they qualify to compete in a national com-

petition. The Show Choir is truly a fun extracur-

ricular activity for singers and dancers. So, if you

are a fan of those activities and have some extra

time on your hands, think about possibly joining

the MHS Show Choir family!

-Taylor Petitt

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

It's hard to believe the first movie in the beloved

Hunger Games series came out more than three

years ago on March 12, 2012. November 2015

was filled with both excitement and sorrow as

the final film hit the theaters. I, for

one, saw the movie on

Black Friday with my cousins after a

stressful day of shopping. Let me

tell you, the movie did not help me

relax, which wasn't a bad

thing. We all know Katniss is the

most danger-prone heroines on the

big screen today, and as she fought

for her life and the lives of those

she loves, I could not sit still. In

fact, my uncle even jumped out of his seat during

a couple suspenseful scenes! In this film, the

Panem revolution is brought to new and exciting

heights that will leave you on the edge of your

seat, whether it is an uncomfortable theater seat

or a plush couch. This movie brought so much

interest and intensity with every scene whether

in a battle or speaking softly. If you

want to see a movie that is full of sur-

prise, action, and thrill I would suggest

this, one hundred percent. Even my

mother, a thrill-seeking movie-snob,

fell in love with Mockingjay Part 2. To

give you a picture of how jaw-dropping

this final movie is, I actually started cry-

ing at the bittersweet ending. I'm sure

not everyone is going to have such an

extreme reaction, but Mockingjay Part

2 leaves you a changed person after the curtain

closes.

-Kathryn McClellan

5

SENIORS: The Time Will Come ATTENTION SENIORS

Yes, graduation is only a few months away. To be

precise, we are free as of May 2016.

But a few months is plenty of time to catch a cer-

tain contagious disease. Some of us may have

been infected with this bug for months, even

years! Yes, the infamous senioritis. The scariest

part? They

haven't de-

veloped

medicine to

cure it yet.

So, how do

you fend it

off?

Do it! Just

do it!

Shia LaBe-

ouf knows. Procrastination is fatal. Putting off just

one assignment begins a chain reaction. Think

about it: does it really save you time by writing

that essay last minute?

Give yourself your best chance

Whether your plans after high school include col-

lege, the workforce or the armed forces, don't let

an opportunity slide by. Deadlines are crucial to

applications and scholarships.

Sprint the last yards

Even though the end (of high school) is nigh,

don't let a countdown fool you into slacking off.

Instead of giving up on the last few months, think

in a different light; push yourself just this last se-

mester.

So when you find yourself strolling down memory

lane, look ahead as far as you like. Dream of the

possibilities and realize your potential. My only

warning: don't go into the light if you want your

diploma.

-Austin Eichhorn

STAY FOCUSED

STAY ORGANIZED

KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

REMEMBER ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK

DON’T FORGET YOUR PAST OR FUTURE

REMEMBER GRADES STILL MATTER

HAVE FUN.

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MARION: Cultural Spotlight Lin’s Garden Buffet Review

Lin’s Garden Buffet is a Chinese style all-you-can-

eat restaurant. It is located on Court Street near

Taco John’s and Dollar General. It is open for

both lunch and dinner. The price is moderate,

with the lunch buffet costing approximately seven

dollars. There is a large variety of foods available

on the buffet, featuring a few American items. I

personally enjoy the chicken and

broccoli. There is also a salad

bar and a dessert bar including

ice cream. The food is very tasty

flavorful. Fresh food is brought out every few

minutes. The waitstaff is very friendly. The cost is

very reasonable for the amount of food you re-

ceive. I would recommend this restaurant to any-

one who enjoys Chinese food.

-Mattie Olsen

Other restaurants to try out in Marion:

Walts

Mackies

Pali Kai

Ann’s Gourmet Popcorn

Mr. Koolz Frozen Yogurt

Marion Family Restaurant

7

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Stop the PDA

Dear Other Halves,

The world is a beautiful place. It is filled with

many sights, both exceptionally wondrous, like

the Grand Canyon, and exceptionally horrific, like

extreme Public Displays of Affection. Don't wor-

ry, we all know you two are together. Holding

hands and matching necklaces are pretty good

indications without your last minute kisses before

class, or in most cases those that last longer than

a minute. In fact, these can be quite distracting.

Going into class requires a focused mindset. I, for

one, prefer to think about the fascinating slope of

the tangent rather than your less interesting slob-

bery show of love. My love is contained in the

three syllables of Sohcahtoa, and while I murmur

the name repeatedly during a test, I can bear to

part with it, at least for an

hour.

Our school is nice. I mean,

it's really nice. This wonder-

ful facility is new, shiny and

clean. There are over 100 million bacteria per

milliliter of spit. But if it stays in your mouth, it

doesn't spread!

So next time you look into the eyes of your oth-

er half and profess your undying love, please leave

it at that, for the sake of your fellow students,

their grades and their health. Thank you for your

consideration, as it is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Sohcahtoa’s biggest fan.

P.S. If you wouldn't do it in front of your grand-

mother, don't do it at school.

8

Senior Spotlight

Braden Zeigler

I got the privilege to interview our

one and only Homecoming King,

Braden Ziegler to see how his

senior year is going. Braden told

me how that it’s hard to realize

that his senior year is finally here;

when people say time flies, they

definitely are not lying. His high

school career has been great at

MHS and he’s sad to see the few

short months left come to an

end. I asked him how it felt being

homecoming king and he said, “It’s

great honor knowing your classmates respect who

you are and

how you carry

yourself, it’s a

great feel-

ing.” His faith is

something he

takes incredible

pride in and he’s

glad to have classmates that completely respect him

for that. Sometimes he forgets that he holds such an

honor because he doesn’t like to boast about it.

Braden is very involved in

MHS athletics. He played

football and is currently

playing basketball. He’s ex-

tremely sad that football

season has ended, but re-

members the season as an

unforgettable experi-

ence. Braden is being re-

cruited by four different school for football, but isn’t

quite sure if he wants to keep playing. After he de-

cides whether to play or not, then he will decide on

the school. He knows for a fact that his future ca-

reer will be in secondary education. He wants to

become a high school or junior high teacher, then

someday an athletic director or higher manage-

ment. He would love to become a coach, also. The

only part

of his sen-

ior year

that

Braden

would

change, is

to stress

so much. He has a lot to decide his last semester of

senior year and stressing over the D he got on his

math test isn’t going to matter in the long run. He

has faith in God that the plan He has will to lead in

the right direction.

I asked Braden what advice he could give freshman

and he said, “Take it all in, cherish these four years of

high school because they truly are the best years of

your life that you can’t get back.” People take those

words lightly, but in reality they are so true. Braden

says high school is an experience of a lifetime and you

just have to live them to the fullest.

-Maddie Tanner