Take a Stand | Opinions

Awareness in Youth America

      It seems that while growing up we are secluded in the microcosm that makes up our environment; school, home and our best friend’s room where the majority of our time is spent. But in the past couple of years this has changed in a proactive way that will inevitably alter the way the younger generation is viewed by society. On Jan. 26, 2007 the Young Democrats will be hosting an open forum on the genocide crisis in Darfur, Sudan. This forum signifies the ways in which the global community is attempting to increase awareness of the problems that face our world everyday. It is crucial to the survival of the world that the next generation, present and future, is educated about the secular tribulations going on at any given moment. This is important so that when the time comes for that generation to take the reign and instruct humanity, they will not go in with a blind eye.
      There are several newly established organizations whose main goal is to reach out and get teens involved in global affairs. One of the more publicized and credible organizations, is Think.MTV whose topics of concern range from discrimination to the environment and even to sexual health. It presents documentaries created by students and celebrities alike whose purpose is to raise awareness of youth America.
      Another organization whose motives lie closely to that of upcoming forum is the Rock for Darfur campaign popularized by MySpace.com. Created by Bich Ngoc Cao, a 24 year-old employee of a small company, seeks to do something about the catastrophe in Darfur, Sudan and did so by setting up concerts all over the country for one night of hope.
      Both campaigns are readily available at the click of a button that simply has to be pushed. The wanted result from these outreaches is for the UN to interfere and stop the genocide. We as a global society must never let such murderous behavior happen again; however, it is now up to us, the leaders of tomorrow, to put an end to the destruction.

Take a Stand | Opinions

Dispelling the Stanton Myth

      To most, Stanton College Preparatory School is an educational institution established to prepare students for the rigors of college. This preparation is made so that once students get to college, the academic adjustment will not be as difficult.

Stanton doesn’t get you into college, it prepares you for college.

      Some Stanton students have the misconception that attending this school will automatically grant them admission into the college of their choice. In fact, some have the preconceived notion that just having the name Stanton on their transcript will get them in. This is not true. The fact is, although Stanton is a school well known for its academic excellence, the name does not serve as a magic wand to help get into any college.
      An example of this misconception occurred last year when some seniors in the graduating class of 2006 received letters of rejection from the University of Florida and were shocked they that did not get in. What these seniors, and Stanton students in general often fail to realize is that they need more than the Stanton reputation to get into not only UF, but any college in general. Most institutions look for students who are well- rounded and possess charisma; in essence, they look at more than where he or she attended high school.
      Another concept some Stanton students may fail to realize is that many of the Advanced Placement courses offered here are also offered at many other neighborhood schools. In short, this means colleges see a grade of A in an AP class offered at Stanton as equivalent to an A in an AP class offered at a neighborhood school.
      The simple fact is Stanton does not act as a factor for automatic entrance to aid in getting students into college. It does, however, prepare students for the intense rigor that they will ultimately face in the collegiate world.

Take a Stand | Opinions

It's Not Easy Being Green

      We hear about it everyday in PSA announcements, on most consumer products and even billboards; the urgency that is placed on us to save our planet. The band Coldplay said it best, “We live in a beautiful world,” but the truth is it will only be as beautiful as we make it.
      The truth is the number of people who recycle is increasing every year. However, according to the Sustainability Club at the University of Dayton, an organization designed to help educate others how they can help improve their environment, “Americans throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our entire commercial air fleet.” There are many simple ways we can avoid the destruction of our environment and although at times they may seem inconvenient, their effect could be substantial.
      One way to help is to get involved with a local organization whose main focus is to help make our world a better place to live. From “The River Returns” to “Clean It Up, Green It Up” there are many different aspects of the environment that benefit from these groups. If someone is not too keen on community involvement, there are also individual ways to decrease their personal effect on the environment. We know it is ‘not easy being green,’ but the truth is the environment cannot fix itself. If we want our great grandchildren to hear the crash of ocean waves against a sandy shore, we as a global community need to take a proactive approach to save our world.

Ways to Improve
Carpool -- to school and to hangout with friends.
Recycle -- (If your family does not have a recycling system set up at home you can always collect items and drop them off at disposal units in back of your local supermarket.)
Lower the Thermostat -- to 68 in the winter and 78 in the summer.
Turn off the Lights -- when leaving a room.
Shower -- try not to take many baths, and make your showers shorter.

ORGANIZATIONS

“The River Returns” helping to preserve the St. Johns River from pollution and other factors.

“Clean It Up, Green It Up” the mission is to help improve the quality of life for people in Jacksonville by enacting and acting upon environmental improvement initiatives

JEA’s “Communitree” A program that is granting 30 to 300 gallons of trees each year for the next three years to JEA’s tree service criteria on website)

Tips for Your Life | Holiday

Gift Tips
By ABBY WEISS, Script Editor

      During the holidays we often receive gifts that seem to puzzle us.

Gifts that make us wonder, “ what he/she was thinking when purchasing this.” For those people who wonder why that tie-dye sweater with the big American flag in the middle didn’t go over so well, when you gave it to your sister last year, here are some tips on purchasing gifts.


1. The nature of a true holiday gift is love, so when selecting your gift you want to make sure it expresses just that. For example, buying your mother an exercise machine is a BAD idea, unless she asks for it. Yes, it shows that you love her, but it is also telling her that you think she is overweight.

2. Gifts should also cause instant happiness. For example, buying your girlfriend a heart necklace brings happiness and shows your love for her; buying your girlfriend your favorite football team jersey may cause instant anger.

3. When purchasing a gift, make sure you are buying it for the receiver and not for yourself. For instance, your best friend loves anything pink; you see these pink heels that just scream her name. Right next to those obnoxious heels, you spot a pair of black and red converses, which make you, smile. You purchase the converses for her, knowing she hates black and red and would love those pink heels that are not your style at all. You wonder why she never wears them and when the holidays come around the next year, she just asks for a pair of socks.

4. Remember if a person does not like the gift they have received from you, don’t get discouraged. Keep in mind that there is always next year.

Family | Features

Families Who Serve
By GINNY POARCH, Opinions Editor

      Freshman Elizabeth Leach is the only child of a single parent, her mom, Joy Cassie-Leach, an E6 in the U. S. Navy and is currently serving her 18^th year in the service in El Salvador for six months before returning home. While her mother is away Elizabeth’s grandmother moves in to take care of her. Elizabeth is grateful she has her grandmother and cousin to keep her company but misses her mom greatly. Elizabeth and her mom share a close relationship and after Elizabeth’s dad died they were there to comfort each other trying to cope with the loss of a loved one. When Ms. Cassie-Leach is home she and Elizabeth spend a lot of time together.
      “We do everything together,” says Elizabeth. “I don’t mind my mom hanging out with me at all. I love her.”
      This year Elizabeth will be unable to fulfill the tradition of taking her mom out to eat on her birthday, two days before Christmas, and decorating the tree and house together. This year, there will be no birthday dinner before Christmas and she will decorate the tree alone.

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      The desire to serve, the adventure and lifetime experiences along with much prayer and soul searching led Andrew Yi to the U.S. Marine Corps. He joined the “few and the proud” after graduating from the University of Florida in 2004 and is now a first lieutenant. He is currently deployed in Dijbouti, Africa as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom; he arrived there after spending eight months in Iraq.
      Lt. Yi’s younger brother is football and basketball captain, senior Eric Yi.
      “He’s my role model,” says Eric referring to his brother. “I back him up 100 percent.” This year will be the second year Lt. Yi won’t be home for the holidays.
      “I try not to think about him not being able to be here [for Christmas],” Eric said. As long as he keeps busy and continues to talk to his brother through email Eric says he doesn’t feel so alone.
      We had the privilege of contacting Lt. Yi and he had a message for his family and loved ones back home:
      Merry Christmas to Mom, Dad, and Eric. I know this is my second year being deployed during the holidays and of course I wish I could be home. But thank you for raising me to know that life isn’t about me and that there are things far greater than myself that are worth fighting and dying for Eric, I can’t wait to go home to hang out with my best friend. You taught me how to lead and the importance of setting the example. You make me proud and I’ll be looking forward to see you graduate.
Semper Fi, God Bless, and Merry Christmas, Andy Yi

Cover Story | Features

Waiting for Daddy
By ALEX MCCAIN, Fashion Editor

      Around the holidays people can get caught up in giving and receiving gifts that they forget what the holidays are truly about —— family. Even though this time of the year is intended to be family oriented, many people take spending quality time with their family for granted. But what most people don’t realize is that not everyone has the opportunity to spend the holidays with their loved ones. Sometimes people don’t understand how important family is until they’re gone. It’s Stanton students like freshmen Joceylnn Tyler and Chelsy Coney who’ve come to know what it feels like not to have family members around. For them quality time with loved ones is not something to be taken for granted considering both of their fathers are on active duty in the U.S military and will not be home for the holidays.
      Aaron Tyler, Joceylnn’s father, whom she describes as both loving and dedicated, has been in the Navy for almost 25 years. The last time he saw his family was on Sept.14, 2006. Even though he’s currently on deployment as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, it doesn’t keep him from being close with his daughter. Since they can’t see each other face to face, Jocelynn and her dad have found other ways to communicate.

“He’s helping his country and I know it’s something he really wants to do so I support him.” -Jocelynn Tyler, 9^th

      “He emails me once a week, and occasionally he calls once every two months,” she said.
      According to Jocelynn this will not be her dad’s first time being away for the holidays; he’s gone every other year. Despite this, not having him around for Christmas can still be difficult to deal with. When he has to go away for long periods of time Jocelynn is often sad, but her own feelings are put aside,
      “ He’s helping his country and I know it’s something he really wants to do so I support him,” she said.
      In spite of Jocelynn’s sadness, this experience has helped strengthen their relationship as father and daughter. Although Mr. Tyler feels that he has missed out on special times as Jocelynn has grown up, he also feels that they are close and he tries to spend one on one time with her whenever he is home.
      But Jocelynn isn’t the only person in the Tyler family to feel his absence; the rest of her family is affected as well. With her dad not around as much most of the work is left to her step mom, but as a family they still support him in what he does. While Mr. Tyler may be away, Jocelynn and the rest of her family still celebrate Christmas as usual.
      “We do the presents and have dinner, except we tape it all and we save my dad’s gifts so that when he comes home we have a mini Christmas for him,” said Jocelynn.
      Though Mr. Tyler may be miles away, home seems to be where his heart is as he reflects on happier Christmas memories of him and his family.
      “I think my best Christmas memory is when we were in Pennsylvania for the holidays, and Jocelynn and her younger sister still believed in Santa,” said Mr. Tyler in a recent email.
      According to Mr. Tyler, that was the first Christmas he had spent with Jocelynn and her sister in three years.
      Mr. Tyler is scheduled to return home in March of 2007 and although the exact date is not known, Jocelynn and her family plan to do something special for him.
      “We might go to Disney World or Universal Studios to celebrate him coming home,” Jocelynn said.
      But what she is looking most forward to when her dad returns is waiting on the dock until his ship comes back so that she can see him standing on the flight deck.
      No matter how much empathy someone has for a person, it’s not until they go through it themselves that they will really understand how it feels. If there’s anyone who’s able to relate to Jocelynn’s situation it would have to be freshmen Chelsy Coney.
      Charles Robert Coney, Chelsy’s father has been in the National Guard for 17 years. He’s currently stationed in Montgomery, Alabama where he helps recruit people for the military. It’s been nine months since he last came home. For Mr. Coney to come home is a rare occasion considering this will be his third year in a row missing Christmas with his family. Though they may be several miles apart, Chelsy and her dad communicate with one another by phone three times a week.

“We get sad at times but we know he’s honoring his country and he’s helping to keep food on the table for us.” -Chelsey Coney, 9^th

      Despite Mr. Coney’s absence, Chelsy and the rest of her family celebrate Christmas as usual saving her dad’s gifts until the next time they see him. She isn’t the only one who copes with her dad being away; the rest of her family feels sad as well.
      “We get sad at times but we know he’s honoring his country and he’s helping to keep food on the table for us,” Chelsy said.
      She describes her father as being great and although he can’t give her the whole world, he tries his best to give her a nice piece of it. This experience has taught Chelsy about family and to not take things for granted.
      “I would love to have my dad come home everyday,” said Chelsy in response to those who don’t appreciate their loved ones. When she does have a chance to spend time with him it means everything to her. In fact, it has also helped to strengthen their relationship as father and daughter.
      “It’s taught me a lot,” Chelsy said. “For him to be away from his family for so many years to honor his country, I respect him for that.” It is not known when Mr. Coney is scheduled to come home. However Chelsy stated that even though she didn’t have anything special planned for him upon his return, she can’t wait to hug and kiss him.
      Both girls love their fathers and can’t express enough how much they miss them. To them this time of the year isn’t about the commercialism we’re constantly surrounded by, it’s about remembering the little moments with family. Despite the sacrifices, Mr. Tyler expressed family was most important when he said, “I cherish every moment that I get to spend with my family.”

Market | Holiday

The Mass Marketing of the Holidays
By ABBY WEISS, Script Editor

      The doors are still locked, you are standing next to someone just as eager and tired as you are. After waiting minutes that feel more like hours, the sales associates finally open the doors. You rush into your favorite department store, which has everything 50-75 percent off and you go straight to the clothing section, bumping into everything and everyone, grabbing items, not looking at any of the prices. Minutes into your early morning shopping extravaganza, you hear an announcement over the loud speaker, “The Holiday season has started and our prices are better than ever.” Seconds later, holiday music starts to play all around the store. Looking around you see images of Santa, stockings, colors of red and green, and snowflakes, even the sales associates are dressed up in holiday attire. Your patience has become miniscule and you begin to complain about everything. You start screaming at the sales associate because she doesn’t have the vacuum that Aunt Judy so desperately needs. The sales women replies, “Give me a break it’s the holidays,” you roll your eyes and storm off. It’s now 6:45am, waiting in the checkout line; you start to take out all the coupons you have been collecting for the past week, even though there are at least 30 people in front of you. Finally you get to the register, pay and leave, not even noticing the old man in the front of the store wishing you “Happy Holidays.”
      This image of the holiday season seems horrible. But isn’t this what most Americans enjoy? Waking up early, running all around town, spending the raise you just got yesterday on copious amounts of gifts for the ones you love. People always complain how the mass marketing of the holidays is destroying American society; that the 75 percent off sale at the Gap makes people forget about family, and focus more on that sweater they know they will be receiving as a gift from their best friend. But could you imagine what the months of November and December would be if the mass marketing of the holidays was banned? What would we as Americans live off of? Constanlty spending money on our family and friends is what we do best.
      The mass marketing doesn’t make us forget about family, it’s actually a great reminder. The 25 days leading to Christmas advertised on television and radio gives everyone, everyday reminders that the holidays are just around the corner. The idea of stores staying open extra late, for those hardworking people of America, shows how much we do care about our loved ones. Our hearts our so big, that even after a hard day at work, we Americans still make time to make the ones close to our hearts smile. This is only possible with the mass marketing of the holidays, and the tender loving care of the companies that have an understanding of a typical American’s hectic work schedule.
      Those smiles that we create, when receiving and exchanging gifts, during the most wonderful time of the year would not be the same without those extravagant window displays, snow covered pictures in catalogs, and the abundant amount of coupons you receive in the Sunday newspaper. All the ludicrous things companies do during the holiday season benefit the classic hardworking American family.