We all just need to remember that stressing does not solve anything, it only makes you freak out more. Instead of spending your free time worrying and panicking, use it to relax. Go outside and enjoy the sun a little, or maybe read a good book. Do something for yourself that takes your mind off of all the chaos around you. This way, when you do get down to study, you will be more relaxed and able to apply yourself better. Before a big final, remember to stay calm and collected. Being scared only makes you forget all that you crammed in the night before. Once finals are over try not to think about them until you get your report card. Remember, you cannot go back and change how you did, so there is absolutely no point in stressing yourself out thinking about it. Try to make yourself understand that no matter how much you worry about it, what’s done is done and you just need to accept that.

All four years of high school are full of stress. It’s good to do well in school but you only hurt yourself by stressing out too much. Study hard, but let yourself sit back and just enjoy life every once in a while. All of this stress will only have negative effects. Anyways, getting a few B’s on your report card probably won’t even matter in the long run.

Sarah Burge, a resident of the United Kingdom and self-proclaimed “Human Barbie,” did just that. She presented her young daughter, Poppy, with a voucher for liposuction as a Christmas present. And if that doesn’t shock you enough, little Poppy also received a $12,000 voucher for breast augmentation for her birthday. I’m not sure about anyone else, but when I was seven years old, I wanted gel-pens and a Gameboy Color, not plastic surgery coupons. Burge, the wonderful mother that she is, also taught Poppy how to pole dance when she was a mere six years old. Clearly she’s out for Mother of the Year award.

Burge believes the vouchers are “investments” and compares them to saving money for her education. In what world does liposuction have anything to do with education? She should be setting that money aside for Poppy’s education, not buying her seven year old plastic surgery coupons. What a horrible image to be sending to your daughter, especially nowadays when the media dictates that beauty can only be achieved through surgical enhancements and starving yourself to be stick-thin. By giving her those vouchers, she’s telling Poppy that she isn’t pretty enough the way she is; she needs to be poked and prodded and adjusted in order to be beautiful. It’s sickening to think that this is what young girls are being led to believe. If they can’t have confidence in who they are, what will our world come to?

It’s my hope that people like Mrs. Burge will gain some sense and stop trying to justify pushing their daughters to grow up too quickly. Let them enjoy their childhood years, because they’re never going to get them back.

Many like to find truth in the Ancient Mayan calendar which claims that December 21, 2012 is the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, which basically means that it is the day the Mayan calendar ends. Also, it has been said that the Mayans had predicted many other events that have occurred in present time. The Mayans had predicted that a black hole would emerge in the middle of our galaxy sometime in the future, and that black hole was confirmed to be present by scientists. Also, the Mayan calendar predicted that there would be a total solar eclipse in 1999 and it happened on schedule, just as the Mayans had predicted. With all these ‘facts’ floating around, it’s hard to not be in doubt about whether the 2012 Doomsday Apocalypse will occur or not.

“I’m sure it’s not real since it all seems so hard to believe. I don’t think that an ancient civilization could predict when the world would end. It all seems to far-fetched to be true,” Senior Cherry Liu says. So, now that 2012 is finally here, it could be the beginning of the end or it could all be a hoax, and we will just have to wait to find out the truth.

We have reality shows out there about everything these days. In my opinion, Jersey Shore poses more of a threat than All American Muslim. I don’t understand why people have a problem with a show on Muslims when the television has been airing material that has been damaging to our minds lately. The only excuse for such behavior can only be hatred and prejudice. The Florida Family Association believing that all Muslims are a threat to our country just shows how much prejudice still exists in the United States. The sad part is that people in our country (aka Lowe’s) decide to follow these kind of discriminating people instead of standing up for those being discriminated. How does an average American family pose a threat to American liberties? I have yet to find out. It makes you wonder when our country will finally start accepting others and get past its stubborn habit of judging without understanding.

Now that we have grown up, take a second to look around.  Washington is a campus full of rich diversity, with people from all walks of life.  People of different nationalities, religions, sexual-orientations, and disabilities come together to form our Husky family.  “People see the opportunity to embrace the uniqueness,” Mr. Bullard said, commending Washington students.  It’s not every high school that is as accepting as ours.

The welcoming atmosphere has attracted lots of special education students to join us at Washington.  There are multiple classrooms for these students, classified by severity of their conditions.  However, they are not the only special needs students; Mr. Bullard informed me that several hundred such students walk our halls, but others would never know it.  Largely accredited to Principal Fernandez, the integration of special education students within our schools has gone very well.  A good example would be the mild-moderate students that go around every Friday doing the recycling; students and teachers alike appreciate and encourage their efforts.  When we have barbecues at lunch, we gladly accept water bottles from their outstretched hands.  The special education students also help out with the cooking in the cafeteria.  To thank them for their work, Mrs. Paris and the leadership class host a Thanksgiving feast for these truly special students every year.

Being teenagers, we often don’t realize the things and the people that we are blessed with in our lives.  Pause to glance around, you will see the remarkable people that surround you at school.  Washington should be proud to be renowned as such a loving, welcoming school.

So do teachers feel bad when they have to give a student an F for the semester? Mr. Chow, a biology teacher, says, “I don’t give them the F, they earn the F.” This is a very true statement and cannot be argued against. But I feel like any human being will feel bad after submitting an F as a semester grade for a student. This might especially happen if the student actually puts effort and tries to learn. Some of us are just bad at taking tests because of the pressure to pass. Also, some students have expectations from their parents to do well and to not fail. This adds extra tension for students, especially when they are taking important tests like finals.

Mr. Webb, an English teacher, feels the same as Mr. Chow, “I put the assignments in the grade book. They are what they are as a result.” Since grades won’t magically change, it is our responsibility as students to complete the assigned work on time and prepare in advance for tests and quizzes.

Washing our hands is something we have been taught even before kindergarten. It is part of a normal, daily procedure. You would think that by now people understand the importance of it, but there are still high schoolers who do not perform this simple task. Almost every time I am in the girls bathroom, I see at least one girl walk out of a stall and leave the bathroom without washing her hands. I hear the flush so I know for a fact that she was not changing or anything, but was in fact using the bathroom. I find it disturbing that people do not think it is disgusting or dangerous to not wash their hands after using the bathroom. Not only does it spread germs, but those germs can harm others. Other students can get sick because of the germs that a few careless people are spreading. Some common diseases that can be passed through such germs and bacteria are E. Coli, Giardia, and Salmonella.

To keep others and ourselves safe and healthy, it is extremely important that we do not forget what we were taught at such a young age and keep washing our hands to stop the spreading of germs and bacteria.

Although we pledge to keep these resolutions, that’s not always the case. At the end of the year, it’s not uncommon to hear people say they weren’t able to keep their resolutions. Some can’t even keep it for a month. This generally happens because when you begin to work towards your goal, it seems far too difficult to reach and not worth your time. Persevere! I’m not trying to sound like a self-help book, but you really can do anything you put your mind to.

Two years ago, my New Year’s resolution was to not eat french fries. I absolutely loved McDonald’s french fries even though I knew they weren’t healthy. At first, it seemed like the most torturous decision in the world coming from a girl who has Mickey D’s at least four times a month. Soon enough, however, a couple months had passed and I had kept to my resolution! The satisfaction I received from realizing that I had actually stuck to what I promised myself fueled my campaign even more. It was a year and a half before I had my first french fry again.

Resolutions are not only a tradition, but a way for us to improve ourselves if we follow through with them. And even if it gets tough, just remember that in a year, you’ll be very proud of yourself. Happy New Year!

Others, however, enjoy receiving presents rather than giving them. Everyone loves the feeling of untying fancy bows and ripping open brightly-colored wrapping paper that is restraining their present but some people feel no need to reciprocate the act of gift-giving. Giving presents brings another type of happiness to a person that just simply receiving them can’t bring. Seeing a person’s face light up with excitement and content that they received exactly what they had wanted can warm anyone’s heart.

“I think that giving presents is just as important as receiving the presents. If we do not give then we won’t receive,” Senior Gerald Li says.

Giving and receiving presents is what adds the extra excitement during this time of year, so it’s crucial for everyone to do their share in making this holiday season the best. Happy holidays!