It's All About the Skills: A Closer Look at Internship

By Danielle Ohlemacher & Lauren Colby // Staff Writers

Founded by Mr. Embree eleven years ago, the Internship class has provided valuable opportunities for close to one thousand students. The class allows students to explore possible professions by interning within the community.

“Most experiences students have they couldn’t pay to get,” Mr. Embree said. He has helped students find internships with a variety of people, ranging from astronauts to horse trainers. Internships allow students to experience real world situations which are unavailable to them in the classroom. One student even fought the major wildfires five years ago while interning with the San Pasquall Valley Fire Department.

David Berning (11) was interested in coaching baseball as well as being involved in non profit groups. He decided to intern with the Miracle League, which runs baseball games for disabled children. He coaches on Saturdays for six to seven hours at the school’s baseball fields with the help of the children’s buddies who help them round the bases.

“I liked it a lot,” Berning said of the experience, “but it was really hard.” Mr. Embree sees the hard work required in an internship as one of the most important things that students learn because it teaches them the skills they will need in the real world. “You learn you’ve got to work to get paid,” Embree remarked. He also said that the most successful students in the class have a positive attitude and are assertive.

By experimenting with a professions of interest, students can decide if the field is worth pursuing in college. Mr. Embree explained that even if students disliked their internship, it was still a success to know that it was not for them. David Berning said that though he won’t be in the internship class next year, he plans to continue working with the Miracle League because he enjoys it.

Students not only learn about themselves through an internship, but they learn the skills they will need to survive professionally in the future.

Editorial: "Cheating the System, and Ourselves"

Lauren Philips and Jackson Keller // Staff Writers

“Very few people never cheat,” replies AP English teacher Matt Cunningham, when asked about academic honesty on campus. Cheating, whether it is on homework or tests, has become a huge problem within our school.

Kids cheat simply because they can. Many teachers are oblivious to the fact that kids cheat when they turn their backs, leave the room or just don’t pay attention. By not making different exams or watching students carefully during testing, it makes cheating even easier.

Teachers and parents put to much pressure on kids to get good grades, in the meantime forgetting about the learning itself. In many cases the reason students cheat is because they don’t feel the need to learn, they just do what they can to get the grade they want.

Yet cheating can not be blamed solely on the students; sometimes teaching by the book is not the best way to go. If you’re doing interesting assignments then there is no need to cheat. Teachers should focus on learning and comprehension rather than having students memorize something for a test that will be forgotten afterwards.

“The system is set up so that the grades are more important than the learning. If you get the grades then you will get into college” added Cunningham. There is no way to stop cheating because it has become a part of our society. Cunningham continues, “There will always be people who will try to get more with doing less.”

Campus supervisor Tom Meeks also sees this as a bigger issue, “Lack of ethics and moral standards reflects the decay of society in general.” This problem which has grown throughout the school not only reflects our school and its values, but our entire community.

Spending Some Time at the Purple Palace

Danielle Olemacher and Lauren Colby / Staff Writers

Out of the 1,900,000 street children in Tijuiana, Mexico, less than one hundred are fortunate enough to live at Ninos de la Promesa, a children’s home founded by Connie Youngkin in 2001. Over winter break, Jenica Devilbiss (12), Eden Arviv (11) and Courtney Cambra (11) visited this “Purple Palace” to volunteer and donate the $560 they had raised for a project in their Social Justice class.

Previous victims of rape, poverty, domestic violence, and sex trafficking, the lucky children of Ninos de la Promesa have gained security and a new beginning. In the family-like setting that the “Purple Palace” provides, the children are given structure and support. Despite the children’s troubled pasts, the Social Justice students found them surprisingly friendly. While Devilbiss was interviewing Youngkin, a four year-old girl sat on Devilbiss’ lap the whole time.

“I was surprised that the conditions are so good. They make the children feel comfortable,” Devilbiss said. “The children love the company and there are always opportunities for volunteers.”

Many of the children have been abandoned and are rescued off the street, but others come from homes where the parents are involved in drug dealing and prostitution. Due to limited space in the facility, Youngkin must choose the ones in the very worst conditions to live at the shelter.

Due to their traumatizing past, the children have a family-like bond at the shelter. Just like a traditional family, the children follow the house rules and complete their chores. By forming a competitive soccer team, the boys have restored confidence in their capabilities and learned to work towards their goals. While they are free to leave the program at any time, they know their chances a successful future are greatest at the home.

Devilbiss, Arviv and Cambra educated our community about the abandoned children in Tijuana by giving presentations and posting flyers. Their efforts raised money that will be used to feed, clothe, and educate the children. For more information, visit:http://www.thepurplepalace.org/

New Assembly Rules Take Effect This Friday

ASB is holding a mandatory winter assembly this Friday, January 18^th, in the gym. This is ASB’s second school assembly of the year to build up school spirit and support ASB in an entertaining way for the students. As a result of this assembly, both second and sixth period will be cut short by fifteen minutes, while fourth period will be shortened by twenty minutes.

This year’s second assembly will be slightly different from that of the first assembly, as three new policies will be put into effect. From now on backpacks have to be left in class, but the assembly will end ten minutes early to allow time for students to go back and retrieve them before lunch

Also, there will be no standing around the top level of the gym, so when the bleachers become full students will be forced to find room to sit on the gym floor. Finally, staff and administrators will be assigned certain areas to supervise students, meaning fewer opportunities for students to act inappropriately.

The assembly will include everything from the Winter Formal and announcements to a Hurley fashion show and recognition of the fall athletes of the year. Also incorporated in the assembly will be a Winter Sports and Comedy Sportz video, jousting competitions, and entertainment provided by Kelly Simek and the winner of the battle of the bands, Mammoth.

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