Everyone has heard “Class, keep your eyes on your own paper.” It is a favorite line by teachers when suspecting cheating during a test. Now cheating is no longer just during tests and has progressively become as big a part of students school routine as lunch.

The Educational Testing Service defines academic cheating as “representing someone else’s work as your own. It can take many forms, including sharing another’s work, purchasing a term paper or test questions in advance, paying another to do the work for you.”

They also claim that 73% of all test takers, including prospective graduate students and teachers, most students do cheat at some point. 86% of high school students agreed.

Struggling students are not the only ones who are cheating on a test, but it is also students of all shapes, sizes, and type. The scary thing is it may be the 4.0 honors student who is doing the most amount of cheating.

The main reason for all of this academic dishonesty is the never ending desire for students to get the best grade possible. If students did not feel so pressured to get the highest grade they can, there would be no reason to cheat.

If they came into school every single day excited to learn instead of shuddering at the thought of the next unit test, there would be no cheating. Sadly, this is just fantasy.

High school is no longer about learning, gaining knowledge or expanding your mind. All that seems to matters now is getting a higher grade.

Students no longer learn, they memorize. They study over their assignments to cram the information into their brain, but after the test it is all forgotten.

The grading system needs to change. If students began to go to school for knowledge instead of just a passing grade, the amount of cheating would drop.

There are cat people and there are dog people, and the famous debate on who is better has been going on for far too long. The results are finally in on who is the better pet.

A pole was set up via Twitter for 24 hours, and the results were astounding. Out of 61 voters from the Stow area, cats were crushed at a 11% to 81% votes for dogs.

According to Business Insider, dogs make better pets because they keep you social, fit and keep you from growing old. They are the perfect dose of medicine. Having to walk dogs around the block is the perfect time to meet people, and studies show people who walk their dogs on a daily basis are healthier than those without dogs.

Dogs are even good for detecting multiple diseases such as epilepsy and can detect seizures before they happen. Dogs can be trained as guides for the blind and other services no one has ever seen a cat do.   

Although dogs are slobbery, need to be groomed on a regular basis and go to the bathroom outside, they are loyal pets to have for anyone of any age.

Cats do have their appeals though. According to Animal Planet, they will keep the bugs away, will happily snuggle and are easy pets to keep fit. Cats naturally have the instinct to hunt and bugs are no exception. If it moves then the cat will chase it. They are easy to keep fit by simply setting a ball in front of them or pointing a laser pointer. This may be easy entertainment, too.

Though cats are not good for guides, they do help to keep their human healthy. On Business Insider, cats are proven to lower risks of heart attacks by reducing stress on their owners. Cats are less expensive to keep around as they cost about $300-$600 less because they eat a lot less food than dogs and grooming bills. Also, they tend to be a lot less because of the lack of needed training, leashes, collars and crates. Dogs are a lot more expensive than cats and tend to be a lot more energetic and outgoing.

There are many different benefits to both pets and there really is not a better pet as it all depends on what its owner prefers. Hundreds and thousands animals all across the United States looking for someone to love them, go to your local shelter today to find the right pet for you whether it’s a cat or a dog.

A time to relax and enjoy the company of your friends and family has finally come.

To get the most out of one’s winter break, here are some of my favorite things to do over the holidays.

One place I make sure I go every year is Castle Noel. Castle Noel is located 260 South Court St., Medina, OH 44256, and it is America’s largest indoor Christmas entertainment attraction. There are original Hollywood Christmas movie props and costumes from “The Grinch,” “Elf,” and “Christmas with the Kranks.” Castle Noel costs $16 per person and children under three can get in free of cost. It is a wonderful family environment, making it a great place to take your kids.

Another great place to wander if you are feeling bored is the Glow at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. Their address is 11030 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106. Glow transports you to a world full of seasonal cheer, where all-new wonders and returning traditions await you. Whimsical train ride, musicians and carolers, decorate a gingerbread house, decorated trees, holiday shopping, and more. If you are a member of the Cleveland Botanical Gardens your admission is free, and other than that an adult ticket costs 16$ and a child costs 12$.

Last but not least is one of my favorite family traditions. Every year my family goes to Sleigh & Carriage Rides at Ma & Pa’s. It is located in Burton, Ohio. It is open every winter all season long. Ma and Pa hitch up the sleighs and take you out through the woods and out in the field and then back to the cabin for a warm fire. Ma’s homemade bakery, hot chocolate and maple coffee is one you cannot miss. Reservations are required so make sure you call ahead. Sleigh Rides run Saturday and Sunday and some weekdays all winter long. If there is no snow, no need to worry. Ma & Pa have a sleigh that can operate without snow.

The life of a student can be very stressful with homework and other extracurricular activities, and sleep is often the last thought on their minds.

Students are very busy during the school year. Homework can be very overwhelming especially when students have other activities going on, and almost all students are involved in extracurricular activities. There are a large variety of clubs and sports to be apart of at the high school. 

With all these activities and school work it seems impossible for a student to have any time to sleep; however, the sacrifice of giving up sleep can be very negative.

One of the biggest consequences of not getting enough sleep is the limit on concentration and focus, which greatly affects a student’s ability to learn at school. Some of the other problems are causing a person to be more prone to acne, more aggressive behavior and a higher chance of sickness.

It is highly recommended teens should be getting about eight to ten hours of sleep every night, but most teens get nowhere close to that amount. Most teens only get around 7 hours of sleep every night which is not good.

“I only get 5 to 6 hours of sleep most nights,” freshman Cori VanOrman said.

The students who are involved in sports have an especially tough time getting even close to 8 hours of sleep. Most student athletes have practice right after school and many of their practices last any where from two to three hours long. Many of them do not even get home until 5:30 or 6:00, and they still have not eaten dinner or started their homework for the night.

There are many things that can help students try and get enough sleep. The National Sleep Foundation suggests to try and keep your room quiet and dark, and teens should try and have a regular bedtime and wake time. They suggest a nap if one did not get enough sleep the night before, but they should be no longer than forty minutes. If a person takes a nap longer than forty minutes they will most likely feel even more tired than before.

In order to help students get more sleep schools should have a later start time. The high school starts at 7:30 and it would be beneficial to students to start an hour later. This would help students get the eight hours of sleep they so desperately need.

“Starting later in the morning would be very beneficial to students because it would give us more time to sleep, and it would give us more time to get our work done in the morning before school starts,” VanOrman said.

Sleep may be very hard for students to get while in high school with all of the stress and activities going on in their lives. That is why schools should start each day later.