Category Archives: Feature

Feature, Front/Home

Seniors receive letters they wrote to themselves from sixth grade

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Seniors Olivia Stark and Hanna McCauley open the letters they wrote themselves in sixth grade.

By Jurnee Starks

When I had first received the letter I had no idea what it was initially. At first, I thought I got in trouble, but then Mrs. Burmeister reassured me that it was just a letter I wrote in sixth grade.

 I was anxious to see what I had written since I do not remember much from sixth grade. I remember that sixth grade was fun for me, overall. The first thing I saw when I opened the letter was, “You already know you are amazing.”

That sentence alone made me cry in the attendance office. After reading the letter some more, I remembered how unique I was. I could not continue 

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Senior Jayden Stovall enjoyed reading his letter and laughed at his sixth-grade self.

reading because I felt like I would cry.  My letter talked about my goals, the things I loved and the things I wanted to achieve–some of those goals were achieved and some of them I did not.

In the letter I said I was going to be a singer and how that was going to be my job forever and how I loved chicken fingers (which I still do).

Overall I can say when it came to my letter I was really devoted to the idea of me being a singer and dancer walking on the red carpet.

Luckily Mrs. wyant was there and wanted pictures of people opening their letters, getting their reactions from them. So I picked from a pile of letters that was not very big. I chose a few people I knew personally and brought them to the guidance office to see if they would be willing to open their letters in front of me.

Senior Jayden Stovall was the first person to come in, and like everyone else, he believed he was in trouble when he first walked in. I reassured Stoval and the rest of them that they were not.

I asked Jayden how he felt when he first saw the letter and read it and he said, “I was shocked and totally forgot I wrote the letter.”

I asked what some of the funny parts were and he said, “Little me writing not to have unprotected sex.”

I later asked him what he did not expect from his letter, and his response was his handwriting and how it was so bad. He did not remember writing the letter at all, so this was a total surprise to him, along with me.

Overall , after reading the letter, it brought me reassurance and hope because ever since I was little, I always in a way knew what I wanted to do, and I also knew who I was at a young age, so it made me happy to see what I said. I still want to be the person I knew I always wanted to be–even in sixth grade.

Feature, Front/Home

2016 presidential election approaches

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With less than a week to the 2016 presidential election, many people are still figuring out what they want to mark on their ballot. While most high school students do not yet have the opportunity to vote, they have provided information on third-party candidates and separately expressed their opinions through the links below.

To watch a video of students expressing their opinions on the candidates, click here.

To learn more about Jill Stein, check out this infographic.

To learn more about Gary Johnson, check out this infographic.

For an opinion piece on the election & voting, click here.

Feature

Frankie Peck to play baseball at Hiram College

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High school sports infuse those involved with passion and lust for success. For many players in high school, the ultimate goal is to further their careers into college and eventually the professional levels. 

Senior Frank Peck plays baseball for the high school and was invited to play at Hiram College. Peck has been playing baseball ever since he could remember, and he has always been a pitcher.

“I love the game man. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been playing baseball. There is something truly special about the game that makes me really happy,” Peck said.

Peck made the freshmen baseball team in 2012 and was surrounded by great players and coaches. Freshman baseball in 2012 had the best record of any freshmen team ever at 21-5. Peck played an important role on that team and knew he was in for a great high school career.

Sophomore year, Frank played on the J.V. team in the last year of head coach Andrew Cap’s reign. Not only was it his last year, it was most of the staff’s as well, including varsity coach Selek. After a successful year of pitching, and some hitting, Peck was ready to play on the varsity team.

Hard work and training most days in the offseason were the norm for Peck as he strived to make the team. The program was under new coaching who had almost no knowledge of the players. Peck’s hard work paid off, and he made the varsity team his junior and senior years.

Not only did Peck make the varsity team, but he plays an important part as he is the team’s closing pitcher. Finally, Peck’s work and determination led him to the spotlight on the varsity team, and colleges started to take notice of Peck and give him offers.

Many different colleges approached Peck.

“It was a very long and stressful process. I would receive a call from a college coach to go down for a visit. We would talk about their baseball program and how successful of a team they are. I visited 8 division 3 schools; my top 5 included Hiram college, Baldwin Wallace, Heidelberg, Mount Union and Otterbein, they are the top in their divisions,” Peck said.

Peck also received offers from the division 2 schools Notre Dame College and Tiffin University. Peck weighed his options very carefully and decided to go with Hiram College.

“I decided Hiram College was actually my favorite school. One big thing about looking at Colleges is the fit. I decided I did not want to go to school for the offers or the hype of the name,” Peck said.

For Peck, his work paid off and he will continue playing the sport he loves in the next stage of his life.

Feature, Reviews

Discount app appeals to young and old crowd

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    While playing different apps, searching through various websites and watching TV, people are bombarded with unnecessary advertisements and commercials. One recurring ad that seems directed towards the older generation is Groupon.

   When hearing “Groupon,” someone usually thinks of “coupon,” and this is exactly correct. Those little papers snipped out of newspapers and magazines that parents or grandparents hoard before they go to any store or restaurant are soon to be outdated.

     With this over-advertised Groupon, a new level of discounts is underway. The modernized coupons are not only geared towards adults, which is also taking the aspect of coupons to accelerated heights.

    Groupon is an app/website that almost stands as a middleman between a customer and the service or product on the other side. The site may promote restaurants and stores in one’s community or even advertise products from around the globe.

    Groupon has the ability to usher people to try out various places and products, and the enterprise earns a commission whenever they successfully refer a customer.

    This new type of app is able to provide consumers with discounts on nearly everything. Opportunities exist such as a percent off a meal at a restaurant or money off of jewelry, clothes, books, entertainment, beauty products, electronics and tickets.

    The variety of discounts available has appealed to many college students and teenagers that enjoy shopping online but do not like to spend much money.

    Groupon almost poses as the cheap Amazon, and by cheap, that means low prices.

    This new enterprise is fabulous for customers but is also beneficial for businesses. Even though the site sells items for discounted prices, the sales bring more attention to a company or product. People will be more willing to try a product for less expense; therefore, those people are more likely to return again for full price.

    Personally, I have purchased a few items off of Groupon, and my results were very positive.

    I bought a HP laptop for $149 that was originally priced over $300. The computer was refurbished, yet I may not have been able to find such a great deal else where. The laptop runs well and is in perfect condition.

    Next, I bought a teeth whitener kit. The kit with the bleaching solution and the little LED light has been a hot item in the past year or two. With an original price of $199, I snagged a kit for $9.99. I used this product once already, and the results were just as it promised for $190 cheaper than others but whiter teeth for.

    I have ordered a few other items from Groupon, and each one has been more than satisfactory. I intend on continuing my use of the app into college, so I do not have to spend too much money on anything.

    Offers expire frequently, so the app has an efficient way of making consumers act quickly with their purchases.

    The whole dynamic of the app is beneficial for each entity involved: old customers, young shoppers, business owners and the entire enterprise.

    Give Groupon a try the next time there is a craving for food, clothing or experiences. Well, just as long as there is NOT a wad of cash burning a hole in a pocket: the user would not need to spend all of that money.