Category Archives: Front/Home

Front/Home, News

Winter Formal set to be a fun night on the dance floor

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By Riya Bhattarai

     Dances are one of the most anticipated events of the school year for many students. 

     Homecoming occurs at the beginning of the school year, often in September, while the Winter Formal tends to happen mid-year. 

     Although this year, the date has changed a bit, and the dance is occurring later than previous years as it is being held March 1 according to Student Council adviser, Dana Kester.

     Usually like previous years, dances happen in the school gymnasium, and this year’s winter formal will keep the same tradition. 

     ¨SMFHS Commons and Gym [is where the dance will take place],” senior Elena Kimmich, chair of Student Council said. 

     Food and drinks are also another important factor in a formal dance. 

    ¨We will have free cookies and water, [and] Kona Ice and Rowdy Beans will be there for purchase,¨ Kimmich stated. 

      This year’s Winter Formal date has had some problems in the planning area as it was changed “a few times this year due to building scheduling issues,” Kester said.  “We had to work around basketball schedules, Speech and Debate tournaments and Foodie Palooza.” 

     Planning and creating an event may seem like a semi-easy thing; however, once a theme is chosen, there is quite a bit of work that goes into finalizing everything in order for the event to be successful. 

    “Once they choose a theme, they create a vision board for inspiration and also to ensure their design is cohesive. From there, they think about the different areas that need to be decorated: the staircases, lockers, trophy cases, windows and tables. The committee chairs oversee the decor decisions, but committee members work on their own areas,” Kester said. 

     Kimmich discussed how each committee member is given an area of the commons to decorate, and she is in charge of designing that part of things.  

     ¨This year, each are is a different part of ‘Wonderland,’ so the entrance staircase is themed ‘The Garden’ where Alice is seen, and the lockers are themed ‘Mad Hatter.’ We work with Mrs. Sedor to sell tickets and make purchases. The committee makes sure all of our advertisements are approved and fit the theme,¨ Kimmich said.  

     Student council members will be busy the morning of March 1 preparing the commons and surrounding areas for the dance later that evening. Kester said about 40 students will participate in the decorating from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., and will work in their designated areas to make the commons suitable for a magical night. 

      “Student Council is a well-oiled machine on the morning of a dance,” Kester said. 

Entertainment, Front/Home, Reviews

‘10 Things I Hate About You’

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By Lillias Cummings

     “10 Things I Hate About You” is one of the most iconic and well-known rom-coms for teens and adults since it first came out in 1999.

     The movie begins with a new student, Cameron James played by Joseph Gordan-Levitt completely head over heels for one of the most popular and kind students, Bianca Stratford played by Larisa Oleynik. There’s only one problem–she’s not allowed to date until her sister Kat does.

     Kat Stratford, played by Julias Stiles, is a beautiful, yet abrasive teenager who has absolutely no interest in dating and is very stubborn about the subject.

     Cameron and his friend Micheal decide to come up with a plan to get the school bad boy, Patrick, played by Heath Ledger, to date Kat, so Cameron can date her sister Bianca.

     Cameron, to speed up the process, deceives another popular kid interested in Bianca and says he will be the one to date her if she gets Patrick to date Kat.

     After Patrick agrees to get involved with Kat, they gradually become friends and more. Patrick commits a series of funny and sweet gestures to win her over.

     The end of the movie is sweet and the perfect ending to a great plot, the movie comes to a perfect full-circle ending without any sense of something being missing or being open-ended.

     The movie’s coloring is also extremely vibrant, making it the perfect film to get ready for the bright colors of spring and summer that are slowly approaching. The vibes of the movie along with the colors shift it into the movie to watch when especially missing the summer while amid a dreary cold winter. 

     The chemistry between Kat and Patrick is electric once they begin to become fond of one another as well. They perfectly match each other with their initially stubborn and cold personalities that slowly stop when their walls come down for one another. They begin to show care and love for each other, which is the opposite of their initial personalities. There is an immense amount of character development between all the characters that makes you love them even more.

      They also make each other more thoughtful to other people. Once they truly get together, Kat and her sister Bianca get along better and Patrick becomes more friendly to the people around him who truly mean no harm to him.

     Teens tend to enjoy romantic comedies, as they perfectly grasp the kind of life some people desire. “10 Things I Hate About You” has the type of relationship many would love in the end, of course without the bribery and lies that came with their original relationship, but after Patrick truly realizes he loves her, he becomes the type of person any girl would want.

     “10 Things I Hate About You” is overall the perfect movie to get excited for the upcoming spring and summer with the beautiful colors, the character development, and one of the most iconic endings to a film.

Editorials, Front/Home

Literature and its effects on mental health

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Editorial

By Morgan Legg

In modern times, it is impossible to make it through the day without using some form of technology, causing it to become a lifeline as well as a burden for many people. As technology continues to advance and create more reliance on it, the debate on its impact on mental health becomes louder.

According to a study from The National Library of Medicine, “Current research suggests that it may not be the technology use itself, but rather how actively or passively users engage with technology, that facilitates or hinders nonverbal decoding skill.”

With this in mind, social media provides access to multiple tools, which has a positive impact on society and users that choose to use these tools.

These tools include but aren’t limited to self-help apps, online therapy and much more. With access to these tools, people are more connected to helpful resources that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to without technology in their grasp.

According to the American Psychological Association, “Digital mental health tools that utilize evidence-based interventions can be particularly useful at providing mental health education.”

On the flip side, people’s use of technology or how others use technology against a person can be detrimental to their wellbeing.

According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, 30% of teens have experienced cyberbullying at some point in their lives, which lowers self esteem and overall well being.

In short, technology is a powerful tool that opens up avenues for people to seek help or connections as well as avenues that worsen a person’s overall mental health. It is up to social media users to do their best to make a positive impact with their social media impact to lessen any strength the bad side of social media has.