How do LH students balance everyday life with school?

We wake up, go to school and sit in our class, learn, recieve our assignments and at the end of the day, we have homework. But, let's be honest here, our lives do not solely revolve around homework and school! I know from my own personal experience that this is true because when I get home I have a ton of  homework. Plus, three nights a week I have dance that last from 6 to some times 8:00 at night! i know how i balance everyday life with extra curricular activities, but I often wonder how others deal with the constant stress and demands of school along with extra activities in their lives! I knew just who to ask!

  The first person that popped in my head at first was my twin brother, Brock Westerman! He is always coming in after school from running Cross Country. Cross Country is very demanding and requires a lot of practice if you want to succeed. But, not only is Brock a member of the cross country team, but he is actively involved in the youth group and enjoys hanging out with his friends and his girlfriend throughout the week and on the weekends! Brock says that he runs about forty five to fifty miles every week. His practices usually last a couple of hours  a day. Brock says it is not hard for him to balance school life with after school activities. After practice, he comes home and works on his homework. Sometimes he even has a friend come over such as Carter Weston to help with PreCal. He may even have his girlfriend come over and help him study for a test. Brock's Saturdays are spent running a race at 8:00 am. His family and girlfriend, Caiti are usually there to cheer him on. He says that he enjoys cross country because it gives him a challenge.

  The next person I turned to was Kayla Heller, a senior who is on the dance team for the fifth year since Jr. High. She is not only involved in dance during and after school, but she has a job too and is involved in the student council as well. Kayla works at the Rocky Mountain grill. She says she enjoys working because she enjoys being around people. She also enjoys staying busy. Kayla stated;

 "Although it is nice to have a boyfriend pay for everything, it is nice to have a little extra cash on the side."

Of course school comes first and she still finds time to do homework. Since she gets off work at 8:30, then the rest of the night is commited to school work. Through all this, there comes stress. But Kayla says being on the dance team and dancing everyday relieves stress and allows her to have some fun!

Clearly, these two individuals are two busy people! These interviews are only a sneak peek into their lives. But, what we do know is that how they balance everyday life with school is because they work hard and are truly dedicated to the important things in their lives.

KW

The New Fad: College Hunting

   It’s actually September. A month ago we were enjoying out summer vacation, and now we’re already into the third week of school. Time is going by incredibly quickly, and one thing is constantly nagging at my mind: College.

    There is so much preparation that’s needed to find the perfect college and if you’re like me, it can all become extremely overwhelming. With after school jobs, extra curricular activities, and AP classes galore, it seems as though I’ll never have time to get everything done. It’s pretty scary.

    The thing is, we’ve all got our own things going on. We’re all in the same boat. College is an exciting prospect and it’s also a stressful one. Nobody is alone. There are several options for life after high school. Maybe community college is a good choice for you. It’s a great way to get your basics and transfer after two years which can save a lot of money. But possibly, a university is the right first step for you. Jump right into the full college experience.

    I’m not sure where I’m going to attend school yet, but I do know that it will 1) be a 4-year university and 2) be in state. I’ve never been a huge fan of Arkansas, but I’d like to stay in state to make life easier on myself. My parents will still be around if I ever need them for anything but I’m still able to be my own person and live my own life.

    It’s a scary idea that in less than a year us seniors will have already began our freshman year at college. All the scholarship and application information feels like too much too handle. How am I going to pay for college? Where am I going to go? Are my scores good enough? These questions are on most of our minds. The thing to remember is we’ve got to keep our heads up and not worry ourselves too much. We have one more year of high school to make the best of our lives.

-Brittany Harris

Dress Code Corruption

     With the return of classes, many students have noticed the return of dress code policies as well.  Although stricter enforcements to the rules have not exactly been welcomed with the greatest warmth, Superintendent Steve Anderson assures they are not without reason.  The staff has been "cracking down" on some of the smallest violations, and will even begin enforcing the clear or mesh backpack rule.  Whether or not these rules will be enforced fairly among all students, however, still remains a question.

     The dress code was originally set in place to promote positive behavior and attitude, and according to Mr. Anderson, "to set the tone that certain dress is appropriate," especially for "life after high school."  Even though some people may not want to admit it, an established dress code is vital for keeping a professional atmosphere.  Without a dress code, people would abuse it, and as Senior Jet Currey puts it, "Girls would prance around in Soffee's and tube tops and look trashy."  If it's supposed to help keep everyone in line, however, why do the rules not always apply to everyone?

     Although the district does try to ensure fairness, it doesn't always work out that way.  Some students manage to get in trouble for the smallest of infractions like half-inch too short pants or jeans with a rip, while others, some teachers included, wear hats or short skirts.  When inquired of this, they reply nothing has been said to them--leaving some to question whether this could be possible evidence of favoritism.

     The resolution to this problem lies not within tighter enforcements, but with fair ones.  A leniency with the rules, such as bias-ism, will only lead to a pushing of boundaries.  How are students expected to take these rules seriously when there is such instability with whom they are enforce upon?

-Meaghan Epperson

Welcome

Welcome students to a new year at Lake Hamilton High School! We hope you had a Great summer and we hope you have an even better school year. As you may have noticed though some things have changed, the broken tile floors have been replaced with  freshly painted and sealed concrete floors, old teachers have been replaced with new ones, and what we thought was a lot of people last year increased to a Massive amount this year. With new faces, added classes, and more people, this year is the year for change, so expect Big things.


One Major change though is the newspaper  is experimenting with the "Wolf Prints" Blog in an attempt to keep you and the staff  informed on what is happening with the school community. We hope to learn that this will be a postive change and hope to learn your thoughts. Please leave your comments, views, and ideas that would help to improve our paper, thanks!