1. Just ask them, then get something they like. Too complicated? I got 9 more.

2. Get them something you like. If they don’t like it, then you can keep it.

3. Universal present: money. Simple as that.

4. Gift cards. Almost as easy as money. Just more specific, and lots of cool graphics on them that are more interesting than presidents’ heads.

5. Christmas sweaters!

6. Take a friend of the person you are shopping for. Make them do all the thinking.

7. Modern Warfare 3, duh.

8. Don’t take your mom…. Ever.

9. Goodwill Stores. Cheap is always the way to go in these hard economic times. They can’t return it, but if they don’t like it, they can take it back to Goodwill and get a tax deduction.

10. Just don’t get them anything. They probably don’t deserve your gifts anyway.

What I will miss:
-Lunch- It’s every student’s favorite subject.
-Teachers/Office Workers/Custodial Workers/Guidance Counselors/Any adult on the campus- They all inspire students to do well in class. Some even give candy away.
-Locker- The only thing college doesn’t give students.
-Field Trips- Getting out of school to do something fun? Sweet deal.
-Bookstore- E4 the Panther Bookstore had some of the best deals on school supplies. I thank them for saving my mechanical pencil from dying when I didn’t have lead.
-Conversations with friends- Where else are you going to hear teenagers gossiping?
-Announcements- “Thank you for your time, this time, until next time, Panthers rule,” the famous words of Principal Hawkins.
-Tornado/Earthquake/Fire drills- If any of these events ever occurred at school, single file lines would be a problem because everyone would be running.
-Atmosphere- It always smelled like pizza to me…in the lunchroom that is.
-Substitutes- When the teacher’s away, the students shall play…unless we get a lot of classwork.
-Power outages- Learning in the dark is fun too…and so is seeing students’ reactions.
-Being a Panther- Pep Rallies, Red and Blue Spirit Days, and excited students are priceless. However, if a student chooses to paint their body to show school spirit, that may be expensive.

What I will not miss:
-Getting up early- If I fall asleep in class, this is why.
-The stairs- I just wanted to ride in the elevator to class one time.
-The walls- I’ve been around them for four years…new environment please?
-The long walk from West to C building- It’s like walking from California to New York…three times.
-People stopping in the crowded hallway- It’s like they don’t see the train of people behind them.
-Backpack-  Although it carried all of my books, binders, and miscellaneous papers, it was no match for the huge poster board I had to carry.
-Makeup work- The only reason I hated not coming to school.
-The countless hours I stayed up doing papers/projects- Thank you procrastination.
-Raising my hand in class- I wasn’t really raising my hand; I was stretching.
-The long line in the lunchroom for hot food- I eventually got my food…three days later.
-Walking outside in rain, sleet, or snow- On one hand, walking outside to get to class takes about 6 minutes, tops. Walking inside on the other hand, takes 60 years. I blame the speed of 2 mph at which the people in the hallway walk.
-The seven hours of school- Plus the twelve hours of homework equals a death sentence.

Taking the time to remember high school is a fun way to bring back memories. It’s sad to leave high school because the growing up begins. So long Bartlett High School, it was great knowing you for four years.

“I think I’ve had Senioritis all year,” said senior Parker Bryan.

Underclassmen are also easy victims for spring fever. Summer is coming for them, but that following fall they have to gear up and return back to school. They should also realize that while this disease is in the air, their grades are still being counted either for or against their GPA. Even if it means having to distance oneself from the computer, television, or cell phone, a good exam score will be the ultimate reward. Students having trouble focusing should try to take a few short breaks in the studying time to stretch or simply relax their mind, as long as they get back to work as quickly as possible. They have to have the will power to deny themselves the great weather and sunshine to finish up homework and be prepared for class the next day. Someday these tips will also be handy when dealing with senioritis.

“I’m just so ready for the homework to end and for summer,” said sophomore Savannah Donnely.

Seniors feel as if this is the home stretch, a long home stretch that takes longer than they thought to complete. The impatient bunch cannot focus enough to accomplish small homework tasks or study for a major test. This puts them behind or failing because of a low-test grade. Though they may say “it will not hurt my average,” they could not be more wrong.

“Most seniors figure it’s time to slack off and just wait for summer to come,” said senior Camille Maynard.

Colleges review end-of-the-year transcripts, and seniors are re-evaluated after the school year is finished. According to Collegeboard.com, almost every college has placed a new clause in their acceptance letters: “Your admission is contingent on your continued successful performance.” A senior’s continued performance means the admission counselors will be looking over whether or not a senior slacked off the last couple of semesters.

Studying may be a senior with senioritis or an underclassmen with spring fever’s worst nightmare. A person could put what they have to study to music, or make up a set of hand gestures to help them recollect their studying. For other sorts of studying, like Math or Science, where a student has a set of problems to complete the student could turn it into a race of sorts. The race isn’t about getting done quickly, it’s about getting the problems done right and for each one the person gets right they can reward themselves with a piece of candy or a minute break. Not only one sole senior is hit with senioritis, so finding a study group if one is interested should not be too hard.

Teachers are by far the worst victims of spring fever. When a teacher catches this it can be fatal not only to them but also to their students. They are supposed to prepare them for the huge tests at the end of the year such as the EOC or semester exam, and if they fail to do so it can hurt a student’s grade. A student’s grades reflect a teacher’s job, which could hurt the teacher as much as the student.

The cure for teachers requires a bit more creativity and a lot more fun. They should find entertaining ways to teach and help their students learn. No one dislikes stickers as a reward for getting an answer right; in fact getting the ones with happy smiles makes it all the better. Candy is also a great reward to get the students up and ready to answer and paying attention, just make sure to give it to them right before their next class. Teachers could also make a game out of the lesson and fashion it after Jeopardy or Bingo.

English teachers may find that acting out a play may help students become more engaged. Math teachers could create a game with teams and whichever team wins the game, which will consist of problems from the lessons, could obtain extra credit on a test or quiz. Science teachers could find it is time to stop the lectures and break out the lab equipment for fun experiments. History or Geography teachers could scheme up creative songs to help students remember important dates or places.

Sadly, homework will not do itself and most people do not have photographic memories, but with fun ways to study or even conducting class, battling these diseases will be a piece of cake.

People have fallen for a joke, April Fool’s or not. Whether they sit on a whoopee cushion or believe an outrageous lie, not many people enjoy the feeling of being caught in a joke.

“I don’t like April Fool’s jokes, they can be mean and humiliate someone,” said senior Chris Dyer.

A prime example of this occurred last year when then freshman Cassidy Cook played a prank on fellow friends and classmates. She covered cotton balls in melted chocolate and let them harden to seem as though they were actual pieces of chocolate. The next morning and throughout the day she would offer a piece to a friend or someone she barely knew. The person would bite into the chocolate and not find a chocolate center, but a cotton one. While she hoodwinked many, some people were a little upset at getting caught in an April Fool’s joke.

“It’s always hard to get a good April Fool’s day prank that won’t upset anyone. Some people just can’t take a joke,” said Cook.

Another joke-gone-wrong was played on sophomore Ashley Richmond last year. A friend of hers had gotten all her friends to ignore her throughout the day, and by sixth period Richmond was feeling down. Even when her friends all showed up at her locker and yelled “April Fool’s,” it didn’t make the joke funny to her. She had gone her whole day thinking that her friends were mad at her to find out it was all a joke.

“It kind of hurt, even if it was supposed to just be a joke,” said Richmond.

Looking for some good, harmless pranks for those who can take a joke?

Here are some suggested by Aprilfoolzone.com:

If a person drives a car, tape magnets to the bottom of an empty coffee cup and place it on the roof of the car they drive. This will bring a day full of laughs as others try to get the person’s attention as they drive.

If the victim of the prank spends time on the computer, go on their computer the night before and switch out keys on their keyboard to confuse and frustrate them throughout the day.

Another prank for anyone with an alarm clock is to sneak into their room earlier in the day or after they’ve fallen asleep to change the time their alarm goes off to some time in the middle of the night and hide said alarm clock. They will have to scramble around half-asleep to turn the thing off!

Though these pranks are suggested, they should be tried at one’s own risk and the outcome of these pranks may not be funny to some people.

While April Fool’s is supposed to be a day of harmless pranks between comrades, be sure it doesn’t turn into a day of war between newly found enemies.

The event dropout rate is defined as the percentage of students who drop out of high school between one October and the next. Compared to the National event dropout rate of 3.5% in 2008, Tennessee in 2010 had an event dropout rate of 2.7%.

Here at Bartlett High School, the dropout rate is very low. Out of the 296 graduating seniors of 2010, only 10 dropped out according to guidance counselor Brenda Pilant.

Students who carry low grades or have poor attendance records are more likely to drop out according to the Georgia Family Connection Partnership. Of course the lucky old “senioritis” hits students hard on this single most important time of their life.

“Some students definitely have senioritis. They just want to finish right now,” guidance counselor Andrea Beck said.

However, finishing school right now can cause heartache for some seniors. They feel so pressured and get caught up in the wrong habits- like procrastination.

Social networking sites, texting, family issues, and relationship problems can all be setbacks for the senior. It is a wonder that one can go through so much and still at the end come up standing.

President Obama said it best when he told Miami Central High School on Fri. March 4, “The single most important thing companies are looking for is highly skilled, highly educated workers. You can’t drop out, you can’t even think about dropping out.”

By dropping out, a senior would miss a lot of job opportunities that could be had if they had not. Students who do decide to drop out can expect to make $17,299 a year while a student who went to college and received a bachelors degree makes three times more, $51,671, according to All4ed.org.

At the end of the day, this decision is important to both the senior and the parents of the senior.

“Once we talk it out, staying in school and finishing up is always the better option,” guidance counselor Andrea Beck said.

Staying in school and walking across the stage at graduation shows something to an anticipated senior. If they choose to go on to gain higher education, that just proves that although these last nine months may have been hard to bear but despite everything they made it.

You read that right, I think we should get Valentine’s Day off. It’s not that far-fetched. Think about it like this: If we get two weeks off in which we give stuff to each other, why can’t we get one more day to do the exact same thing? Christmas is nothing like Valentine’s Day, but they share the same idea, right?

Besides, with all the candy that students receive during Valentine’s Day, how can they not get a mean sugar rush? They get candy from their families and their sweethearts, and they’ve eaten it by the time they get into school. By 7 a.m., they are hyper like they’ve drunk ten cups of coffee, and it only gets worse throughout the day. Don’t behavior problems increase when students are riddled with caffeine and sugar?

Also, with Valentine’s balloons being made bigger and bigger by the year, how will a tiny classroom not be clogged with these giant balloons? These things are distracting enough for birthdays; just imagine how many there will be for Valentine’s. If they can’t fit it through the door, they will have to be abandoned in the hallways, and then the hallways would be blocked, so nobody can get out of their classrooms. There is little a teen hates more then being trapped in a classroom all day.

Finally, with all the love being shown by all the teens all day, how will those broken-hearted students and teachers see all that love and get through the day? This day, seen by many as one of the happiest days of the year, is their worst day. If Valentine’s Day were a holiday, it would be great for both the loved and the been-loved. The been-loved students could alienate everybody and make the day a bummer. The been-loved teachers could be mad enough that they could give students extra-extra-extra homework. That is not how you want to spend your Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is a wonderful time. You don’t have to only show love to your significant other, but to your family also. It is a time of love and affection. It is almost like a secondary Christmas. Isn’t that enough to make this a school holiday?

by Josh Ferrell

Gift cards, which can be found at most stores, have been an extremely popular present. However, it seems as if these have taken over presents and have become simply last minute conveniences. Most of the time they are given to coworkers or to other students that are just acquaintances, and they are more of a “sorry I couldn’t get something better, but I got you thirty bucks!”

Giving a gift card or cash as a present, in essence, destroys the very purpose of giving the present in the first place. Giving a person a present has become a requirement, the present should be given because the giver cares enough about them to give a friend or relative a present and is the point of giving presents in the first place.

Cash and gift cards, though appealing in the current economy, are impersonal. For example, a friend who goes to a Christmas party and brings the Starbucks gift card for a gift exchange is usually just an acquaintance. Presents take more of an effort and should have a more personal touch.

A “friend’ can just go over to Starbuck’s or McDonald’s drive-thru and pick up a gift card then drive to the Christmas party. Is it really too much to ask someone to go shopping a few days in advance to get that perfect gift?

Whatever happened to “It’s the thought that counts”? Sure, people buy gift cards because they want the person receiving the gift to actually use it, but don’t people who recieve them think, “Oh, so I’m only worth $20?”

And if money is the issue, giving the gift card can be more expensive than giving a present that is on sale. Twenty dollars on the Macy’s gift card is more expensive than the $15 scarf on sale; plus, the recipient gets a colorful scarf instead of a piece of plastic.

Giving a little kid a gift card is sure to cause disappointment. Instead of getting that bike he always wanted, he gets a piece of plastic–nice going. The gift cards take away the excitement of getting a great present. It’s just not the same opening up a gift card.

So for people who are simply acquaintances why not be more creative?

For example, a white elephant gift exchange between teachers or between students would be more creative and create a more enjoyable experience. During a white elephant gift exchange gifts are not given to a specific person, they are given randomly between a group of people. Gifts can be random items for example, at one white elephant a friend of mine gave a fire extinguisher, and some may be actual decent gifts like a gift basket. A white elephant gift exchange makes giving gifts more humorous, and the giver does not have to worry about giving a bad gift because gifts can be traded between people who like the other person’s gift better.

So this Christmas, think creatively, no matter the convenience, and try to avoid that tempting run through Starbucks and give a present that someone would be able to appreciate and enjoy.

Gift cards offer easy gift-giving option

by Elizabeth Reed

Who do I still have to buy for? What do they want? Where can I find this? These questions, and many more, are constantly running through shoppers’ heads during the hustle and bustle of the fast-approaching Christmas season. To relieve the sometimes unbearable stress of finding the perfect gifts, people have resorted to buying gift cards, or simply giving cash to their friends and family.

In a study performed by Mary Katherine Brutz, head of Marketing Communications for Radiant Systems, 42% of all consumers prefer gift cards over merchandise. In fact, gift cards have been the number one “gift” for nine years straight. Why? Because recipients are guaranteed to receive something they want, rather than receive an actual object they may or may not like and in turn offend the giver when it comes time to return the gift.

Gift cards benefit not only the receiver, but also the giver. All the buyer has to worry about is what store to buy the gift card from, and sometimes not even that because certain places have Visa gift cards which are the same as a debit card, just not reloadable. Also, there are no hassles of gift wrapping, no worries of whether or not a person likes a particular color, wears a particular size, or whether or not a person is getting what he/she wants.

Some will say gift cards are impersonal, or even lazy gifts to give over the holiday season. But how? When a person receives a gift card, that gift card is free game for them to buy whatever they desire. Almost as if the giver is saying, “Go buy whatever you want; it’s on me.” Gift cards really and truly are a win-win gift for all!

In some communities, local governments have started funding programs that encourage environmentalism to recycle and to eat organic food. Despite the millions being spent on these types of programs, many are still set against making the change largely due to their costliness to them and their families.

“I think, me and my family, would be more likely to ‘go green’ if it wasn’t so expensive,” said freshman Autumn Gordon.

Household appliances seem to be the most hefty on consumer’s wallets, green or not. A simple Whirlpool washer’s price range from $317 to $329, while a similar Amana washer costs $536. The Amana washer uses 10, 521 less gallons of water and 44 percent less energy than the Whirlpool washer. With such a steep price margin, who would want to pay out to go green? Who would be able to afford it?

“I think if people stopped being scared of having to spend money to go green, and realize that it will be worth it in the end they would do it,” said senior Parker Bryan.

People want to go green, but they do not know how to do it without digging into their pockets. Here are some suggestions presented by the Worldwatch Institute in 2010.

One thing that is possible is setting the thermostat lower a few degrees in the winter and higher a few degrees in the summer; it saves on heating and cooling costs.

Another way to “go green” is to walk places or bike instead of taking a car or bus. This not only keeps air pollution down but also keeps people healthy.

Instead of buying books, borrowing them from friends or the local library can save money that goes into printing and ink for books.

Getting a water filter to purify tap water will save the money that goes into the countless water bottles clogging up landfills and rivers.

Another way to reduce costliness is by having one meatless meal a week. Meat can be rather expensive, and the health costs can be pretty hefty too. Forgoing meat can reduce the need for chickens, cows, or pigs that are pumped with steroids that harm our health.

There are a lot of tricks, and simple fixes to “go green” without spending too much green. If everyone just did a few of these tips then this world would be a much “greener” place.

The hybrid block schedule differs from the full block schedule in that only one class period a day is extended beyond the regular 54-minute class time. The fourth period class that used to include a 30-minute “Channel One” time, is now a longer block of class time–nearly 90 minutes.  Thus, students in block classes can earn a full credit each semester, making their possible credits per school year a total of seven, as opposed to the six periods offered in the past.

Vice-Principal Jane Gatewood feels that the hybrid schedule offers more advantages than a full block.

“I really do not like a full block schedule at all.  Not for the students, not for the teachers, not for the school. Our hybrid block schedule schedule where we use fourth period which was and could be a 90-minute instructional block anyway. The block within a regular school day is what I like, what the teachers are seeming to like, what the counselors like, and what works for our students and school,” she said.

Both students and teachers are having some difficulties with the new schedule.  Teachers feel they have to struggle to condense the material that usually takes a whole year to cover down to only a semester.  The students are also having problems cramming all that work into their heads.  It can be very stressful for both groups.  One such stressor for beginners has to do with adjusting to a new school atmosphere.

“My fourth period block is World Geography.  The problems I have encountered have been minimal, but still exist.  World Geography is mainly a freshman level class.  Some freshmen have a difficult time adjusting to high school in the first place, and with the added pressure of doing more work in a shorter period of time, some have difficulty.  Also when someone is absent there is a  lot of work missed.  We go much more quickly and some have problems keeping up.  Most have adjusted well.  The advantages are you get a credit in one semester and can take electives,” social studies teacher Terry Austin said.

Others, on the other hand like it but also have some negative opinions about it.

“With a writing course like creative writing, it affords more time to develop the student’s writing style; however, too much time can be stifling to that writing style,” English teacher Catherine Jones said.

With this type of schedule, mostly everything can be achieved and everyone is still out by 2:00.

Bartlett is no exception to this trend. Some administrators and teachers have seen a passing of the buck in recent times.

“What I’ve noticed over the course of many years is the gradual shift from shared accountability, ‘shared’ meaning the teacher, the

student, and the parent accountability . . . to exclusive accountability being on the teachers,” said Jane Gatewood, Vice Principal.

NCLB did do some good, however, by implementing annual testing for grades 3-8 and yearly objectives to help a child reach proficiency by grade 12. The act also gives states the flexibility to use certain strategies to meet their needs for their students to achieve more. In return, local education agencies have to show that their teachers are helping their students make progress. However, what if the students are dead set against being taught?

Illustration by Samantha Janovetz

Teachers are there to support children as they make their way through their 12 years of education. They are put in place to bring out the best in their students and to work with them to reach their full potential. However, the old adage about leading a horse to water applies here: Some students just don’t want to drink, won’t be persuaded to drink, and flat out refuse to listen to any encouragement to drink what teachers make available to them.

Teachers are often blamed for their students’ lack of progress and low test scores. An entire school of administrators and teachers were fired in Rhode Island largely due to such issues.

“Students are free to choose to learn or not to learn,” said Paula McCalla, English teacher.

Sure, some teachers simply do not do the job. But often teachers who actively try to engage their students receive the same blame for low scores or even low grades. Many teachers have complained about parents jumping down their throats for their child’s low grades or low test scores, when in fact it is the student’s lack of effort that is to blame.

A teacher’s objective is never to make life hard, or to fail a student; they are there to push students harder and help them become more successful. This leads to the question of who is to blame.

Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education states that it is well-documented and practically common sense that parental involvement in a child’s education enhances student learning, and behavior.

Illustration by Samantha Janovetz

“Parents will always be a child’s first and most important teacher,” said Duncan.

Students, parents, and teachers should be able to work together for the good of the student, and should be in contact if the student is struggling and do what they can to help.

Parents have a simple job: Just stay in the loop by contacting a teacher of the student, or even contacting a guidance counselor when concerns arise. Teachers have to keep the parents updated on the student’s grades, and they accomplish this by updating PowerSchool, sending interim reports home, and reporting grades on report cards. If parents are even remotely interested in their child’s progress, they have many ways to keep up with it.

Students have to remember to stay engaged, even if it is early in the morning. Students should push themselves to achieve more as well. They should realize that teachers are there to push them to do better and better, they’re not there to make life harder. Their goal is for a student to become more successful and reach new heights.

Teachers can suggest to parents through emails, or through a conference ways to help their student get a leg up in class; like helping them study for a test, help them do a bit of homework, or ask them what they’re struggling with and see if they can help.

Through this contact, the student and parent can come up with a good way to solve this problem.

Leave the blame game for the playground, and let’s reach higher together.