Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 December 2003 — Page 7
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2003
THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER
PAGE A7
Ben Davis students brighten the holidays by being secret Santas
By Dinah Allen Ben Davis High School Recorder Intern
^ ~ | Wh « if you were a child and knew that your parent could not afford to give you the best Christmas? You would probably be expecting the bottom of the Christmastree to be bare and boring. But to your surprise you wake up and there are bundles of gifts under the tree due to a secret Santa. Over this Christmas season many organizations took donations to help families that are having hard times because of a death in the family, or a parent is not able to provide for their children or for other reasons. Many teachers and students from Ben Davis High School became secret Santas this year. Teachers collected donations for two weeks in order to provide gifts for their sponsored child. After the money was collected, students went shopping on their own time and purchased gifts that were on their child’s wish list. junior Doneisha Sanders was given money to go shopping with the money classes collected. “It makes me feel good to know that
I’m part of someone’s life by helping someone who’s less fortunate to have a good Christmas,” said Sanders. Ben Davis students made Christmas possible for some children in the Wayne Township District. More than 98 individuals were supposed to be sponsored and nearly 40 children were not matched up with a secret Santa. That’s when the BD Student Council stepped to the plate and turned everything around. Once the students found out about the shortage of sponsors, students set out and told the student body by word of mouth about the problem. “When we were told that over 30 children weren’t sponsored, I knew we had to
do something as leaders to make sure that these children would have the best Christmas possible.” said senior Shanice Robinson. Telling the students about unsponsored children, the Student Council also collected loose change from people during lunch. Students went from table to table with red buckets in their hands asking students to donate to the cause. “Lunch time was the best time to collect spare change and ask for donations. It felt good to help a lot kids and people. I think that it was just a blessing to help out," said Student Council member, senior Roniah Walker. With the collection, Student Council was able to gather enough change to sponsor the remaining
children. Student Council wasn’t the only organization in the school to make Christmas possible. The publication staff also contributed to the cause. The yearbook, CD-ROM yearbook, and newspaper staff collected $200 for a teen-age boy and little girl. Staff members felt the need to help the children, therefore they put forth their best effort to make this a wonderful Christmas. “It was a very touching and heart warming experience to make a child’s Christmas memorable. My family and I aren’t really into gift exchanging, so it felt really good to provide money and present gifts to them,” said Robinson, a staff member of the yearbook, Keyhole.
Finals are over right!
Thoughts for teens during the holiday season
By Garrett Gammons Cardinal Ritter High School Recorder Intern As every high school i takes off for the break they BflHI look forward to a relaxing two weeks. Two weeks filled with hanging out with friends, staying up late, and not having to deal with homework. There is one thing that separates some schools from others — finals. Some schools have decided to give finals after the break to give students time to study. But are students studying? Some students argue that when they are on break they are less likely to study because of the holiday distractions. All public schools are required to take their finals after the break. Matthew O’Bannon, a junior at Arsenal Technical High School said that it was kind of bitter sweet. “It's good because it gives students time to study, but it’s difficult because it’s hard to study during a time that's given for a break,” he said. “If we had finals before the break they would be out of the way and we could really enjoy the break, that’s how college is.” Some students agree that finals should be after the
break, others think they should be before the break.. Alicia Edwards, a senior at Northwest High School, believes in finals before the break. “You could forget everything you learned during the year,” Edwards exclaimed. “Having finals before the break simply get them out of the way.” When asked about the advantages of having finals before the break she said the only advantage would be the study time. Other students think that the break provides time that is well needed to study. Estella Motely, a sophomore at Scecina High School, said that the holiday isn’t a distraction. “Even though we had finals before the break, I wish we would have had them after.” “With all the study guides and the extra homework, the break gives you more time to prepare for finals.” Jonathan Woods, a sophomore at Lawrence Central High School, wouldn’t have it any other way. “You get an extra two week period to study,” says Woods. “It really depends on the type of person you are and how dedicated you are to your education.” Different students have different ways of dealing with their studies. Whether it’s taking finals before or after Christmas break, all that matters is succeeding in academics and doing your best.
By TaLette Jones Lawrence Central High School Recorder Intern To some, Christmas is all about getting up at the crack of dawn to open up a paper wrapped gift box. Although to others, Christmas is a little more of sitting by a fire cuddling with the ones they love most. So, is Christmas really about the boxes or the family? The true meaning of Christmas is biblical. It is the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christmas is also the time when the three wise men brought their gifts to rejoice and give their praise to Mary and her new miracle. Since Jesus went through the religious land of Bethlehem blessing all of the townsmen, maybe it’s in our hands to bless our worldly family with love. Although this thought of Christmas remains in some of America's hearts, others just seem to be here to receive gifts. “I think it is about the birth of Jesus. Here on Earth, I like to spend time with family. I don’t like to share gifts, because they’re too expensive,” said Ericka Wheeler, staff writer for The Indianapolis Recorder.
Some people think that the government plays a major role in the distribution of financial debt around or after Christmas time. “ The government likes to get money off of holidays, which is why they have them in the year,” Wheeler said. Today, there’s a wide selection of gifts for teens to chopse from. So, do we choose from them or do we just accept the idea that someone actually thought of us? “I think Christmas is about being with your family and having a good time. Everybody’s trying to make Christmas superficial and make it materialistic. That’s not what Christmas is about. I didn’t really ask for anything for Christmas," said Leah Graves. She is a freshman at Lawrence Central High School. There's many ways to celebrate Christmas besides the gifts and being with family. Some of today’s teens choose to spend Christmas with different parties or just hanging out and enjoying life. "As you get older, you start to mature and realize that Christmas is more for the younger kids. It's all about being with family and loved ones," Graves said. So is Christmas about opening those stuffed boxes, or is Christmas about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ by sharing love? Well, to some teens, as well as adults, Christmas is from the heart.
Maintain your New Year’s resolutions
By Alicia Renee Edwards Northwest High School Recorder Intern
*
5. 4, 3, 2, I - Happy New Year.
OK the party is
over. How many times
have you said this
year will be different? Do you keep the promises you make for the New Year? I promise I’ll lose at least 50 pounds, or I promise to change my attitude this year. When it all comes down to it those promises are still promises. You may start out on the right foot, but somehow and some way you get offtrack. If you find it hard to stay committed to your New Year’s resolutions here are three simple tips that can help you towards your success. (1) Obtain a realistic goal. Sure we would all love to be rich, but if you’re just now starting to save you will not become a billionaire overnight. Making an unrealistic resolution is one of the many reasons why people don’t live up to their resolutions, and get off track. In order to fulfill your New Year’s resolutions they must first be obtainable. Everyone has their own New Year’s resolutions and different ways to accomplish them. Susan Land is a sophomore at Purdue University. Her New Year’s resolution is to improve her grades in college. She feels that she can succeed if she gets organized, studies more, stays focused on her goal, and asks for help when she needs it. Dinah Allen, a senior at Ben Davis High School, also wants to get organized in her schoolwork, and prepare more for college and scholarships. Dinah said, "I need to make it a priority. I think I’ll put the important things on my calendar to help me get organized." (2) Commit yourself Yes we are all very busy people, but you can’t keep putting things off or they
will never get accomplished. It is very easy to lose focus on your goal, but you have to make it a priority. Take a few minutes out of your day, and work towards your goal. If need be, take time to meditate or even pray over it. Valjin Harvell, an alumnus of Martin University, doesn’t have a New Year’s resolution because she never keeps them. She states, “ I want to do it, but I allow myself to get distracted from reaching my goal.” Although she does not have a New Year’s resolution her goal is to finish graduate school. In order to accomplish her goal in finishing graduate school she says, “I have to make up my mind and do it. I have to make it a priority.” (3) Think positive. Nothing is going to be accomplished with a negative attitude. It only sets you back to believe that you can't accomplish your goal. If one day you mess up on your resolution it is OK. It is not the end of the world. Just relax, take a deep breath and start over - but this time with a better attitude. There is no reason to think negatively. After all you made it through another year. As the New Year is approaching and resolutions are coming about. It is time for a new year that brings about new changes. If you make a resolution and you feel tempted to abandon it think about those less fortunate than you that would love to be in your position Pamela Edwards, a service representative for Social Security, wants peace in the world, and to do her part to contribute to it. She also wants to improve her relationship with the Lord. She plans on accomplishing this goal by reading her Bible more often, and fully committing herself to the Lord. Edwards said, "We are ail brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s time we act like it. I have to fully commit myself because there are so many negative things trying to keep you from maintaining your goal."