Semester Tests

Semester Tests-2010 from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Erin and her fellow companion Bri shine a light upon Semester Tests, 2010. (:

The Serious Crime In High Schools Around The World!!!! BULLYING!!!!!!!!

I made this video because I'm sick and tired of getting bullyied and seeing people bullyied and I wanted to have you see the seriousness of it and what it does to people!!!

The Serious Crime In High Schools Around The World!!! BULLYING!!! from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

The Silent Assassin

The Silent Assassin from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

It kills milliions of people a year. The Great American Smokeout encourages people to quit for a day in hopes they will quit forever.

Heads Up: Raise Your Arms

Most days at school, doodling on your body is viewed as an act of boredom. We've all been there... The teacher keeps droning on and you're all out of paper, but hey, your hands, arms, and sometimes face are open canvas. But what if your body could be used to spread a message? Something more meaningful than 'Look at how productive I was in Calculus'?

Readers may recall a day last year when LOVE was written on the wrists of students. Perhaps you tossed it off as another random doodle, after all, that word is tossed around an awful lot these days... But was this the supposed deeper meaning body art deserves?



Indeed. To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit organization bent on educating about and preventing depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. Next Friday, November 12th, is the next scheduled To Write Love on Her Arms Day (via Facebook). If you feel like spreading the message that we were all "created to love and be loved", then bust out those Sharpies and spread the word.

Sometimes just reaching out can save a life. Some people go through life believing they aren't worth anything. But every life matters, and living your life to its full potential is definitely worth something.

TWLOHA donates profits from merchandise and donations on the website to helping those with self-hate seek help. They have many speakers who go and present to schools. Their website is full of many statistics, phone numbers, and ways to help those in trouble.

So, if your arms are otherwise available from long sleeves/extensive bracelets, be sure to join in and help the cause. It only takes four letters, and awareness is a step towards recovery. Get out there, grab a marker, and do some good.



This has been Danielle Hernandez for School News. What are your feelings about To Write Love on Her Arms? To learn more about the cause please visit their website.

Drug Dogs

Erin, Bri, and Kyla's preview to drug dogs coming to HCHS.

Drug Dogs from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Support the troops

Support the troops from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Plans for the Future / by Dylan Garrison

Iowa Western Community College is a very popular college. It has been known for many years and it is still growing in population. I chose IWCC because it is very close to my home and it was also a lot cheaper than most colleges. If I would miss a class or want to take one while I am in Harlan I can do that as well. Just have to go down to the Iowa Western building on Highway 59.

Most colleges you have to pay extra for meal plans and not have a choice. Well IWCC has a choice you can both live in the suites and have to pay for a meal plan or the option of living in the apartments. Since there is a kitchen you don’t need to pay for a meal plan. You also have the option too if you would like so that is very handy. I can just go over to the lunch room anytime if I don’t have any food. The lunch over there is only four dollars.

I think they also have a lot of good programs. There is a really good band and choir program down there for the kids who are interested in that. Even 89.7 the River radio station broadcasts in the building. They have a big campus so lots of room for students. The book fees are very cheap for the classes that I am taking too and they are really easy to get because they have the store right on campus. The other thing I like is that if you want to transfer to a four year college after two years, like me, you can have them help you set that up. I plan to go to Iowa State after two years.

“I like the small classes you can actually get to talk to teachers. Not too big of campus and not too small. It is the perfect size,” said Brandon Martin.

My parents like the idea of going here because I can come home anytime they want me to but I really don’t know if I will come back every weekend. My mom says its nice because it's small.

Computer Viruses

Computer viruses. Seems like everyone has had their far share of experiencing this annoying bug. Our school has been hit hard with viruses and has been trying to get it under control for more than a year now. How do we get rid of it? It takes a lot of work and patience. Mrs. Greer and Mrs. Swanson work day and night constantly trying to revive our laptops, stopping only for necessities and coffee. Lots of coffee. We could try a few things to help prevent these viruses and to save these poor women some time. According to Microsoft you should do these things:


1.) Use firewall
2.) Subscribe to antivirus software
3.) Never open emails that aren’t from people you know.
4.) Don’t click on links you are unsure about



First off, let me explain to you exactly what a virus is. It is a program on the computer that copies itself to mess with the way a computer works without the acknowledgement of the computer owner. What causes these viruses? Ruthless, manipulative, geniuses are to blame. Their only intentions are to cause people pain and agony. Usually what they do is put the virus in a link or email to trick people into opening it and for some reason we continue to fall for it.

Do these ladies a favor and give them a break. Just because these are not your laptops, you should still take care of them as if they were. If you follow the four safety pointers I mentioned earlier, you should be good to go. Don’t let those tricky little devils fool you. Be careful and pay attention to what you are doing and it will make the world a better place, or at least you will be making Mrs. Greer and Mrs. Swanson’s a little better.

Grim Reaper

Grim Reaper from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Remember the Grim Reaper activity held on April 8? Well, here's a video about the activity and what it's purpose was.

Students With Jobs

Untitled from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

This is our video on teenagers with after school jobs, and how it affecst their school lives. Enjoy!

Cutting the Budget in the HCSD

Recently the Harlan Community School District has experienced some severe budget cuts, and Alex and Hannah have gotten interviews with teachers to see how the budget cuts have affected them. Enjoy!

Budget Cuts from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Sleep

Sleep from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Senioritis (The Silent Killer) by Victoria Thomas

As the end of the year nears, more and more seniors are beginning to experience senioritis. What is senioritis you ask? Well, the Urban Dictionary describes senioritis as ‘a crippling disease that strikes high school seniors.’ A crippling disease? Yes and a killer to grades. Is the disease contagious? Of course; any student slacking off in class has fun, which rubs off on the students around them. Symptoms often include repeated absences, lack of studying, and excessive wearing of ugly sweatpants.
Many students don’t feel the need to try at schoolwork anymore, and can’t get their mind off of graduation. Most seniors who get the disease do not know how to cure it, or don’t care to. Senioritis is most commonly caused by stress, among many other school issues. The disease sometimes shows up after an individual has been accepted into college. This student feels as if they no longer have to try, because all their after high school plans are all laid out. Seniors do not realize that colleges can still reject them. They begin to feel tired, bored, and annoyed of the routine. They begin to realize that most of their important tests are over, and that they no longer need to gain high school level knowledge. Another cause is senior festivities such as prom and ‘Senior Survivor.’ These activities free seniors’ minds, and let them relax.




Professionals say that the only known cure to ‘senioritis’ is to receive your diploma. What do you think? Do you think you can beat the disease? Or will you be doomed to procrastinate in school for the next few months?

If you are experiencing senioritis, please, don’t hesitate to speak to a counselor, a friend, anything! There is help for you! Senioritis can be a fun thing to experience, but there is also a serious side to it, as sometimes it will lead to a student trying drugs/alcohol for the first time. Seriously, if you notice one of your friends starting to fall behind, or think about doing something unintelligent, talk to them, see if they need help.
Do not let the disease go unnoticed. If your friends are slacking off in class, give them a little punch, whip them into shape. Senioritis is killing America. Our kids are getting lazier and lazier towards spring. We must prevent senioritis. Many teachers may try to kill the disease, but it is not up to them, it is up to you, the senior. Good luck in beating this widely spreading disease, and farewell.

Back Parking Lot Dangerous or Not?-By Emily Bierl

Everyone knows how most teens can be with driving safely. There are more distractions and they have a hard time staying focused. In my opinion, most distractions occur with friends in the car and especially at school.

I have witnessed a couple of accidents in the back parking lot of the highschool. The first accident dealt with another person and me. It was very surprising and scary. Another accident that occured, was between my friend and another lady. The lady was going pretty fast and so was my friend. Before my friend knew it, she came around a corner and the lady ran right into her. I asked Danielle how much it will cost to fix the damage and she answered, "Probably over one thousand dollars. I got a new car recently and my sister is now getting the damaged one." I also asked her what she wishes she would of done to prevent the accident and she stated, "I wish I would of payed more attention and slowed down. I hope in the future the school will put a yield sign or something up to prevent these things from happening." An anonymous teacher exclaimed, " It's hard to find a safe parking spot to park in without worrying about it."


-Danielle Hansen's car after the wreck.

In my opinion there are many ways we can prevent these wrecks from happening. We could all stand to drive a little slower when in the parking lot. We could also try and keep the music down, so we can focus on our surroundings. Another way would be to put your phone away and not text while driving. I'm not sure if it would help, but maybe the school should think about putting some signs up in the parking lot.



I think that if enough wrecks occur in the parking lot, the school should definately think about ways to stop it. We either need to be more cautious or have some signs and rules. Would you want to take the risk and hurt your car or even yourself?

Making up snow days!

Making up snow days from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

This video includes student's opinions on how we should make up the snow days. It also contains an interview with Mr. Broomfield. Please Watch!

I survived the Ice Storm of 2010 by Sierra Bain and Victoria Thomas

This is a video about the recent ice storm and how it affected not only students, but the whole community. We interviewed some students to find out just how it affected them. Also, we included some information about making up the snow days.

Untitled from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

The Buckled Roof

The Buckled Roof from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

Tara and Austin get the inside scoop about the collapsed, or "buckled", roof in our school.We also ask a few students and teachers their opinions on the roof.

Intextication

Intextication from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

This is a short video on the dangers and repercussions of texting and driving. It is very dangerous and irresponsible. PLEASE don't text and drive, the video offer an alternative or two on what you can do instead.

Semester Test... Wait Project... No Cleaning?!

The time of year has come yet again. Time to get some last minute studying in. Time to make or break your final grade. But what exactly is it that people expect when they hear about semester tests? I decided to go around Harlan Community High School and see what exactly high school teachers do to test their students.


When i started to ask HCHS teachers I was expecting to hear that they have a written test that they will had out. Little did I know that a lot of teachers are changing how they do "tests". It seems that lately teachers have decide to expand the creative minds of HCHS students. A large portion of teachers are assigning projects instead of tests for their students. These projects have been assigned just within the last week and will be due the day of the semester test. Instead of taking the test the student is to present their project to the class. Than what ever grade they recieve on it will be worth as much as the test would be.Over all I found at least five teachers in the high school that assigned these projects






That's not all though, some teachers will have the students come into the class and help clean their room. So basically showing up will give them an A. Mr. Bruck and Mrs. Boeck give their students an option at the beginning of the year that if they only miss one day of school all semester they will not have to take the test. This is a great incentive for students not to miss school. The Spanish teachers allow their students to "bank" semester test answers through out the school year. Basically on smaller test if the student gets the answers right it will automatically be counted right on the semester test. Than of course there is the old school basic multiple choice written semester test. This is of course most popular in the math and science departments.


I asked students what they thought about having to take a hard test in one class than turning around and cleaning for the next class but still it is worth the same points? This is what HCHS students had to say.

Chandra Knudsen: It is awesome. I like it because it is like getting a break in between tests. Plus its an easy grade.

Michelle Stoltz: It's cool. I like it because you don't have to do a whole lot.

Sam Schwery: Like doing a lab in chem. or like having a newspaper project for history as a test... its gimpy (lame).

Bailey MaGrath: It's sweet. Makes it pretty easy.

Bri Crees: It kinda balances it out so you don't have as much studying to do and can focus more on the written test.

Brad Nelson: No I would much rather do a project in all classes. It easier.


There you have it. It seems to be a pretty basic response. Students really like the variety of options that are being offered. It allows them a small amount of down time to study and mentally prepare for the next written test. Well this has been Kelsey McDaniel with school news. I will leave you with this question... What is your opinion about the wide variety of semester tests that are given?

How is Coffee Drinking Good and Bad? by Dylan Garrison

Many people think drinking coffee is just something that makes you hyper and turns your teeth yellow, but there are a lot of good things about the stuff too.


PROS
Coffee has a lot of antioxidants and it prevents people from aging and it also prevents harmful damage to your cells. I've noticed it with my wrinkles; they are just vanishing. Two of the biggest diseases people are scared of when they get older is Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease well maybe people should start drinking more coffee because you are at a less risk to get it if you drink coffee, and same with kidney stones. Coffee improves your test taking ability it helps you take in information better this is due to the caffeine. It really helps a person get up in the morning too. The days I dont bring coffee to school I just don't feel like myself. It makes me more alert and more joyful in the mornings.

I talked to my dad and all he had to say was:
"I am pretty much hooked on it. It helps me relax and it keeps me warm. I don't like any of the flavored coffee though."




CONS
Coffee can cause heartburn in people. Caffeine is also a drug and it causes you to rely on it and it can even make you have withdrawals if you are used to having it a lot and you stop drinking it for awhile. Headaches occur with these withdrawals. As we all know caffeine can also make you jittery and if you have some before you go to sleep then it might be kind of hard for you too stay still. Coffee can even kill you if you are sensitive to coffee or have heart conditions. It gives you a lot of bad cholesterol levels as well. So for you coffee drinkers you better get your cholesterol checked.

A lot of kids in school do not like coffee they think it is more for older people. I suppose its just an acquired taste or maybe you start liking it when you get old, but I just like coffee for that extra boost in the mornings.