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Maintaining high grades may become a challenge when extracurricular activities seem more intriguing than spending time studying. That, along with high expectations from parents and poor time management may often set a student up for stressful nights of cramming and failure at their job of being a student.

Senior Brenna Carlson takes classes at IB and is involved with band and drama.

“Extracurricular activities keep you balanced, but schoolwork gets you into college. Dedicate yourself and focus on one (extracurricular activity) and you won’t feel overloaded,” Carlson said.

Drama director Chelsea Cunningham feels that some students work well under pressure while others have trouble managing their time efficiently.

“Balancing schoolwork with other activities requires you to organize your life in general, decide what your priorities are, and take into account how you handle stress. Some students get too over-committed and forget that it’s their job to be a student first,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham also thinks that the reason students tend to put schoolwork after everything else is because it’s easy to get excited about extracurricular activities, whereas class isn’t necessarily as stimulating.

“Extracurricular activities are awesome and they teach us so much, but if you don’t end up with a diploma nobody cares if you were an athlete. It doesn’t get you a job,” Cunningham said.

Though it’s important to maintain high grades, Cunningham believes students tend to take on big loads with sports and clubs because they are resume driven, for social reasons or they simply have sheer love and interest for the activity.

“Extracurricular activities are good for our own well being. It’s our form of recess,” Carlson said.

Though Carlson sees the positive aspect of extracurricular activities, she has had to give up mock trial in order to find more time for schoolwork.

“There would be nights I wouldn’t get home until 9. With too many activities it’s hard to get schoolwork done,” Carlson said.

School nurse Jeanne Mark has had students come to her office with headaches and stomachaches due to feeling overwhelmed.

If students get too busy, they spread themselves too thin and then it’s hard to do well at everything,” Mark said.

Mark thinks it depends on the student- some students are good multi-taskers, while others think having a social life is more important than grades.

Another aspect that may cause struggles with maintaining a high GPA is parents having high expectations of their child.

“Parents can put too much pressure on the student that they may not be able to meet. Then students get stressed to attain what their parents want them to be,” Mark said.

Cunningham prefers to focus on the positive intention parents have when giving their child high expectations.

“As a child it was frustrating at times because I felt like I couldn’t live up to what my parents wanted. But now I totally see why they had high expectations. I wouldn’t have this job without them pushing me. The intention behind it is more important. Students don’t see that that’s how they (parents) love us,” Cunningham said.

Maintaining expectations may involve finding time for relaxation in order to deter the feeling of being overwhelmed.

“Take a break, hang out with friends, find whatever you enjoy doing and sometimes it’s the extracurricular activity that helps you. Trying to sit through four hours of homework won’t work, your brain will get overloaded,” Carlson said.

Mark feels that what always needs to come first is oneself.

“If you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of commitments. You’ve also got to make good decisions for yourself,” Mark said.

Along with caring for oneself, Carlson keeps a few things in mind that drive her to success.

“Make sure you don’t let yourself get too stressed, figure out what the issue is, balance your time, use your planner, make sure you know what needs to get done and have goals, like college, to work toward,” Carlson said.

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Senior Dana Delafield has eight tattoos on both of his arms. Tattoos ranging from bible verses to nicknames and his grandma’s name are now permanently embedded into his skin.

“The praying hands meant the most to me. It tells me that if I put my trust in God that he will make everything in life better,” Delafield said.

None of Delafield’s tattoos were done by a professional, however he was not worried about the quality of his tattoos.

“I saw all of the artist’s previous work, so I was not worried,” Delafield said.

Delafield not only trusted this artist’s talent but sterilization risks were also not a factor to him.

“He showed me all the needles and equipment,” Delafield said.

Delafield has no regrets about his tattoos; he would simply just like to add to his nickname “Fresh” (left arm).

“I would like to make it look less empty,” Delafield said.

Junior Amanda Mount has also been tattooed by an amateur artist. Like Delafield, Mount was not worried about her health risks.

“He opened and cleaned everything right in front of me,” Mount said.

Mount’s tattoo is on her left wrist. It reads “La Belle Vita” which means “The beautiful life”.

“It is to remind me that my life is beautiful,” Mount said.

Mount did not feel comfortable getting her tattoo done unprofessionally.

“It was scary,” Mount said.

Professional Tattoo artist Paul Nycz at Iron Heart Tattoo and Piercing studios has been getting tattooed since he was eighteen. Nycz is educated on the health risks of getting tattoos.

“In general, there’s always risk of infection. We try to keep it minimal by sterilization,” Nycz said. “Most people don’t even know about correct sterilization.”

Nycz is completely against people getting tattoos from amateur artists.

“It’s stupid, our putting ourselves at risk for a hepatitis out break, its a horrible idea in general,” Nycz said.

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There are differing opinions on whether gym is a productive or unproductive class among students. Gym teachers are doing what they can to make gym a more serious class.

Physical education instructor Carrie Harjes believes strongly in the physical education program.

“I think we have one of the best in the district,” Harjes said.

The school receives a three year grant called the Carol White Grant which brings in $50,000 per year for three years toward brand new equipment for gym and sports.

“Our gym is starting to look more and more like a fitness center,” Harjes said.

Teaching physical education is a very serious task to Harjes.

“You live in your body. Without your body you don’t have anything else,” Harjes said.

Harjes feels that she is accomplishing her goal as a gym teacher.

“My goal is to get students moving, and to be active,” Harjes said.

Harjes does not understand why students do not take the class seriously.

“It makes me wonder what their goals are, what their expectations are, what they think of PE, or maybe they had a bad experience in the past,” Harjes said.

According to Harjes, not dressing, participating, or even communicating with others in the class is a definite problem in the gym class.

Freshman Rena Knutsoa does not remotely look forward to going to gym class.

“There is no one in the class who I am friends with and it’s dumb,” Knutsoa said.

Knutsoa feels that there is no real point to her gym class.

“It’s a complete waste of my time,” Knutsoa said.

The gym class creates an uncomfortable environment for Knutsoa.

“I don’t feel comfortable around the people in that class. I feel vulnerable,” Knutsoa said.

Knutsoa admits that her distaste of gym class stems from her own laziness.

“A lot of people hate gym class because they are all lazy like me,” Knutsoa said.

Knutsoa has no fear of gym affecting her health, and is unhappy about being required to take gym by law.

“It won’t change anything about our health even if we are required to take it,” Knutsoa said.

On the other hand, sophomore Cameron VanGundy looks forward to going to gym class.

“It can be fun,” VanGundy said.

VanGundy has a positive opinion on the physical education program.

“They really focus on the fitness aspect of gym,” VanGundy said.

VanGundy feels students can be productive with gym class but it depends on the person.

“One half of the school cares and really likes gym and there is another half that just doesn’t care,” VanGundy said.

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Virginity pledges are commitments made by youth to refrain from sexual intercourse until marriage. They have become more prevalent in today’s society, with famous celebrities such as the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus openly displaying their purity rings.

Purity rings are usually worn on the left hand with the implication that the wearer will remain abstinent until it is replaced with a wedding ring. Junior Sarah Bradley currently wears a purity ring that has the words “True Love Waits” engraved on it.

“I have a purity ring but it doesn’t mean that I have to keep it, but I’m choosing to. I got it two years ago,” Bradley said.

There are even formal events called purity balls for fathers and their daughters, which promotes virginity until marriage for teenage girls, and are often associated with Christian churches, particularly fundamentalist churches. Two prominent virginity pledge programs are True Love Waits and the Silver Ring Thing, which have used religion to promote the pledge.

However recent studies have shown that virginity pledges may be ineffective. Harvard public health researcher Janet Rosenbaum made a report that teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence and are significantly less likely to use condoms and other forms of birth control when they do engage in sexual intercourse.

Junior Cory Wenger blames this statistic on teenagers’ inexperience with love.

“I think it is because teenagers are gullible and fall in ‘love’ with “the ‘one.’ Maybe they just don’t know what they are doing,” Wenger said.

This stirs controversy over whether abstinence-only sex education should be the only type of sex education for pledgers. Senior Joe Peppers believes that all teenagers should be given sexual education on all forms of safer sex.

“I think it’s kind of good to let people know, even if you’re not gonna do it, because most people will do it sometime,” Peppers said.

Virginity pledges can prove controversial in terms of how effective they are. Bradley said that it just depends on the individual.

“If you really want to be a virgin until you fall in love, it’s effective, but it really just depends on the person,” Bradley said.

Wenger personally does not believe in virginity pledges due to societal reasons.

“Personally, I don’t believe in them because it seems pretty unrealistic considering the society we live in. Every song, movie, TV show and whatever has sex in it, and if people grow up around that, then that’s what they will know,” Wenger said.

Another aspect to point out are gay and lesbian couples. Since they do not have legal rights to marry in most cases, it is difficult to swear to abstaining from sex until marriage.

Rather than taking a virginity pledge as doing it as part of a program or from a parents’ influence, it might depend on the individual’s commitment that judges the effectiveness of the pledge. Peppers has his own views on the role a parent should have in their child’s decision.

“I think that parents, no matter what they try to do, can’t control their kids and should just teach their kids how to prevent diseases and support their children the best that they can,” Peppers said.

On the other hand, data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, shows that the behavior of adolescents who have made a vir­ginity pledge is significantly different from that of peers who have not made a pledge. For instance, positive behavioral outcomes and lowered teenage pregnancy rates are benefits that result from virginity pledges.

“I think if the person has the will, then they won’t break it,” Wenger said.

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Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a disorder characterized by the hormonal changes that trigger unpleasant symptoms up to two weeks prior to menstruation. According to www.usdoctor.com, more than 5 million women require medical treatment for marked mood and behavioral changes.

According to www.nytimes.com, the American Psychiatric Association is revisiting whether a severe form of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) should be added as an official mental illness diagnosis.

If this occurs, there could be further complications regarding societal discrimination toward women, but it could also be a benefit toward women who actually do suffer from PMDD.

Junior Elizabeth Etter describes her experiences regarding the fluctuation of feelings regarding PMS.

“I get pissed. I get really mad. It’s kind of up and down. Sometimes I’m mad, and then sometimes I’m really happy, and I don’t ever want to do anything but eat cookie dough,” Etter said.

Women who claim they have PMS often experience gender discrimination for using PMS as an excuse for any abnormal behavior. Nurse Jeanne Mark believes that it just depends on the person or situation.

“Everyone has different pain tolerance. For instance, I thought childbirth was a breeze. I think it just depends on pain tolerance. It’s very subjective,” Mark said.

Senior James Smith has a slightly different opinion on the subject.

 ”I’m pretty sure every girl uses it as an excuse,” Smith said.

 In terms of romantic relationships, it may appear that a female will use PMS as an excuse for her crabby behavior and ill treatment toward her partner. Smith said he chooses his words to his girlfriend, senior Lana Pham carefully.

 ”I try not to say the wrong thing because it is like walking through a minefield. I try to keep her happy,” Smith said.

Etter said that her boyfriend does not mind her when she is on PMS.

“He does not really get into it, although I get really pissed when I am on PMS,” Etter said.

Some medical professionals have labeled PMS simply as a socially constructed disorder. Women’s health activists have argued that having a diagnosis of PMDD would stigmatize many women by wrongly labeling them mentally ill, and would make them more vulnerable to discrimination in the workplace or child custody battles.

“I think in the workplace, it probably is used against them. Also, like being a caregiver for children, and when the children get sick, we have to take off work and that can be used against us,” Mark said.

Some feminists argue that the symptoms that are associated with PMS are often in conflict with the way a woman “should” behave, which can be used to enforce gender stereotypes. Some feminists also argue that PMS demeans or pathologizes the female reproductive system.

 ”It would be a huge disadvantage and women would be discriminated even more,” Etter said.

If the diagnosis of PMDD is made official, it would help validate the experiences of women who do have PMDD. Health insurers would be more likely to cover treatments for it, and it could allow for increased development and research of new drug therapies.

 ”PMS is very real. Probably some people have it more real than others. It’s more of a mental disorder than physical,” Mark said.

Some researchers and professionals claim that more scientific research needs to be made in order to garner scientific proof. Even if the biological aspects are sufficient enough to label PMDD as an actual mental disorder, the societal and political factors will still be existing issues.

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Junior Carolyn Thorn has been a vegetarian for over a year. Thorn recalls the first time she stopped eating meat.

“I’d been thinking about going veggie for a while, eventually I didn’t like the taste of meat anymore,” Thorn said.

Thorn said that changing her eating habits wasn’t easy at first.

“The first time I tried I got sick, but my second try was easy,” Thorn said.

Thorn didn’t let her eating habits get in the way of her social life.

“None of my friends cared about my choice, some actually thought it was cool,” Thorn said.

Thorn has found many alternates to eating meat.

“I eat veggie burgers, and lots of fruits and vegetables,” Thorn said.

According to primusweb.com, there are many different types of vegetarians including vegans, lacto-vegetarians, and lacto-ova vegetarians. primusweb.com states that there are many common pros to becoming a vegetarian. Health affects vary, but usually have a good impact on anyone’s health including lower saturated fat levels, cholesterol, and animal protein.

Thorn believes that being a vegetarian makes you much healthier, by paying more attention to what foods they buy.

“It’s much healthier and makes you watch what you eat,” Thorn said.

Thorn’s parents weren’t originally for Carolyn’s idea. “My parents weren’t happy, but they didn’t stop me. They told me it’s my body and my choice,” Thorn said.

Sophomore Aaron Homard has dealt with two vegetarians throughout his 15 years. While Homard’s friend has turned to vegetarianism, his sister has also been a vegan all of her life. “It was weird, when she lived here you’d go to the freezer and find weird foods, like Boca burgers,” Homard said.

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Drug culture in the United States is changing day to day. Drugs are a part of popular culture today.

Back in the 1960’s and 70’s, drugs like marijuana and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were a few of the most popular drugs during this time. They were also a part of major controversy due to their legal status.

“I think it’s become a pretty big problem,” history teacher Jason Danielson said.

Danielson also feels that while it is a big problem, he doesn’t feel that it’s a new problem.

Drugs have been the center of controversy ever since the early 1900’s, but it wasn’t until the 1960’s that they became a part of popular culture.

Back in the 1960’s, marijuana and LSD were some of the major drugs that were used in the American drug culture. Peyote, mescaline, and psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) were also popular at the time. Psychedelic groups like the Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, and Jefferson Airplane helped pioneer psychedelic music and psychedelic drug use. One of the major psychedelic drug activists and a major part of the drug culture was Timothy Leary. Leary first experimented with psychedelics while on a trip to Mexico.

As the 60’s came to a close, and the 70’s came, marijuana usage increased. The powerful drug heroin also came into the picture. Heroin is one of three drugs that is derived from the poppy plant. The other two are morphine and opium. While opium and heroin are illegal, morphine is legal, to some extent.

 As the 1980’s came, so did new, harder drugs. Cocaine became a major drug used in the eighties drug culture. The eighties also had the “drug wars” and the cocaine trade, as depicted in movies like “Blow,” “Scarface” and documentaries like “Cocaine Cowboys.” In the late 1980’s, people started to use a smokeable form of cocaine, crack cocaine. Crack cocaine started what would soon be known as the “crack epidemic”.

Methamphetamine became a major drug used in the drug culture during the nineties.  The 90’s also had musical groups that would influence the drug culture forever.

In the early 90’s, rap group Cypress Hill had hits like “I Wanna Get High” and “Hits From The Bong”, songs that talked about and promoted marijuana usage. Rap/rock group Kottonmouth Kings also had songs that talked about and promoted the use of marijuana.

In modern days, people grow marijuana on their own. People also lace drugs more often today, compared to back in the day. People who grow marijuana also have the ability to control the amount of THC, something people couldn’t do back in the 60’s and 70’s.

“It seems that, although recreationally, it seems more prevalent,” Danielson said. “I think you see more acceptance (today).”

Senior Jaime Sandoval also feels that drugs have changed since they became popular.

“There’s original drugs, but they’ve evolved,” Sandoval said. “(Drugs today are) more controlled, people aren’t trying crazy stuff.”

Sandoval also feels that it is more prevalent.

“It’s easier to distribute,” Sandoval said. “More people accept it.”

History teacher Phil Carlson has a more in-depth view on the drug culture.

“Many of the drugs are more potent (today),” Carlson said. “Marijuana is more potent now. (It’s) stronger, (there’s) more medicinal value.”

Carlson also said that the drug culture today is about business, compared to back in the day, when it was just a recreational thing for people.

“Drugs probably aren’t as safe today as they were,” Carlson said. “(There are) more overdoses today.”

Studies have shown that mixing drugs with other drugs can be deadly. Even though the consequences may be deadly, people still mix drugs. People have been mixing drugs since the 60’s.

“Using drugs was like giving the finger to the establishment,” Carlson said.

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While all students deal with the struggles of teenage life, some students are forced to deal with the struggles of teenage life with a mental disorder. Through programs like Best Buddies, students are in an environment which encourages acceptance of their peers with learning and social disabilities such as Asperger’s disorder.

Unlike mental disorders, Asperger’s affects a person’s ability to interact socially. According to www.aspergers.com, Asperger’s disorder stems from autism and is diagnosed when a person shows signs of social isolation and eccentric behavior. Also, people who have Asperger’s generally tend to have repetitive patterns and focus on specific, usually abnormal, topics of interest.

Special education teacher Jacque Fletcher specializes with students who suffer from Asperger’s and autism disorders which are forms of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Fletcher said she sees the affects of Asperger’s in her students everyday.

“The students have on subject that they really like and they have a hard time getting off that subject,” Fletcher said. “There is often times an absence of facial expressions. These things go on the older they get, and they have really depleted organizational skills.”

As a teacher Fletcher said she does what she can to help her students who have Asperger’s with their education, and the special education program creates structured learning classrooms to help focus in on their struggles.

“We act as tutors trying to help them succeed. The class helps them with their organization,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher believes that each one of her students is unique and Asperger’s disorder does not affect them all the same way. She said it is important for her to view her interaction with them through that mindset.

“Everyone in the classroom is different. It depends on where they are on the spectrum. I have a whole range of students. It’s their social interaction issues that group them together,” Fletcher said. “There are all different levels of IQ just like there are all different kinds of people.”

From her experience with Asperger’s, Fletcher said the symptoms of the disorder can be recognized and diagnosed at an early age.

“Lots of times parents will notice symptoms right away. Generally what people notice right away, even at infancy, is there is no eye contact and poor non-verbal expressions. Also, babies will do the same things over and over again,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher notices her students have a hard time joining into conversation and usually focus on random topics. She said they struggle the most in high school with social interaction so it helps to expose them to the idea of friendship.

“I talk to these kids like they are my friends; I always refer to them as each others friend. I rally emphasize taking small steps,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher said observing the way students with Asperger’s disorder are treated by students who don’t have disabilities makes her proud but believes improvements can always be made.

“I think this school is particularly wonderful at accepting people who are different. I think if things were perfect kids would take them (disabled students) into their group of friends and shelter them in that group,” Fletcher said. “Students really have to take the initiative to make contact.”

Though Fletcher admits her job comes with its challenges, she feels the joys outweigh the difficulties. She said she enjoys the feeling of accomplishment that comes with helping others.

“I enjoy working at Hoover,” Fletcher said. “It’s very fulfilling to work with the kids who have Asperger’s and autism.”

Freshman Melissa Hollister is spending her first year of high school as a member of Best Buddies. She said she wanted to join because she liked the concept of doing some good and having some fun at the same time.

“You get to help people and I knew I would meet a lot of people in that club,” Hollister said.

Hollister said she feels that she takes as much from the experience of being in Best Buddies as the students who the activities are centered around. She thinks volunteering with disabled students, some of whom suffer from the affects of Asperger’s, is beneficial for everyone involved.

“I think it helps me fit in with all different types of groups of people,” Hollister said. “It makes me feel better as a person.”

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Several studies have found that drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can raise blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Alcohol can make people aggressive and violent. Because it reduces inhibitions, drinking alcohol can make someone act in a way that would embarrass him or her under normal circumstances. It can also make people do dangerous things.

Drinking too much, or binge drinking, can cause alcohol poisoning, which can lead to coma and death. Alcohol use increases the risks of liver damage, mouth, throat, esophagus and larynx cancer and heart disease. While there are bad effects of alcohol, there are also some good effects of alcohol.

Researchers have long known that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol appear to be less likely to develop heart disease.

“To me, alcohol isn’t anything serious,” senior Zack Colbert said.”I feel that as long as you use it responsibly, it’s fine.”

While Colbert generally thinks that alcohol is fine, he also has other views on the subject.

“Well, alcohol tends to make you tipsy, and being drunk happens to make you make bad decisions like drink and drive, or do something you’ll regret later,” Colbert said.

Store owner Bill Diaz has similar views.

“If it’s abused, it’s bad for the person,” Diaz said. “(It’s) bad for the person’s physical health (and) mental health.” Diaz also mentioned that “it’s a bad situation for friends and family.”

“(Alcohol) deteriorates your liver,” Diaz said. “It takes a toll on family and friends.”

Like Colbert, Diaz doesn’t think alcohol is all bad.

“The FDA and Medical Journal said that a glass of wine a day is good for your body,” Diaz said.

“Alcohol wasn’t made to cause grief,” Colbert said. “It was made to be used in celebrations and times of great joy.”

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Restaurants were swiped clean of hazy air July 1 by the Smoke Free Air Act, leaving both workers and customers protected from second hand smoke. A little over two months later, customers, workers and smokers are continuing to adjust to the statewide change.

Junior Jason Reichenbacher has been working at Michael’s for two years. Although the ban has not affected him personally, he said that it’s affected the restaurant.   

“I know in the restaurant that the business has slowed down a bit,” Reichenbacher said, “My boss isn’t too happy about it.”

Reichenbacher’s boss isn’t the only one unhappy about the change. A group of bar owners called Coalition Iowa filed a lawsuit to overturn the ban and lost. Reichenbacher shares some of their views.

“I don’t think the government should be allowed to control whether or not you’re allowed to smoke in a restaurant,” Reichenbacher said. 

Others who work at restaurants, like junior Drew Davis, agree with the ban. But he can also understand how smokers would feel. 

“I’d feel kind of upset, but when you’re endangering others with your smoke, tough break,” Davis said.

Davis’s beliefs were shared by an alliance of health, medical and consumer groups who pushed Iowa to join 29 other states that already had the ban. They believed that the ban would save lives and improve public health.

According to the Des Moines Register, Gov. Chet Culver said in April that the new law builds on the $1 cigarette tax increase from last year. Culver also went on to say that since last year, calls to Quitline Iowa have increased by 500 percent.

But Reichenbacher doesn’t necessarily believe the ban will help smokers quit. The only change he thinks the ban has brought on is that it’s forced smokers to adapt.

“I know a lot of (smokers) aren’t going to that many bars or restaurants anymore,” Reichenbacher said.

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