Hello again to our readers. We have some interesting articles for you this week from our sophomores, but we have had to hustle due to MCAS. We just took the test that basically determines whether or not we graduate, so last week we were more worried about that than about our other school tasks. But as they say, the show must go on and we hope you enjoy reading our thoughts. We enjoy sharing them with you.

— Troy (85) Small, Editor

Spring Sports Begin

By Abbey Etner>

A few weeks ago, the spring sports started including girls and boys lacrosse, track and field, baseball, softball, tennis and sailing. This will be my third year, including youth, playing lacrosse. I used to be the goalie, but this year I’m playing in the field. Our first game is on April 4 away against New Bedford, both JV and varsity. This past Saturday the whole team went away to watch the BC game against UNC at Bentley College. It was a great game, triple overtime, BC won 5-4. Afterward we got to talk to some of the players and introduce ourselves. I am looking forward to more events and an exciting, fun season of lacrosse.

Obama or Clinton?

By Peter Persson>

Senator Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton in the Mississippi Democratic primary. Obama got 61 per cent of the vote while Clinton only had 37 per cent. The state has a large African American electorate, and Clinton did better among white voters. It seems that race and gender are important factors in this election. Obama is leading in the race for delegates and I hope he wins. I don’t think that race and gender should affect the democratic elections as much as it has. People should just vote for whoever they think can do the best job.

The Cost of the Presidency

By Taylor Smith>

With the results of the last primaries, the Presidential race has become more and more intense. John McCain has wrapped up the Republication nomination, but the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is heating up. As the race gets more interesting, I decided to take a look at what it takes to be a President, and the first thing I notice is money! Both Clinton and Obama have raised an amazing amount of money. They say anyone can run for President, but the average Joe just can’t come up with the millions of dollars it takes.

Interesting Times for Democratic Party

By Austin Gampfer>

Are things looking good for the Democratic Party for the next election? The two candidates running for the Democrats are an African American and a woman. I couldn’t help wondering if people of our country will act in a prejudiced way against both of these candidates. Hopefully, we’ll all look past the color of their skin and past the gender difference and look at what these candidates represent and how they will change politics in our country.

Litigious Frenzy

By Eric Fletcher>

I hate how in America there is so much suing for the most petty stuff along with how people are so paranoid about their religion. All the time in the news we hear about people suing each other over things that just don’t matter. Oh, your kid got reprimanded in school? Let’s sue the teacher for trying to control the kid’s behavior. This stuff happens all the time. Parents have no control over their kids and when a teacher steps in to put him in a time out, then the little angel was wrongly punished in their eyes. Personally, I am tired of hearing these things and having other countries laugh at us for it.

Another group of people who are aggravating in this country are the people who get into a frenzy when a school teaches evolution or the ones who bring earth loving to a whole new level. I am not saying that religion is bad or loving the earth is wrong. I am just saying keep your church stuff in church and don’t make other people have to believe in what you believe. That’s just not right. If you want to protect the earth, then protest if you want but don’t dump paint on people wearing fur coats. Yes, how they make the fur coats is wrong, but protest to the people who make the fur clothing not the people who wear it. Final word: believe in what you believe in, but don’t make others have to believe in it too. Live and let live.

On Island Versus Off Island

By BreAnne Russell>

It’s always funny to watch the reaction of teens from off Island when I tell them we don’t have any real chain restaurants or stores. They always ask questions like, “What do you do?” and “Where do you go after school?” I always laugh and say most of us play sports. I asked a bunch of people and roughly three out of five people were three-season athletes. The others play one or two sports and that leaves maybe one out of every five who does not play a sport but fills their free time with other activities like art or photography. On Martha’s Vineyard teens fight to keep themselves busy and do a good job of it. Living here, we develop better skills such as working, sports, and staying organized while maintaining a busy life. Most of my off-Island friends say they play one or two sports, but most of their friends don’t play any sports. This seems like a joke to me, almost as much as not having fast food seems like a joke to them.

The local hangout for teens is Mocha Mott’s, a healthy coffee shop with veggie wraps and such. In the end, when you consider it all, Island teens are at an advantage over off-Island teens.

Liars and Deceivers

By Vicki Segal>

I don’t know one person who has never lied once in their life. Somehow it has become a custom. People lie, politicians, friends, everybody — but why? So many people lie that it becomes something that is okay to do. Why lie? Liars are just deceiving the people and hiding from what is right. I’ve always heard “what’s better, the truth that brings tears or the lie that brings a smile?” I don’t see how that could ever be a question. Some lie to keep from causing someone pain, some lie to hide from their mistakes and some lie as an addiction. Whatever your reason, there’s no excuse to put a false idea in someone’s head. Trust is built through a process of faith and hope. Among everyone I have trusted, I still fear that they will let me down. I’ve seen so many lies that I feel like I can’t trust anyone. Once the trust is broken, what you’ve done to break it is not forgotten. A friendship isn’t a friendship without trust, a relationship isn’t a relationship without trust. People have to show that they can be trusted and you need trust to live in a world worth living in.

Cure for Cancer

By Haley Pierce>

It is already well known that the birth control pill’s main use is to prevent pregnancy, but some may not know that it also protects against ovarian cancer. Doctors have been aware of this extra protection for a while now. According to studies reported by Dr. Jeanne Calle, the birth control pill has been credited with protecting women from ovarian cancer for 20 to 30 years after they stop using it. Although there can be some serious side effects while taking the pill such as blood clots and a slight increase in the risk of breast cancer, these side effects stop as soon as the person stops taking the pill.

There have been some 45 studies done, according to NBC news, which involved over 100,000 women. If you are on the pill for five years then you have cut your chance of getting ovarian cancer in half, a drastic reduction. The pill has already prevented thousands of deaths and is predicted to save tens of thousands more.

Saving Gorillas

By Olivia Gros> s

It is rare to see such cooperation among different countries for one common cause. In this case, the cause is saving gorillas. The gorillas of Central Africa are one of the most endangered species. Cooperation among Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda has come about because the gorillas in question reside where the three countries meet. The purpose of the meetings is to improve security for the remaining apes in their mountains. There are 700 left in the world. The ape population has been greatly decreased by poaching. In 2004, more than half the world’s population of the species lived in the region surrounding these three countries. Tourists pay $500 each for a permit to track the apes, raising $5 million annually for the three countries, helping to keep the apes safe. I think it is extremely important that these countries are stepping forward to do something for these remaining apes and that they recognize how important a cause this really is.

Shifting the Grand Canyon

By Jesse Shayne>

A flood has been sweeping through the Grand Canyon. How could there be a flood in the desert, you might ask. The answer is because it’s a manmade flood. Federal officials have started a flood there for the third time in the past 10 years, hoping to restore the ecosystem. The flood will flow for three days from the Canyon Dam on the Arizona-Utah state line. The flooding begins Wednesday morning. The Canyon’s ecosystem was permanently changed after the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. The Colorado River downstream used to be warm and muddy, but now it is cold and clear. The shift caused by the dam caused the extinction of four species and pushed two others close to the edge. The government is hoping that this time they will finally shift the Grand Canyon back to the way it was.