This time of year gets crazy. I think the whole true meaning of Christmas has been forgotten. This Black Friday was even more crazy than in the past. People were killed! It’s disgusting that for the greed of a deal on a gift, a Wal Mart employee lost his life.  Considering our economic issues, it is risky to be spending so much money. Christmas isn’t about presents, but it sure seems so. Before Thanksgiving, Christmas commercials about sales are playing. Christmas has become a commercial holiday. The true meaning of Christmas may be different for everyone, but now it seems that the true appeal is the sales rather than the actual meaning of this wonderful holiday.  During these times of economic crisis, celebrate what you have rather than what you could have. Happy Holidays.

— Kristen Parece, Editor

Giving

By Anna Sylvia>

This is the time of year when crowds bustle to the malls and shopping centers to buy gifts for family and friends. It can be a stressful time for many, especially parents who are trying to make sure that the little ones will be satisfied on Christmas morning. I often stop and think about those less fortunate people who have never had the opportunity to enjoy the holiday as we do. My family and I have made it a point to give in some way to a total stranger each Christmas season. Some years we each bought a small gift during our holiday shopping and placed it in the box outside the shopping mall. Once we gathered up food supplies that would provide a family with a perfect holiday meal just like we would have ourselves and delivered it to the food pantry. One year at church, there was a Christmas tree filled with slips of paper requesting gifts for a child in need. We took a slip home with us and our family had fun buying not only what was on the list, but we also added one special surprise gift from each of us.   When Christmas morning came we couldn’t help but smile as we envisioned the surprise on the child’s face as the gifts were unwrapped. There is no better feeling than knowing you have made someone’s holiday a little brighter. Most people think that only a large donation or offering can make a difference, but I know better. I know that a girl like myself is using the pack of hair elastics I left inside the donation box outside Wal Mart. I hope that the pack of socks I left the year before is keeping someone’s feet warm during the cold months of winter. The yummy meal we helped provide made a family smile. No matter how small your gift, or what way you choose to give, the most important thing is that you gave from your heart. This year as you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday remember that by giving, you and the person who gets your gift will be smiling together on Christmas morning.

Witnessing History

By Grant Meacham>

Barack Obama is President-elect and is going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20. I am going to be there. Obama has been through a lot of rumor, racism and put-downs, but he came out on top. He has had to deal with cruel things that were said about him. He’s even had to deal with stories about how he wasn’t even a citizen. He had to face tough opponents like Hillary Clinton, the former First Lady, and John McCain, a war hero, who I thought used dirty politics during the presidential campaign. Obama fought his way through without using any dirty politics. My family and I love Obama and we are so happy that he has won, and we believe that he is the best choice for president. He will definitely help us out!

Global Economy Crashes

By Olive Cameron>

The declining economy of the United States has been on everyone’s mind recently. It is one of the important issues that helped Barack Obama win the election. People are losing their jobs, the stock market is crashing and the value of the dollar has decreased. Many people think that the U.S. should focus on itself and try to get out of this economic crisis. While I think it is important for us to fix our own economic problems first, it is important to remember that this crash is a global one. The World Bank has predicted that the world’s economic growth will slow down drastically this year from 2.5 per cent to 0.9 per cent. This crisis will affect emerging countries very much, even those with huge fast-growing economies like India and China. Everywhere, people will lose their jobs and there will have to be large cutbacks. So while we should definitely focus on stabilizing our own economy first, we should keep in mind that to fix the problem, we have to work on a global scale.

New Lunch System

By T.J. Van Gerven>

As a student at the high school, I want to talk about the new lunch system that will go into effect in the next couple of days. I think that the new system will have some benefits, but also some disadvantages. I think the new system, which involves scanning your school ID or typing in a special number to pay for your lunch with money which you have prepaid onto your account, will make things easier and quicker. You can also pay with money if you are in a jam. A problem with the system is if you want to use the vending machines, how are you able to access money from your account? Another problem is if you don’t have enough money, you are not able to pay for lunch. I think it will make buying lunch more effective and quick but there are some bugs in the system.

Terror in India

By Tova Katzman>

Many of us have now heard of the terrorist attacks in India. It has been called India’s 9/11, but we don’t know very much about it. The suspicion is that the attacks have something to do with Pakistan, but no one really knows for sure. The orthodox Jewish organization in south Mumbai was an example of one of the scenes of the crime. It was the first attack on Jews in India in centuries.

Many people were killed in Mumbai including the parents of two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg. The young boy was calling his nanny’s name to come rescue him as he stood next to his unconscious mother and father. The nanny, Sandra, risked her life to save the boy. They ran out of the building with one other survivor, the only three to escape death in that building. It was a very courageous thing for her to do.

You Haven’t Met My Dad

By Vinnie Degregorio>

Lately, school has been really tough. All the pop quizzes seem to come more rapidly now and with midterms coming up things just get even more stressful. The homework is already hard enough, but the quizzes expect you to know every little thing in the book. The projects are too long and have too much of an impact on your grade. I hate the fact that there is so much to do and you sometimes don’t get reminders. I think sometimes I need a break and want to call in sick, but no, my mom would never let me do that. Instead I have to go to the most stressful thing in my life. I really hate school. I get really stressed, that’s all. It’s hard to deal with stress especially when you have the worst chores on the planet (you have not met my dad).

Football Magic

By Chris Costello>

Recently, our varsity football team made it to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, we suffered a loss against Amesbury. The score was 40 to 19. Even though we lost, our varsity still finished with an excellent record of 11 and 2. We were Mayflower League champions and we won the Island Cup. Even though we didn’t win the Super Bowl, all the players, coaches and the whole Island should be proud of this team. They have had the best season in quite a long time. Mike McCarthy, Matt Costello, Cody Brewer and Nick Gross, the four captains of the team, were particularly effective as they, combined, led the team with yards in touchdowns. Also players like Erik Dolliver, Fin Kaeka, Lamar Moreis and numerous other players did great defensively. I wish every one of them luck with future sports and college.