BY LIBBY STALLBAUMER
FINALS SURVIVAL GUIDE Finals week is generally a pretty stressful time. It’s packed full of late night cram sessions, early mornings, and possibly even a few breakdowns here and there. Sometimes, after a long night of studying, you might wake up late and end up having to snatch a piece of cold pizza on your way out the door. Your stomach begins to rumble right before your biggest final of the day. Instead of focusing on the quadratic formula, all you can think about is lunch. You spend more time subtracting the numbers on the clock than cruncing the numbers right in front of you. In order to avoid these problems, here is a survival guide for finals week!
LATE NIGHTS STUDYING Eat: Dark chocolate Foods rich in protein (cheese, sandwiches with peanut butter or meat)
Dark chocolate contains relatively high levels of caffeine, which will give you the chocolate fix while keeping you awake. Eating a bunch of sugary foods will give you a sugar high and, eventually, a sugar low. Protein-rich foods will be better for long term energy
Drink: Glasses of ice cold water often Caffeinated drinks (coffee, energy drinks, etc.)
Every 30 minutes, try to drink a glass of ice cold water. You will get woken up by the cold, and you will have to go to the bathroom often, which will keep you up and moving. Caffeinated drinks aren’t the best for your health, but they sure do their job of keeping you awake and energized.
Other: Put ice cubes on your eyes Go for a walk
There is an odd method to keep awake: whenever you are feeling sleepy, close your eyes and put ice cubes on your lids. It’ll be sure to give you the energy you need. Going for a five-minute walk around your house will allow you to get your blood flowing throughout your body and will help wake you up and keep you focused.
THE MORNING OF
DURING THE DAY
Eat: Eggs with toast Oatmeal with berries
Eggs and toast are both filling and great for feeding your brain. Eggs are also said to improve focus. Oatmeal will help to keep both your body and brain energized throughout the day. Using soy or skim milk in place of water will add some extra protein to wake you up.
Eat: Citrus fruits Almonds
Citrus fruits are great for keeping your mind sharp, so keep a couple cuties in your locker and munch on them during passing period. Almonds are also a quick and easy brain food. Bring a small bag of them to eat whenever you have time.
Drink: Water Milk Orange juice
One of water’s many benefits is that it improves both your memory and your focus. This can be extra useful on test day! Both milk and orange juice are said to improve your brain’s function.
Drink: Water
Water is fantastic for your body and brain. If you have cold water, it will help to keep you alert.
Other: Wake up early Quick study
Waking up early will allow you to make sure that you have everything ready so that you’re not rushing around and leaving your house stressed. Give your notes a quick lookover during your breakfast to refresh your mind and prepare you for your tests.
Other: Relax
Take some time before each test for yourself. Allow yourself to relax and calm down. Try to not stress too much.
STRESS MANAGEMENT BY ERIN MCGOWAN
OVERVIEW OF BYFINALS ADAM CROUSE On the list of texts and exams that people hate, finals are most definitely within the top three. Finals are the arch nemesis of most high school and college students, with each year seemingly worse than the last. Of course, some classes are worse than the others. Amongst most juniors and seniors, the physics final is the one that worries them most. It’s agreed upon that that final will be hard; most of the exam will consist of projectile motion problems. It’s given that the velocity is this, and the distance to the apex is that, so what is the range? The problems get harder and harder as one goes through the three types of projectiles. Some sophomores suggest that the Algebra II final (specifically honors) will be their worst. Some juniors would agree that that was the worst in their previous year. Many qualities of a test can make it diffi-
cult to take. For example, longer tests can be harder to take simply because a person begins to wear down from the constant work. Another factor that makes tests harder is how specific the answer are. It’s usually easy to answer a question on the theme of a book, but it’s harder to give specific quotes that back up that logic. Studying can make or break a test grade as well. Some people don’t need to study at all to ace a test, while others have to bend over backwards just to pull out a decent grade. Either way, studying is a valuable tool that too many people pass up on. Requirements and restrictions can also make a test harder. For example, we all know those history essays where it must be discussed what the significance of a historical event. It’s something you could explain in three paragraphs, but the teacher asks for seven paragraphs. It’s harder to come up with four different
ways to say the exact same thing in different ways than it is to just say it once. On the contrary, science essays might ask for the specifics and nothing more. They require no fluff, no extra info, and no restatements, and instead suggest that the writer just gets to the point and gets it over with. No matter what grade a student is in, they can always count on one final that scares them. Be it geometry or algebra, physics or anatomy, history or English, everyone has a weak point. However, just like a body can be strengthened through exercise, a mind can be strengthened as well. It’s called studying. So it’s time to urge everyone to sit down and take just a few minutes at a time to study for their finals. It could make or break your grade. So put this down (once you’re done reading, of course) and crack open that book. There’s some learning to be done.
TEST TAKING TIPS BY COLIN COON
As finals slowly go by, and people start to lose their heads because of all of the tests that they have to take, it is important to remember that there are ways to improve how you take your tests. Many tactics are probably already used by most students, but some aren’t generally thought about. First of all, there are the basic preparations. Even before school, it’s a good idea to get sleep, eat a good breakfast, and to refresh the material before walking into the test. You should also go to the restroom, have sharpened pencils with good erasers, and to make sure that you have all of your oth-
er required materials, such as a calculator. There are also many things that may make the actual test easier. Using the process of elimination is a very useful tactic. It limits the avaiable answers, and sometimes even just reveals the answer. Many people also get nervous when people get up and turn in the test before them. It’s helpful to just focus on the test. When starting the test, you should always read instructions very carefully. After doing this, read through the test, doing the easiest questions first to raise your confidence, making you be able to do the harder
questions easier. If you do get stumped, you may need a break, so close your eyes for a minute or two. If you still can’t finish the question, try for a couple minutes, and move on. Finally, after finishing the test, look through it a couple more times. This is to make sure that you answered all the questions, and also that you gave the answer that you wanted to. This will also force you to make sure that you wrote your answers legibly, so that whoever grades your paper will be able to tell what you meant. With these test-taking tips, you’ll be sure to ace your finals!
BY EMMA HALL
WINTER BREAK TRADITIONS BY CALDER HOLLOND On December 19, winter break will officially start for students of BLHS. Free from the pressure of finals, grades, and school, we have over two weeks to do whatever we’d like, from sleeping in until noon to watching entire seasons of Netflix shows in one afternoon. With so much free time, everyone spends their winter holidays differently. Each student has different plans for their break and different family traditions that they do for the holidays. Some students don’t plan on staying in Basehor for the break. Junior Erin McGowan is going to visit family in another state. “On Christmas, we open presents and then drive up to South Dakota to my grandma’s house,” she said of her usual Christmas tradition.
Junior Claire Walsh will also be going out of state for her holidays. “On Christmas Eve, we get all dressed up and eat seafood with my cousins,” she said. “On Christmas Day, we open presents in the morning, and then we drive to Omaha. We eat food and play a really intense game of Catchphrase that ruins relationships.” Like Walsh, many other students’ families have both a Christmas Eve celebration and a Christmas celebration. “On Christmas Eve, I go to my grandma’s house,” junior Emilie Crutchfield said. “We eat ham, casseroles, and baked goods, and we exchange presents.” There are many other traditions that students have. “My grandma buys my cousins and I matching pajamas,” senior Chandley Easley said, “and we wear them to open
presents.” “My sister and I get new ornaments,” said senior Claudia Jacobs. Jacobs isn’t the only one with an ornament tradition. “Every Thanksgiving, my grandma will get me a new ornament,” senior Amber Gaffney said. “My favorite part of Christmas is getting to hang it on the tree.” This year her ornament was especially meaningful. Since she will be attending college in South Carolina, her grandma got her an ornament with sand and shells. “I almost cried,” Gaffney said. With so much free time and so many different holiday traditions, it seems that students will all be spending their winter breaks in many different ways. One thing’s for sure, though – winter break will provide a much-needed vacation with ample time to destress from finals.
FUNNY CHRISTMAS STORIES BY ADAM LANG
DARREN RICHARDSON
“My family once got into a giant gift wrap throwing fight, and my grandma got hit in the face.”
KYLA SHERLEY
“I was once trying to pick up a present from under the tree, and I tripped and knocked over the entire tree.”
COLTON LENNARD “A stingray once stung me on the foot during the holiday season.”
COACH D
“I would always tear apart the entire house while I was looking for my Christmas presents and I got SO excited when I found one!”
JACOB MARKOVICH “My uncles got in a fistfight once and knocked down the tree.”
HANUKKAH BY ASHLEY HICKLIN
As the weather gets cooler and the days grow shorter, most of us can feel the anticipation of the approach of what many consider to be their favorite holiday: Christmas. Most of us today don’t celebrate the religious connection of Christmas, but merely observe it as a celebration of family and joy rather than of Biblical significance. Christmas has become an all-consuming holiday: we see the decorations in malls, we hear the carols on the radio, and we see the never ending lineup of movies on Lifetime, making it easy to forget that it’s not the only holiday of the season. In fact, nearly 6.5 million Americans do not even celebrate Christmas. Instead, they observe a holiday nearly 2,000 years older: Hanukkah. What is Hanukkah (Chanukah)? Hanukkah is an eight day “festival of light” that begins on on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev. The holiday celebrates a great Jewish military victory and a miraculous supply of oil to the temple. The word hanukkah itself means “rededication.” Hanukkah commemorates the great victory of the Maccabees (the leaders of a Jewish rebel army) over the Greek/Syrian forces of King Antiochus, who sought to impose paganism over the Jewish people in the year 165 B.C.E. The Greeks/Syrians placed a statue of Zeus in the Temple, forced Jews to eat non-kosher foods, and banned many other Jewish traditions. Most Jews even complied with the new regime for quite sometime. Then, a group of rebels began to form, claiming they’d had enough of Antiochus’s authority.
By the 25th of Kislev (which typically falls under the month of December on the Gregorian calendar) the Jews regained their control over the Temple and rededicated it to the Jewish faith. The reason Hanukkah expands over a period of eight days is another story. After the Jews rededicated the Temple, they had to relight the “eternal flame.” Inside the Temple there had been a flame that stayed perpetually lit, a symbol of how God is unceasingly with us. However, the pagans had either used up all the oil in sacrifices to their gods, or had tainted it by touch, leaving them with only a single remaining flask. A single flask only held enough oil to keep the flame lit for a single day. However they lit the flame anyway. That flame burned for not one, not two, but for eight continuous days. This is why Hanukkah lasts eight days. How is Hanukkah Celebrated? There are many symbolic things associated with Hanukkah, from the menorah and the dreidel to the foods and songs. The Menorah: The nine-branched menorah is only used on Hanukkah and differs from the seven branched menorah. On the nine branched menorah (called a “chanukiyyah” in Hebrew), eight of the branches represent the eight days for which the flame burned. The ninth, and typically middle, branch is used to light the others from left to right -- one each day. That branch is called the “shamash,” or guardian. Two blessings are recited every night of Hanukkah. The first is over the candles, and the second expresses thanks. A third blessing is recited only on the first night.
The Dreidel: The dreidel is a four-sided top, typically made of wood or plastic, used in a game of chance played by children. Each side is inscribed with a Hebrew letter: nun, gimmel, hay, and shin. Each player begins with an equal number of game pieces (typically pennies, chocolates, nuts, and the like are used for pieces), while the rest are placed in a pot or bowl. Every time you spin, depending on the outcome, you give or get pieces. If you roll a nun, you get nothing. If you roll a gimmel, you win everything in the pot. Rolling a hay lets you take half of the pot, but rolling a shin requires you to put one piece into the pot. The letters on each side represent the first letter of the Hebrew statement, “Neis gadol hayah sham,” meaning, “a great miracle happened there.” This refers to the defeat of the pagans at the Temple. The Food: On Hanukkah it is traditional to eat foods either fried in oil or made with cheese. Hanukkah is a very dairy-oriented, kosher holiday. Fried food recalls the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days, and the cheese tradition is based on the story of the apocryphal in the Book of Judith. Popular fried foods include latkes (a fried potato pancake often topped with applesauce or sour cream) and sufganiyot (a jelly filled donut). Hanukkah 2015 Hanukkah of 2015 began at sundown on Sunday, December 6, and lasted until Monday, December 14.
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES BY MORGAN BUCHHOLZ
CHRISTMAS MUSIC BY TRISTAN MCGEHEE
The newspaper staff, like many others, is already preparing for the holidays. These preparations all feature one common denominator: turning on their favorite Christmas songs. They have a wide variety of interests, from Trans-Siberian Orchestra to Ludacris. Newspaper advisor Kristen Loney said that her favorite song was “Mary’s Boy Child” by the group Boney M. The peppy and fun song has soul, and you can sing and dance to it, Loney elaborated. Of course, there are those who enjoy the classics. Take Calder Hollond, for example. The song that really puts her in the Christmas spirit is “Winter Wonderland.” Hollond says that the song reminds her of spending the holidays at her grandparents’ house.
Another fan of the classics is Emma Hall, who enjoys “O Holy Night.” Hall said, “It’s my favorite because something about it just gives me chills. I’m not entirely sure why, but it does.” There are many others who share this favorite Christmas genre, such as Morgan Buchholz (who enjoys “The War is Over”), Katie Fulkerson (who listens to “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”), and Sierra Bernard (whose favorite song is “Jingle Bells”). The Adams (Adam Crouse and Adam Lang) share a first name, but do not share Christmas music interests. Adam Crouse’s favorite is “Old Time Bar” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This song teaches a lesson about helping others who are in need, and has a slow, steady rhythm.
Adam Lang, however, goes for a Christmas classic - “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Lang says, “It’s so romantic and such a perfect song. Also, I keep waiting to sing it with a girl. It’s so great!” Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Mitchell Mikinski’s favorite is a rather special one: “Ludacrismas” by Ludacris. This is a most unusual pick, but still a Christmas song all the same. The artists are from all sorts of genres – even Pentatonix was on the list. Elizabeth Stallbaumer says that Pentatonix’s “That’s Christmas to Me” is “so pretty, and it just gives the Christmasy feeling every time I listen to it.” With the holiday season upon us, it’s time to turn up the Christmas tunes, whether your favorite Christmas song is rap, a cappella, or just a classic Christmas carol.
WINTER ATHLETES BY MITCHELL MIKINSKI Senior athletes Chandley Easley and Zoey De Leon are no strangers to the rigors of school sports. They’ve spent their last three winters hustling, diving and sprinting across the hardwood floors of Basehor-Linwood’s basketball courts in pursuit of one thing: victory. Their seasons of practice and performance showcase nothing if not dedication. But that dedication may strain other parts of their lives, parts which many might argue are more important than athletics. For all of the benefits and good times that sports like basketball bring about, one can’t help but wonder what those benefits are coming at the cost of. Every girls basketball practice usually lasts from about 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. They practice Monday through Friday, from Thanksgiving until mid-March. Some days the girls run more than others, some days they practice fundamentals, and some days they’re taught life lessons, but in the words of De Leon, every practice is “super exhausting.” This exhaustion becomes especially apparent due to basketball’s position in the school year. It straddles two semesters, meaning it goes on during the most stressful period of the academic calendar: the lead up to finals week. This period is insanely stressful, and puts extremely high pressure on students. Athletes say that
they’re more stressed out at this point than at any other point in the year. The time commitment is what makes it especially rough. Two and a half hours is a lot to dedicate to begin with, but add in multiple college credit courses, as is the case with Easley, and one can begin to see the costs of basketball on the student-athlete. De Leon expanded on this further, saying, “Practice gets out at 5:30 or 6:00, and by the time you’ve eaten and showered it’s 7:30.” That’s before homework.
Still, De Leon believes her packed schedule is helping her to some degree, even if it’s not ideal. “It’s all about time management, which I’m not good at anyway. This gives me the opportunity to learn it.” Despite the harsh realities of being winter sport athletes, both Easley and De Leon readily acknowledged that they truly enjoyed basketball. “There’s nothing better after taking a few finals than getting on the court and getting out your stress,” De Leon said with a smile.
Check out more at blhsnews.com! EXPRESS STAFF Editor-in-Chief: Mitchell Mikinski Managing Editor: Calder Hollond Reporters: Emma Hall, Ashley Hicklin, Adam Lang, Siera Bernard, Colin Coon, Katie Fulkerson, Adam Crouse, Libby Stallbaumer, Morgan Buchholz, Erin McGowan, Tristan McGehee Adviser: Kristen Loney Letters to the editor or inquiries about advertising in The Express can be sent to expressblhs@gmail.com.