the
PROWLER
prowler@othstoday.com
Writers on the prowl
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OTHStoday.com
Meet your student news team
@OTHSProwler
Staff and Policies Editors: Kaley Johnson Andrea Vernier
Staff Writers: Morgan McAteer Dan Burke Brittany Wood Sarah Bradley Sam Minich Gerian Summers
Layout Managers:
Connor Holzinger Dianiche Baxtron Megan Ivey Katealia Lilly Tristan Medina Josh Baron Alexa Druin Nikki Monroe Jarrett Lindsay
The O’Fallon Township High School newspaper, The Prowler, is part of the educational curriculum of O’Fallon District 203. Although the paper is a class activity, OTHS students may submit materials, such as stories, photography, graphics, or art, for publication consideration. Students should bring any submissions to Room 608. Submissions may be edited for content, length and grammar. If written, staff editorials will not be signed and will reflect the opinion of the majority of the staff members. Commentaries and columns, on the other hand, will be signed and reflect the individual writer’s views. Any person with an interest in the OTHS community is encouraged to submit letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. All signatures will be verified through a phone call or personal interview. Letters may be submitted to Room 608, mailed to OTHS Publications, 600 S. Smiley St., O’Fallon, IL 62269, or emailed to townsendj@othstoday.com. If excessive editing is needed, the letter will be returned to the author for approval. The Prowler reserves the right to edit any letter for grammatical errors, libelous content, or space limitations. The Prowler is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and the Illinois High School Press Association. Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service. The Prowler is distributed electronically and available for download.
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Hey, you! “You’re Perfect”
The back to school blues
A new year is upon us and many people | Dianiche Baxtron | dinichebaxtron@othstoday.com feel compelled to start over, or better themselves. Some have decided that in 2013 they will help others more and try to make a difference. We see those stories on the news all the time about that person who performs a genuine random act of kindness and somehow society takes notice and shares it with the rest of us -- showing that a seemingly small act really can brighten someone’s day. The notion is simple in both theory and practice: helping others feels good. Go ahead, admit it. We can have that positivity here at OTHS. Each student has the ability to make OTHS the best high school. The Prowler has a way to recognize these students in a small way. Starting in February, we will create a bulletin board comprised of Post-it notes that all say something that a student has done for someone else at school. We don’t mean loaning a pencil, we want to see students going out of their way to help someone else with no reward in anticipation. Let’s say you see someone hold the door open for an entire class to go into the library, you can write their name, date and what they did. Then drop the note off at a participating teacher’s class, or in Room 608 for The Prowler staff. You can report something you witnessed, or something nice that a person did for you. To make things interesting, why not have a competition with Milburn to see what campus can report the most kindness percentage-wise? In this competition, OTHS wins, you win, we win. A school is more than just a learning mill with classrooms, hallways adorned with jam-packed lockers, and the opportunity to be a positive agent of change is ever-present. So, in February, OTHS will be put to the test. Let’s make the school community proud and accomplish what we do best with any test put before us here at OTHS -- pass with flying colors!
2 0 Hot 1 Apps 3
Check out these new apps that have The Prowler staff raving.
Songza This app has other music streaming devices, such as Pandora, beaten.
The snow is | Kaley Johnson | kaleyjohnson@othstoday.com crackling under our feet as we trudge up the long sidewalk. The wind, blistering and cold, smacks us in our faces, pushing us backwards. The cozy winter days spent indoors with a cup of cocoa and man’s best friend, DVR, are over. Once again, break has ended, and we are forced out of our warm beds and back into the cold, cruel world of high school.
mester, right? And summer is only a few short months away. Thank goodness. Keep your heads up, children, we’ll get through this hardship together.
If you’ve found yourself thinking similarly, dramatic imagery and all, you might be suffering from the Back to School Blues. This common affliction is often associated with the general feeling of sadness upon returning to OTHS after Winter Break. This moodiness can be attributed to being forced to be productive again, the freaking freezing cold weather, or just the general depressing aura of the time period. We all have our individual reasons why we may have been a little sad at returning to OTHS, no matter how fabulous it is. These are a few of my reasons, and hopefully you’ll find among them your own personal stigma for returning from break. Overall, I think we can all agree that even though OTHS may be the best school EVER, it may not exactly make us super happy all the time, especially after being on a glorious break for a few weeks. It’s important to remember, however, that it could be worse. We could still be in first se-
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Desensitize
Gun violence changes law | Jarrett Lindsay | jarrettlindsay@othstoday.com
On December 11, a federal appellate court ruled that Illinois, the only state in the Union that bans the concealed carry of firearms, must now pass a law that regulates and allows it. This change will come within 180 days, and will most likely remain consistent with the Second Amendment and current public safety regulations. However, the recent Aurora, Colorado, and Newtown, Connecticut, shootings are bringing new gun control issues to light. As a result, the new law seems all the mo`re inappropriate.
shouldn’t have to wonder whether or not today could be our last day. Instead of giving weapons to untrained civilians though, a better, safer solution would involve trained security for our students. At O’Fallon, we have an armed police officer on the campus at all times. These are people who possess weapons after going through training and experience on the force, instead of an identification card that took little to no effort to get.
Besides, the community (and the nation) only has to look as far Perhaps, instead of arming civilians with deadly weapons, we as East St. Louis. It’s in one of the highest crime rate areas in should look toward the examples set by other first world coun- the country, but there’s never been a mass shooting there. Not tries. The United Kingdom has very strict gun laws; civilians because teachers pack a firearm, but because they have metal are not permitted to own firearms of any kind. detectors, security at the door, and teachers and administrators alike aren’t afraid to search a student’s bag. OTHS is not Comparatively, the United States has very lenient gun laws. We any different (minus the metal detectors) and I’d like to think also have a correspondingly higher crime rate that coincides (and thank) the faculty, support staff, police, security, and adwith our leniency, and a new mass shooting seems to pop up ministrators who keep us safe each day here. every other month. At the end of the day, gun control will be a hot-button issue in Of course, the idea is that giving the everyday citizen a weap- the United States as long as we cling to the false sense of seon will help put these mass shooters to a stop. But both Colo- curity they provide. Until then, we as a country must deal with radoand Connecticut have allowed concealed carry for a long untrained, gun-toting civilians in all 50 states because after all, time, and in each case, the shooter was stopped by the police. it’s “our right”, isn’t it? In theory, it’s a nice idea. In practice, most people don’t actual- Photo Credit: MCT Campus ly carry weapons, and those that do often go through very little training or equivalency testing to ensure their skill. With the recent Connecticut shooting, this law has impact on kids and high schoolers as well. When we come to school, we
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ed society
ws, questions feelings of safety | Morgan McAteer On December 11, Illinois de- remain schools. | morganmcateer@othstoday.com cided to pass the Concealed
Carry Act, having up to 180 days to make the Act an actual law. During these 180 days, Illinois Congressmen can take the act and make any adjustments to it that they feel necessary. These adjustments can be to create limitations and restrictions to who may carry a weapon and the places they are allowed to carry weapons. Illinois lawmakers will continue to adjust the law until they feel it has the proper adjustments that the State is comfortable putting into legislation. Illinois has been a no-carry state up until the recent court case where Illinois decided to pass the Conceal and Carry Act. Illinois has been the only state in the country who has remained a no carry state after Wisconsin passed their conceal and carry law. This has created a very important and trying security and safety issue of sorts for the schools in Illinois. There has been talk about allowing teachers to have guns at school in case a shooting were to occur.
School shootings are becoming more common. These used to be very rare, but almost every year for the past 15 years there has been at least one shooting in the United States. It is not hard to see why this creates an uneasy environment. So, to a high school student, what does Conceal Carry mean? The Conservative right argues that with Illinois remaining a no-carry-state, it prevents its citizens from protecting themselves by carrying a firearm on their person. Recent arguments suggest that if nothing else comes from this legislative act, concealed carry could provide peace of mind for society to a degree. Overall, if Illinois actually decides to take the Conceal and Carry Act a law, it might help improve safety on many levels. But the questions still remain. Would schools have an advantage in the fight against violent crimes on campus? Does Conceal and Carry actually serve as a deterrent for violent crimes?
As the debate over gun control rages on, it is important Residents of Illinois should be able to carry a concealed to note that this is an issue that needs to be addressed. weapon due to the fact that a lot of people do already The radical advocates on both side of the debate will alhave guns and because shootings are becoming more ways hold strong opinions. In some social circles, these frequent. With an increase of shootings every year, Ameri- shootings are not a gun control problem, but rather a socans tend to feel safer when they can carry and conceal cietal problem. It is up to society to establish a cohesive guns for protection. plan of action to help eradicate gun violence in American schools. Perhaps the Constitution needs amending and There has been talk of letting teachers carry a concealed a revisit in an effort to update it for today’s society and weapon to increase and promote safety and security in problems; perhaps the issues that are on the minds and in schools. Although many schools have a police liaison and the hearts of students around the community need more officer on school grounds, many feel that more security is defined laws and standards to promote peace rather than needed in the classroom. Perhaps investigating the possi- vigilante violence. The reality is clear: as society, guns, bility of teachers receiving advanced training in gun con- laws, and the behaviors of people constantly evolve -- so trol and self-defense protocol, students would feel and should America’s views on gun control. possibly be much safer. One school of thought (pardon the pun) is that arming teachers could be a deterrent for crime. For example, if someone knows that any teacher has the training and qualifications to carry a concealed weapon, they might think twice about committing crimes at school. But, is this really necessary? Schools need to
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FEBRUARY FROLICS 2013
jonathan klinger |
| Kristin Doerfler
| Be sure to go see the year’s biggest talent event on feb. 15th and 16th at the milburn auditorium at 7:00 pm
Victoria shirriff |
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| Brittany wood
Andrew cunningham |
| reneese batson
| make sure to visit the prowler booth after the show to cast your vote for various award catagories
| tyler hawk-frey
Jared mitzlaff | Photo credits: austin anglin
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MR. IRRESISTIBLE 2013
| Sarah Bradley The highly anticipated annual Mr. Irresistible pageant | sarahbradley@othstoday.com
was held in the Milburn auditorium on Friday, Jan. 25. The contestants were Andrew Cunningham, Stuart Goodwin, Jeremy Schmidt, Jonathan Klinger, Nghia Nguyen, Jared Mintzlaff, Jacob Jarvis, Tyler Hawkfrey, Ian Nichols and Jacob Warren. Each contestant was judged on their performances in the following rounds: Beachwear, Interview questions, Talent, Formalwear and a Surprise Question. The top five contestants were Andrew Cunningham, Jonathan Klinger, Jared Mintzlaff, Ian Nichols and Stuart Goodwin. These five gentlemen were then asked to answer another question, and those results aided in the judges final decisions. The winner of this year’s Mr. Irresistible competition was Stuart Goodwin, who was sponsored by the Girls’ Soccer team. First runner up was Jared Mintzlaff,
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who was sponsored by the Girls Lacrosse team. Second runner up was Jonathan Klinger, who was sponsored by the Broadcast Club. Each of the top three and their sponsoring club or sport was awarded scholarship money and a gift basket handpicked by Student Council. Jared Mintzlaff was also awarded Mr. Macho, Andrew Cunningham was awarded Mr. Charming, and Jacob Warren was awarded People’s Choice. These awards were voted on by the senior class. A highlight from this year’s pageant was planned by the boys themselves. After the winner of Mr. Irresistible was announced, Stuart Goodwin removed his crown and participated with the other nine contestants in singing the first verse of the television series Fresh Prince of Bel Air in an act of unity and camaraderie between the participants. I speak on behalf of the entire student population when I say that each of these ten young men are truly “irresistible.” Photo credits: Erica Marlinghaus
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If you like Kimbra and M.I.A., listen to
If you like Mumford & Sons, Of Monsters and Men, The Avett Brothers, and The Civil Wars, listen to
The Lumineers Whenever you feel the need to kick back and relax, make The Lumineers your go-to music. Consisting of Wesley Shultz playing guitar and singing vocals, Jeremiah Fraites on drums, and Neyla Pekarek on cello, violin, and vocals, this Denver-based band plays a menagerie of folk songs with sweet melodies that alludes to a simpler era. You can’t help but snap your fingers and clap your hands to tracks like “Ho Hey” and “Big Parade”. Other songs, like “Charlie Boy”, make you pause and think. No matter your music preference, The Lumineers is definitely a band to suit any mood.
Janelle Monaé If you’re a big fan o f the R&B/ soul genre, get ready to fall in love with Janelle Monaé. Her songs fea ture an ar ray of brass instruments and pounding drums, giving the melodies a groovy and soulful sound. Combined with a voice chock-full of bravado, her songs both inspire and amaze. One thing’s for sure: this girl has got style. Her popular songs, including “Many Moons” or “Tightrope”, will have you tapping your feet and busting a move anywhere you are.
If you like Vampire Weekend, Jinja Safari, and Boy & Bear, try
San Cisco
-
Suggestions made by
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| Alexa Druin | alexadruin@othstoday.com
Upcoming
grab your tickets
concerts
O
s e n u T
Hipster is trending, and it’s not just in fashion. San Cisco is a band formed in Fremantle, West Australia thats bright, catchy sounds and indie beats would have anyone jamming. With Jordi Davieson on guitar and lead vocals, Josh Biondillo on guitar, Nick Garner on bass, and Scarlett Stevens on drums, this group is sure to impress with quirky songs like “Awkward” and “Rocketship”. Their song are the playlist for an endless summer.
Already listen to Lana del Rey, Lady Gaga, and Britney Spears? Tune in to Marina & the Diamonds is the epitome of teenage emotions. Some of her songs consist of up-beat, catchy lyrics about the fun of being famous, while others are keyboard ballads that rue the woes of living in a material world. At first, her songs seem to be about silly and petty complaints. Once you listen past the menagerie of electronic-produced beats, however, the depth of her lyrics shows. Songs like “Primadonna” and “I Am Not A Robot” are the perfect background for any boring car ride or Sunday afternoon.
passion pit
ed sheeran
Feb. 26
Feb. 2
Feb. 2
lady gaga
Marina & The Diamonds
Feb. 23
luke bryan
Pi c
In
The big app right now | Morgan McAteer | morganmcateer@othstoday.com is Instagram. Instagram
What is the appeal of Instagram? Are people that starved for attention that they need a phone app to document their existence? Perhaps it is the image filter that Instagram lets each “photographer” utilize. I mean, that picture of your half-eaten apple would look so much better if it was in black and white, or perhaps in Sepia tone. Of course, there is no problem with people taking pictures with their cellphones for their own personal use, and people should explore the field of photography if they so desire, but let’s get a grip on this madness. To make matters more annoying, people hashtag everything on Instagram as well. Really? You’re going to combine
How Guilty Are You? Instagram is the perfect app to make fun of the ridiculous photos people take the time to capture. Take a look at the stereotypical pictures and reflect on your own profile. Are you caught in a frame?
allows you to post as many pictures as you want without anyone judging you or getting mad at you publically. Not only are teens using it, but so are celebrities. There is a picture for literally everything. Like, literally, EVERYTHING! I have seen a picture of an empty water bottle with a caption saying something in regards to needing more water because they drank it all. Talk about visually stating the obvious here. There is no need to post a picture of every little thing that you do throughout your day. No one needs to see a picture of your dog sleeping or of an empty toilet paper roll. No one really cares that you were sitting on the pot and ran out. Yes, this is entertaining sometimes, but is it really necessary?
Our generation is obsessed with everyone knowing what we are doing, when we are doing it. We have no privacy because for some odd reason we think it really makes a difference to people what we are doing, and to top it all off, our society thinks we need photographic evidence of every mundane thing in existence! I could care less about whether or not someone is tired or hungry. We live in a town where everyone thinks they are reporters and photographers when, in reality, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Everyone has the same tweets and the same pictures and it gets old really quick. These “selfies” everyone takes get old, too. The pictures are either girls making duck faces or guys without their shirts on flexing in the mirror thinking they are bodybuilders because they can bench press the bar.
d ds or
t s re u t
w
Insta
m a r g o rt h a t h o a w t ’ n e r t usa a t a s h n
“Not-So Tasteful”
“Puppy Love”
annoying Twitter posts with annoying photographic documentation. Puh-lease! #Annoying #excessivehashtagging #enough As a generation, we have ruined the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” by taking so many useless pictures that have already been taken and posted all over the place. I thought I was going to be sick when it snowed because every picture on Instagram was of snow and included people in the snow as if to notify us that it had indeed snowed, and we should venture outside to enjoy the “miraculous” event. The same incident happened one day when it was really foggy out. Everyone put up a picture of the fog. Since when is everyone an aspiring environmentalist/photographer like Ansel Ådams? I’m pretty sure anyone that went to school that day saw the fog in route to school. The pictures were pointless, as were the million tweets about it. #seriously
By the time you get the perfect shot, your food will probably be cold. Congragulations.
“The Selfie”
We get it.Your best (and probably only) friend is your cat/dog/creature. Please stop tortuing it with the camera.
“The Odd Ball”
We think that we are all photographers and that our pictures actually matter when everyone else is posting the same pictures. Stars also feel the need to report everything about their lives and it is starting to rub off on people who have been looking up to these people. These pictures that are being posted are definitely not worth a thousand words. #rantover Photo Credits: Ren Dickerson, Rachel Szpoa, Josh Johnson, Evan Strake
We see your face enough at school. Please stop showing me your duck faces and clevage. And your creepy One Direction doll...
There are some things that shouldn’t ever be photographed.
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Puppy Bowl IX NAME: Eurika BREED: Chihuahua/ Terrier Mix
NAME: Sweetie Pie BREED: Catahoula Mix
fan? sports fan? huge sports Not Not a huge Sunday February 3 on Animal Planet @ 3 PM 12
option adoption | Sarah Bradley | sarahbradley@othstoday.com “We derive immeasurable good, uncounted pleasures, enor- sleep in their own waste. They have no socialization with mous security and many critical lessons about life by owning other animals or humans, causing them to be terrified and temperamental. If the puppies are not quickly sold, the mills dogs” -Roger Caras will kill them. A temperamental puppy, turns into a moody Everyone wants a puppy. From the age of five we constanly dog, which means the ultimate victim is not the necessarily the person the dog bites, but the dog itself. There is a reaharass our parents for a loveable four legged friend. We’ve son the phrase “bad dogs are made not born” exists -- bealready named it actually. We know its favorite treats, what cause it’s true. it looks like, and that we will be best friends, just like in Old Yeller. Little Charlie Jones wants a puppy, and Mr. and Mrs. We live in an area which is affected by puppy mills greatly. Jones agree to take him out for his birthday and let him Missouri holds the nation’s largest collection of puppy mills. choose his very own. A puppy mill Cruelty Prevention Act was passed, but there have been many failed attempts to have the ballot passed Many families wish to adopt a pet, but end up finding a in Missouri because the laws have not been updated in puppy at their local pet store, or even in the mall. Huddled 18 years. There are many unlicensed mills operating daily. inside a small glass box is Charlie’s dream dog. It is fluffy Hopefully, the new amendment can improve conditions with and cute and perfect. A man wearing a smile pretends to be knowledgable about dog breeds and explains to Mr. and clearer and more easily enforceable standards. Yet, the department struggles--it can only maintain twelve inspectors Mrs. Jones that this puppy was rescued from a puppy mill, who have to check 2,800 facilities each year. The fines on and is a well-bred Chihuahua. the breeders are very low, and are not a sufficient punishment. Due to this lack of exposure, fewer and fewer people The parents think “Aw, how good of us! we are basically rescuing this puppy!” Mr.and Mrs. Jones are thrilled, Charlie are realizing the importance of adoption. is happy, and to an unknowledgeable dog owner, this would There are far too many animals wasting their lives away in a seem like an ideal scenario. The truth about these types of shelter for puppy mills to be breeding thousands of puppies purchases is simple; it is unwise and irrational when way who will have no hopes of becoming a pet. Shelters everybetter options exsist. where could use the support of families who wish to own a Mall pet shops may be the worst place to buy an animal, es- pet. There are many local shelters in every area. Spencer’s Kennel is a no kill shelter in O’Fallon. Their policy is that pecially dogs. These puppies are bought from puppy mills, every life matters, and they never turn a dog away, or put which means that they have spent each day of their lives them down due to old age. The animals at shelters like this from the moment they opened their eyes in a small cage, are well-taken care of and sit waiting, patiently, for a loving typically with wired flooring, forcing the animals to home.
NAME:Oscar BREED: Dachshund
NAME: Portia BREED: Corgi Mix
NAME: Aurora BREED: Siberiana Huskey/Retriever Mix
As the | Tristan Medina | tristanmedina@othstoday.com winter
sports season comes to a close, it is appropriate to recognize the top athletes. Senior Paxton Edgar has demonstrated excellence in wrestling over the past couple of months earning him the title of Player of the Month.
potential. Paxton is currently ranked amongst the top wrestlers in the state for his individual weight class. He and five of his teammates are individually ranked in the state. The team as a whole is also ranked among the top wrestling schools in Illinois.
Players of the month
The continuous work can be stressful, Edgar has a lot of support and motivation. “My parPaxton has been a wrestler since grade ents really support and motivate me to do well school. He used to play football, but it never in wrestling,” Edgar said. “ They push me to really sparked his interest quite like wrestling. do well because they want me to be successPaxton currently participates in wrestling clubs ful.” outside of school. He puts in the extra work outside of school practices, because he wants his skill level to reach its full
Players of the month
wrestlerPaxton Edgar Paxton recently had a surgery on his knee in the off-season. Not only has he recovered from it, but he is also performing very well on the mats despite this setback. “I did rehab and physical therapy with my dad all summer to regain the strength in my leg,” Edgar said. Coach Exton has seen a significant amount of improvement in Paxton since his freshman year. In the future, Paxton would like to become a collegiate wrestler. He is currently being looked at by schools and receiving some offers for wrestling.
| Tristan Medina | tristanmedina@othstoday.com
Kristen not only participates in Golden Girls practices, she also participates In the in dance and competition outside of the world of sports here at OTHS, dance alschool team. “I dance for Turning Pointe ways seems to fly under the radar; howev- Academy of Dance,” Morton said. Outside er, senior Kristen Morton has earned herself of dance, Kristen does community service the title of Player of the Month through her through her church. She also works with dedication to dance. many cancer organizations. Many people fail to realize just how athletic and fit dancers need to be. Some dancers have recorded verticals that are equal to those of NBA players. Morton has become an excellent dancer in her 14 year career. She has been a part of the OTHS Golden Girls for four years.
The Golden Girls perform well in competition, despite a smaller team. “A typical team has about twelve to sixteen dancers. We have nine,” Morton said. “ We just go by the saying “quality over quantity.””
Kristen and the rest of the team all expect After high school, Kristen wants to continue to become state champions in IDTA this dancing. She wants to attend school at year. Best of luck to the Golden Girls for the Saint Louis University (SLU) or University of rest of their season! Missouri (Mizzou). At one point in her life, she did quit dance for gymnastics. Her love and passion for dance, however, brought her back and continues to motivate her to work hard.
Kristen Mortondancer
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gentlemen...
For the
Valentine’s day | Morgan McAteer | morganmcateer@othstoday.com is a very important day for people who are in a relationship. This day is especially important for girls. For guys, this is a day to show your girl just how much she means to you (which you should be doing anyways). Girls expect a lot of love and attention because they want you to make them feel special. That’s right, guys, us girls need you to put fourth some effort!
The card: Girls don’t want a card that Hallmark wrote for them. While Hallmark cards are nice and eloquent, try your own hand at a poem or a loving and sincere message that is sure to make your girl feel extra special. Chocolate: Chocolate is definitely the key to a girl’s heart. We love when we get those cute heart-shaped boxes of chocolate because it not only makes us feel loved, but it gets rid of that craving we no doubt have for such a delicious treat. It doesn’t always have to be a box of chocolates because as Forrest Gump so insightfully said, “you never know what you’re going to get.” (no, seriously, we don’t know what’s inside and you don’t want to run the risk of letting us down, do you?). Better yet, buy (or make) us chocolate covered strawberries. If you aren’t the best chef, then you can go somewhere and buy them. There is a chocolate store right next to the Target in Shiloh called The Chocolate Factory. I can honestly say that those are probably some of the best chocolate covered strawberries I have ever had. Giving chocolate to your sweetheart will definitely be a great way to make your girlfriend feel good on Valentine’s Day. If she happens to be allergic to chocolate then I would just go with her favorite candy, that way she still feels loved and special. Flowers: Every girl loves flowers. An often ignored romantic practice, giving flowers to a significant others traces its roots pretty far back. The traditional Valentine’s Day flower is the rose, because it means love. Honestly, roses are a bit overdone and most girls would rather have their favorite flower or an array of flowers instead
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of the same old rose that everyone gets. So, I would recommend getting her her favorite flowers over just roses to make it more personal and special at the same time. With the flowers, you should get her some sort of stuffed animal because girls love being able to hug and cuddle with a cute teddy bear.
Bear with me: You could either go customize a bear at Build-a-Bear, or you could just buy your standard teddy bear. Either way, it will brighten her day. If she doesn’t like teddy bears then you could go and find a stuffed animal that is close to her favorite animal and give that to her instead (but seriously, who doesn’t like teddy bears?). This will make her feel even more special because she’ll know you actually put effort into her gift. You should probably take your significant other on a date as well. When taking her on a date, try her favorite restaurant. Heads up--most girls will want it to be fancy. If you choose to dine at a fancy place, you’ll want to use manners and dress nicely. This will show how mature you are and it will show her a soft side of you that she doesn’t always get to see. Girls love to see their guys act mature and also look mature. Make sure that you don’t dress up more than she does because then she will feel awkward because she will be perceived as the “under-dressed one” and we can’t have you guys showing us up in that category! If you aren’t able to splurge for a night out at a fancy restaurant, cook for us. Remember, guys, it’s all about the effort on Valentine’s Day! A nice dinner at home is always nice, especially when it is prepared by our favorite person! If you get your girlfriend or significant other chocolate or her favorite candy, get her flowers and teddy bear, and also take her on a date, you are guaranteed to have a very happy girl. She will never forget this Valentine’s Day. You’ll make her feel more special than she has ever felt. Valentine’s Day is meant to make people feel loved, so make sure she leaves happy and knows just how much she means to you.
| Tristan Medina | tristanmedina@othstoday.com
As Valentine’s Day approaches, many are beginning to wonder what sort of thing they should do for their valentine. Any girl who has a boyfriend should consider that maybe they need to keep their gift simple. Also, avoid cliches like the plague. Buying chocolate for a guy is not something that he can treasure for a long time--unless you are seeking to raise his cholesterol instead of his interest in you.
a movie or grab some dinner. He would much rather remember when you took him to dinner, rather than remembering the time you gave him a stuffed bear. Bears are cute, but most guys would prefer pleasant memories of a Valentine’s date than a stuffed animal. A lot of guys do not mind being single on Valentine’s day. There are some, however, who may want to meet a new girl. “I try to meet new girls around that time. If I had a girlfriend I would rather watch movies and relax,” said sophomore John Fair.
From a guy’s point of view, it is his job to do things for his girlfriend and not expect anything in return. Some girls feel obligated to get a gift for their boyfriend, which is okay to a certain extent. Boys enjoy the feeling of being chivalrous, so you might as well allow them to be.
From a male perspective, Valentine’s Day is a day for a guy to spoil a special girl in his life. Girls, think of it as that extra birthday present he forgot to get you. Let the guys take care of most of the work on Valentine’s Day so he can fulfill his chivalous duty. In the end, no matter who buys gifts for whom, the greatest gift anyone can receive is time, and you can’t find that on sale at the Hallmark store.
If you feel obligated to get your beaux something, ladies, consider his interests and get him something that could have sentimental value. Flowers and a card from Hallmark will not leave a lasting impression. To a lot of guys, the best gift is the gift of time. If you can’t figure out a present of some sort, then the best alternative is to just spend time with your man. Watch
ladies...
For the
singles...
For the
Once you leave all the decorated lockers and rose petals that are scattered throughout the hallway, surround yourself with someone you love. You don’t need a boyfriend or girlfriend to celebrate love. Grab your dog, mom, dad, little brother, or your other single friend and you’ll have a great time. To some, spending Valentine’s Day alone seems like a waste of the Day of Love. Don’t worry, those “happy” people in a relationship don’t get it. Nobody knows just how much you’re craving those heart shaped chocolates and not those nasty, powdery, hard candies that say “Be Mine.”
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EXPECT
s ’ e n i t n e l y a V Da 3 1 0 2 Valentine’s | Dianiche Baxtron | dianichebaxtron@othstoday.com Day doesn’t have to be only for the lovers. We single people can have just as much fun and be equally cute! School is the one place you’ll notice just how lonely you really are. Naturally, this might make you feel a bit sad, but try to not let it get to you. After school is when the real fun starts anyway. Something important to remember is that you should not let the holiday for those in love get you down. Be respectful and smilenobody wants to be around a Valentine’s Scrooge.
WHAT
Being alone on February 14 is nothing to be ashamed of! Why would you want to go out on a date that night? The night will only consist of competition. Guys, once your girl sees another girl with flowers that she did not get, it’s “Why didn’t you get me those? Am I not that special?” Now of course she won’t say this, but, yes, she’s thinking it. And ladies, we all know that every other girl in the restaurant is going to be looking fabulous, and that could easily make us question why we came out at all! Stay home, and enjoy “Singles’ Awareness Day”! Think of all the money you’ll save. Think about how you don’t have to impress anyone but yourself. And most of all, think of all that wonderful chocolate that will be on super-sale on February 15.
cruise, diamond ring & women! -Joey Edwards (senior)
dinner & a movie with my GF
teddy bear -Josh Johnson & roses from (senior) my BF card & dinner -Kaylee Darnall (junior)
-Joseph Berti (junior) dark chocolate
stuffed animal & nail polish
from my BF
-Aidryann Lyman (sophomore)
-Taylor Brodie (senior)
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