Features What is love?
l ov E Abby Doriot
Hailee Bowen
Deegan Cornelius
co-editor-in-chief
staff writer
staff writer
Love is supportive and always there to pick you up when you fall. Love always has your back, and it is not afraid to stand up for you. It fights and argues but does not hold grudges. Love is cookie days and Hallmark movie marathons. Love is early mornings for baseball games, cheering from the outfield. Love is sacrifices, compromises, long drives, and dance recitals. Love is New Year’s sleepovers, with cook offs and card games. Love is Christmas scavenger hunts and bingo. Love is inside jokes and stupid fights. Love is snow days, sledding, chili, and homemade marshmallows. Love is Disney trips and birthday dinners. Love is shopping trips, waiting rooms, porch visits, and sidewalk chalk. Love is church on Sunday mornings and trips to the Smoky Mountains. Love is fireworks and camping trips, sandy beaches and the St. Louis Arch. Love is dance parties and babysitting, tickle fights and karaoke. Love is ice cream trips and designing dresses on Betty Body. Love is Wonder Valley and Holiday World. Love is Snapchat filters and funny faces, FaceTimes and thank you cards. Love is birthday parties and weenie roasts, ice cream bars and Mousse in a Minute. Love is unconditional.
Over time, love has been unconditional. Love is being there for someone no matter what the situation is. It’s being able to think about someone and just smile. It’s loving every single little thing they do. Love is an emotional roller coaster that causes you to be so attached to someone that you couldn’t see yourself with anyone else. The person I love makes me feel like I have a purpose. He cares about me so much and always makes sure I’m doing OK. He knows how to make me laugh on a bad day and continues to support me in every decision I make. The person I love shares the same goals as me and the same humor as me. He gives the best hugs and always tells me to have a great day after we see each other. He knows when something is bothering me and always talks things out with me. His smile is everything. It really makes my day better when I see him happy. He’s my best friend and boyfriend all in one. I’m so grateful to have him by my side for everything.
Validatory love. Love is coming together to overcome an obstacle. Love is having one another’s back through thick and thin. Love is honesty. Love is forgiveness. Love is the late nights and early mornings. Love is cooking out and mosquito bites. Love is silly arguments over card games. Love is early practices, bus rides and tournaments. Love is the bonfires and messy S’Mores. Love is road trips, the gas station stops and fast food restaurants. Love is facing fears. Love is shopping sprees and dining out. Love is lake days and tubing. Love is fishing trips and backyard football games. Love is trusting. Love is celebrating the holidays together. Love is warm, sunny days.
Isabela Diaz co-editor-in-chief
Every door opened, every smile given, every wave passed, love is there. Love is patience. Love is kind. Love is hopeful. Love is selfless. Love is unchanging. Love is caring. Love is laughing. Love is being there, always. Love is all these things and so much more. Love is unconditionally felt by every single one of us. Whether that be a football game, parties, chocolate, person, place or thing, we have all felt or feel love. My love just happens to be my person. He makes me feel the way a sunny day feels on your skin. He makes me melt like ice cream on a hot summer day. He makes my stomach feel like it is my first time at an amusement park. He makes my hands sweat like a jogger who wears a tracksuit. He makes my legs feel woozy like I sat down criss-cross applesauce for an hour straight. He makes my hands shake like I am standing in front of a crowd about to give a speech, fumbling my paper in hand. He makes me feel love like I have never felt before. He feels like a win at a basketball game. He feels the way chocolate tastes. He feels like the first bite of fresh fruit. He feels like my head hitting a pillow after an all nighter. He is by far my favorite thing to have ever been on this Earth. Without him, I would not remember what love is at all.
Students work full time while completely online Hailee Bowen staff writer
While some students have chosen the online option for school this year due to COVID-19 concerns, other students have chosen online school to put themselves into the workforce, full time or close to it. “Working a full-time job and still having to complete my virtual classes really depends on if I have the motivation honestly. Sometimes it’s a struggle to do my work because I personally would rather sleep,” senior Cailyn Wells said. For Wells, being an online student allows her to experience what it will be like working while tackling school.
“Being a virtual student helped me get a better full-time job because I’m actually able to work a full, eight-hour shift or longer. If I were to still be going to school I could only work roughly four to five hours a day,” Wells said. Finding the balance between working at or near full-time and school challenges the online student to manage their time and have discipline and motivation to complete their school work after putting in a full day’s work at their jobs. “It’s difficult sometimes working and going to school, but it pays off in the long run. I’m working full time so I can get a house on my own after high school. It definitely created some scheduling issues; it actually improved my grades,” senior Gabe Moss said.
“Being virtual allowed me to be able to work one job during school hours and then go to my other job afterward. It has impacted my grades a little. They vary because of how I procrastinate sometimes, but I also make sure my school work is done before I go to work,” said senior Alyssa Lucas, who has two part-time jobs while going to school online. “It’s hard going to school and work both because you have to manage your time extremely well.” Some students who have jobs feel more independent by working full time and have to learn how to manage their money to meet their financial goals. “I decided to get a full-time job because I am currently renting out my own house, and I need to pay my bills,” Wells said.
“I decided to work full-time because I want to be able to buy and pay for my own stuff. It has also allowed me to start saving up for the future,” Lucas said. Even though being an online student allows students to use their time as they see fit — whether they work full time, spend hours practicing to become a better athlete, or have an alternative schedule that might start later than the regular school day. Still, being an online student does not compare to being at school, in-person. “...I know that it’s a little more difficult trying to teach yourself how to do the assignments rather than having a teacher stand beside you and help you understand the assignment more,” Wells said.
March 2021, Issue 4
Features
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