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Opinion
Xavier High School
There are things to do in Cedar Rapids
The Newbo City Market is just one of many things to do in Cedar Rapids. Cassie Busch Photo. friendly NewBo City Market. Local entrepreneurs sell jewelry and other artsy merchandise, and the local food vendors sell everything from lip-smacking cupcakes to organic pasta. There is also a bookstore/ café across the street where one can relax with a fine cup of coffee. However, some, if not most, teenagers don’t have a lot of money
on hand and can’t afford to go around buying new treasures, or sampling tasty treats from all these businesses. If that’s the case, there is still plenty to do on a limited budget. The several museums in town have free admission days, and the new Cedar Rapids Public Library will finally open its doors in August. Or maybe instead of reading about the past,
Try to be more like Goldilocks medium for most aspects of our lives, everything will begin to fall into place. Happy mediums are so important, but I know they are something that I have to work on, especially with having too many activities on my plate: a summer job, homework, football, track, IBA, Student Senate, NHS, Ambassadors, Key Club, Newspaper, and Youth Ministry at St. E’s, to name a few. As fun and beneficial as these activities are, I wish I had thought about signing up for fewer things so I don’t stress myself out too much. It is harder for me to spend time with my friends and family because I spend so much time doing my other activities. I have learned that in the future, I should find the happy medium in regards to my schedule. It’s not just a personal issue; it’s a nationwide issue. For example, with the issue of sleep and stress: one study found that only 15% of teenagers reported sleeping the recommended eight and a half hours on school nights. Sleep is something that is vital to our
overall health and mood, yet most of us have issues with it because we try to cram so many things into one day. To be able to keep a happy medium with stress, we need to free up some time. That might mean not hanging out with your boyfriend/girlfriend as much, getting out of the excess of activities you’re in, or spending a REASONABLE amount of time on social media. Moderation is a lost art in many of our lives. Although moderation isn’t the coolest thing in the world, I am starting to appreciate it more and more. You can practice or do homework for six hours a day, but then how much time do you have with friends and family? You can watch TV for four hours a night, but how does the homework get done? Revise your life a little bit to find a happy medium and moderation. Be like Goldilocks and find what is “just right” for you.
Ben Valentine Opinion Writer
Make prom what you want it to be Every year, it seems the same things are said about prom night. It’s expensive, overly talked about, and dramatic. Girls freak out when someone has their dress, and boys are shaken when the girl they planned on asking decides to go with someone else. Prom used to be a night that would never be forgotten, but these days it seems more like a nightmare that high schoolers wish they could get away from. Prom gets more and more complicated with each graduating class instead of being what it’s meant to be: one last formal night out with your senior class. If you ask
me, everyone needs to relax about this dance and start having fun with it! This one night could be one that you will remember far past your teenage years if you vow to not take it so seriously. Shrug off the fact that another girl bought your dress in a different color, don’t think about your beloved crush who is going with another man, and don’t fret when your date arrives with an ugly corsage. All these things won’t matter if YOU don’t let them matter. This night will only be great if you have the right attitude. For seniors, this is our last dance. Don’t dread the awkward moments when your date first arrives at your house or the pictures that seem to never end, because when you look back on this night you’re going to wish
you had absorbed every memory into your brain. This is another ‘last’ that we will never be able to experience again, so take advantage of it! With senior year winding down quickly, we need to remember that these moments won’t last forever, so we shouldn’t be wishing them away, we should be cherishing the little time we have left with each other. Prom is going to be what you make it. If you want a night full of complaints and drama, then stress about every little detail that doesn’t go your way. But if you want an enjoyable night with friends, then go into it with a positive attitude and a mind set on having one unforgettable night.
C.J. Lampe Opinion Writer
Chloe Streif Opinion Writer
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We have all heard the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. She enters a house in the woods and tests out the beds, soup, and chairs. She finds that the chairs are too big, too small, or “just right.” This life can be full of extremes and we all need to learn what Goldilocks learned: find the happy medium. In our culture, many of us are living to the extremes and need to value moderation. Some of us are involved in eight extracurricular activities, party every weekend, buy everything we see, are too cheap to buy anything (I’m guilty of it), do four hours of homework a night, don’t do any homework at all, spend almost every day of the week with a boyfriend/girlfriend, eat 6000 calories a day, or eat 1000 calories a day. These extremes are common in our culture. If we find our own happy
you want to dive into those old times and explore them for yourself. Ushers Ferry Historic Village offers a small vintage town for you to discover, and hosts year-round activities. I recently transformed myself into a flesh-eating monster for the winter Zombie Camp for kids, and I know that Ushers Ferry is always looking for volunteers to help out with a variety of tasks. Cedar Rapids has so much to offer to us, and all we have to do is be here to enjoy it. Google “Things to do in Cedar Rapids” and a list comes up of some of the businesses I mentioned and many more. Go out there and explore our wonderful city. You’ll be surprised at what you can find. “Come on, vámonos! Everybody, let’s go!”
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I often find myself out with my friends, and after stuffing ourselves with cinnamon crunch bagels, we wonder what fabulous adventure we should go on today. Some teenagers think there is nothing to do in this city besides watching corn sway in the summer and snow fall in the winter. However, they are wrong. Cedar Rapids is trying to pick itself up again after the flood of 2008. The city is rebuilding health care centers, destroying old buildings to declutter the downtown, and opening all sorts of new businesses. With these new additions, there is now more to do. The updated Paramount Theatre is back up on its feet downtown, and so is Theatre Cedar Rapids. Although tickets can be pricey, students get a discount, and if they volunteer to usher a show, they get to watch the performance for free. A new edition to spice up Cedar Rapids’ New Bohemia district is the
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