TEENS TELL HOW IT HURTS TO BE YOUNG IN 90'S.Byline: Daily News The epidemic of school violence that culminated in the massacre at Columbine High School Columbine High School is a secondary school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado. The school is located at 6201 South Pierce Street, one mile west of the Littleton city limits and half a mile south of the Denver city/county line. in Littleton, Colo., has stirred a national debate on everything from gun control to parental responsibility Parental responsibility
But it's the children, especially the teens, who are at the heart of it all. The Daily News invited high school students from the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. communities to share their thoughts on Littleton and what it's like to be growing up at the end of the 20th century. Gayane Madatyan 11th grade Monroe High School For other uses, see James Monroe High School. Monroe High School may refer to:
The '90s is one of the most difficult periods of time to be a teen-ager in America. It feels like, everywhere we turn, there are problems and obstacles standing in the way of our happiness. An even more difficult task for someone growing up in the '90s, is to be a high school student. There are so many different kinds of students of different races, ethnicities and social classes. Today, so much emphasis is put on how you look and how you dress and how popular you are, that sometimes it pushes people over the edge. There is a sort of popularity contest in high school. There's an image, a standard, which you must abide by in order to be part of the ``cool group.'' Most high school students do everything possible to fit in, but when they see that it's not going to happen, they form their own little groups. This segregation of the students results in many serious problems between the students. Rejection is never easy for anyone, and some students feel that revenge is the answer to these problems and sometimes revenge results in violence. Julia Kwan 12th grade Lancaster High School Lancaster High School may refer to:
The bloody shooting spree in Littleton plunges the country into a whirlpool whirlpool, revolving current in an ocean, river, or lake. It may be caused by the configuration of the shore, irregularities in the bottom of the body of water, the meeting of opposing currents or tides, or the action of the wind upon the water. of anguish. Americans look at each other and ask, ``Why?'' They blame the media, the parents, the students, the schools. But in the end, ``it takes a village to raise a child,'' so we are all to blame. The urge to kill innocent people does not sprout up overnight. It festers and burns inside of you until you just don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. anymore. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold Eric David Harris (April 9, 1981 – April 20, 1999) and Dylan Bennet Klebold (September 11, 1981 – April 20, 1999) were the high school seniors who committed the Columbine High School massacre. They killed 13 people and injured 24 others. were ridiculed for all of their high school careers. The effort to be confident and healthy is exhausting if all you receive from your peers are insults. Imagine the difference that could have been made if, at any time, someone had valued Eric and Dylan enough to talk to them as equals, to show them an alternative to their harsh reality Harsh Reality are a little-known, proto-prog band born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire out of the remnants of the Freightliner Blues Band (formerly the Revolution) in the early sixties. . A person who values his own life is more likely to value the lives of others, so the ultimate protection against violence is to value those around you through sharing time with them. What happened in Colorado can happen at any high school. To lessen the chance of it happening around you, just be considerate con·sid·er·ate adj. 1. Having or marked by regard for the needs or feelings of others. See Synonyms at thoughtful. 2. Characterized by careful thought; deliberate. . Pay attention to those around you. Say ``hi'' to someone who looks down. But, most important, value them as human beings and as your peers. Jesus Perez 12th grade Grant Magnet School magnet school n. A public school offering a specialized curriculum, often with high academic standards, to a student body representing a cross section of the community. Why do we always have to put people into categories? Why do we say he's smart, just because he wears glasses and is always carrying books? Popular people are the ones who wear expensive clothes or play sports. The media has washed our brains to believe that only certain types of people can be popular. When we watch TV, we most likely won't see someone short and fat playing a lead role in the show. We won't hear strange names. All girls have beautiful names. Why don't we see regular people, the people we see every day at school? We have been taught to like certain kinds of people. Parents are not spending time "Spending Time" is the first single released by Christian artist Stellar Kart. The lyrics describe the band members desire to spend "more time with God". "Sometimes it’s a real struggle to spend time with God. with their kids, they'd rather work all day and have a lot of money in the bank, and not know what their kids are going through, how they are doing, what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. in school. Parents, maybe weren't ready to become parents and they didn't try to become good ones either. Maybe the day we don't watch as much TV and don't use our computer and we start communicating our feelings with each other, and maybe the day we don't rely on technology anymore, we will be able to understand each other and get along. But, that day seems to be very far from now. Or maybe when we become parents, we'll be ready and stop what is going on with our society. Jessica Sharron and Leah Porter 12th grade Thousand Oaks High School Thousand Oaks High School is a high school established in 1962 and located in Thousand Oaks, California. It is a California Distinguished School, and offers curriculum at all levels for Thousand Oaks students. The mascot is the lancer. When did we start locking doors, rolling up windows and buying alarms? When did people start thinking it was OK to harm families, shoot friends and place such little value on human life? The rise in teen homicide may be attributed to the loss of a support structure that was much more apparent in previous decades. Children need a foundation that can only be developed in the home, and this foundation is being destroyed. In many homes, parents fail to have any significant impact on their children's lives. Whether these homes have no parents, one parent or two, the support structure is just not there. Kids today are most reliant on the acceptance of their peers. Alienation can be emotionally devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. and without constant assurance from those around them, children doubt themselves. They need to now they are loved and cared about. They need guidance. Although these feelings of isolation have been and always will be plaguing teens, the outlet of aggression has significantly changed. Fists have turned to guns. The lines between nightmare and reality are blurred. I have never been so terrified ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. of the future. Andre Pop 12th grade Van Nuys High School Van Nuys High School (VNHS) established in 1914, is a high school in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, California, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2. The simple truth is that teen-agers are the same confused lot they've always been. Only minor exterior details have changed. It would be well to focus on real issues rather than deal in cliches. Media stories have constantly reiterated the juicy and predictable details of the two psychopaths responsible for the shooting. They were troubled kids, of course. They wore black trench coats. they reveled in Nazi ideology and played violent video games See video game console. . But is that all there is to the story? Not once during a 20-minute news special have I heard the tiniest mention as to how these minors were able to acquire their fantastic arsenal of pipe bombs and semiautomatic weapons. The message was obvious: there is nothing wrong with a system that permits easy access to weapons of mass murder, but these pesky adolescents, what with their freedom of expression and strange hobbies and such, they're the real threat. It doesn't take a rocket scientist Rocket Scientist In the world of finance, these are people with science and math degrees who work in the finance field building highly advanced quantitative finance models. These models help banking, insurance and investment firms to price financial instruments. to realize that there are countless ``troubled teens,'' countless would-be neo-Nazis, countless players of violent video games, and that the crushing majority of these individuals would never resort to mass killing. Rather than trying to police the minds of our nation's children, government and law enforcement should protect them from the madness of firearms This is an extensive list of small arms — pistol, machine gun, grenade launcher, anti-tank rifle — that includes variants. : Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A
Rocio J. Paez 10th grade Burbank High School Burbank High School may refer to:
We are expected to take three or four honors classes, get involved in school activities, do our chores and still lead a happy and exciting life, free of pressures. So, if we are to fail in any way, then we feel unimportant and as if our life is no longer on the perfect course it is supposed to be on. High school is where, as a teen-ager, we either loose it or hang on and hope for the best. At this point, many will turn to their peers and friends, hoping that in some ways they will have the answers we lack. If not found here, we look in anything that will take us in, such as gangs, cliques, religions, etc. During our high school years, we are also taking the step toward establishing our personalities and character. One just wants a friend to talk to and if we are one of the unfortunate ``loners'' or ``nerds,'' then, of course, we establish a defensive and unstabilized mindset mind·set or mind-set n. 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. as that of the ``Trench Coat Mafia.'' Parents and teachers expect us to make the straight ``A'' and ``B'' grades, no matter how hard we have to try. Yet, don't they realize that we also need their attention and love. They pressure us with so much work, stating that it will help us in the future. That may be so, but there may never be a glorious future if they don't listen to us. Joel Fajardo 10th grade Grant Magnet School At the crack of the 8 a.m. bell, the school is flooded with kids of different ages, backgrounds and ideas all expecting, that more or less, the day will be the same as the one before. Their uniqueness doesn't prevent them from coming to school, in fact, it's something that most people are proud of. Many of these kids hang out with the same people everyday, in the same area everyday, and talk about the same thing everyday. But there are many people that don't want to show up to school because they don't have a daily routine of who and where they hang out with - mainly because they don't have friends. They're neglected by the other kids for a number of reasons. They usually aren't social, aren't at least average-looking and don't do other things. They join band, a haven for anti-social people, find other people who don't have friends and have some mutual hate against the same people, or they don't come to school at all. Many of these people become scapegoats for the other kids. They get made fun of so much that it becomes a way for some people to start conversations and form bonds with other kids, so, they do it often. And, regardless of what others may say, it is important to be accepted in high school and not to stand out negatively so much. For, without having friends, you'll never learn how to be a kid, have fun and vent your problems. Evelyn Hoevatanakul 11th grade Monroe High School Teen-agers have come to terms with the fact that crime happens almost anywhere and everywhere. It has spread from the streets into our homes, and is lurking See lurk. (messaging, jargon) lurking - The activity of one of the "silent majority" in a electronic forum such as Usenet; posting occasionally or not at all but reading the group's postings regularly. around every corner. Many teen-agers, though, look to our school as a home away from home, a place that we can call a haven. We come to school to learn or to see friends, not to die. Unfortunately, the reality is that violence in our school is an ever-growing problem. The dangers a teen-ager faces today are no longer sitting in the back of their minds or waiting out in the streets. They are sitting in our classrooms, walking down our hallways, and staring us straight in the face. My teacher quoted one of the residents of Colorado, who said, ``We're not safe anywhere, not even at school.'' It's the truth. It's the scariest truth I've ever known. Joyce Yan 11th grade Grant Magnet School Growing up as an outsider, I thought by becoming a teen-ager I would enter a world where everyone got along with no problems. In this fantasy, I was a part of the ``in'' crowd, always going to parties, being the president of clubs and just being a leader. Now that I'm firmly entrenched en·trench also in·trench v. en·trenched, en·trench·ing, en·trench·es v.tr. 1. To provide with a trench, especially for the purpose of fortifying or defending. 2. in high school, I realize that my optimist's view is not the case. I understand how difficult life is by not being a great athlete or the prettiest girl; I have to prove myself to be noticed. I find solace in music, which has brought me personal satisfaction and some recognition. It was a way to escape the insanity insanity, mental disorder of such severity as to render its victim incapable of managing his affairs or of conforming to social standards. Today, the term insanity is used chiefly in criminal law, to denote mental aberrations or defects that may relieve a person from of not being noticed. Sadly, some of my classmates Classmates can refer to either:
No matter how terrible the situation, I was taught to always have an optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op view as an outcome. I was fooled by what I have learned, leaving me stranded with only hopes and dreams. For example, if I got a bad grade on a test, I would learn from it. If I had an argument with a friend, I would learn to forgive them, hoping that they would forgive me, as well. If you are not the ideal type, whether it is your gender, race, how pretty you are or even your intelligence, some people won't even talk with you. This does not only apply to teens, but to society, as well and makes life much more difficult, because you're more or less an invisible person. If you don't meet the standards, you are not even recognized as a complete being. An example of the severity of hurt feelings teens can have and how they act on them, was recently brought to the world's attention by the actions of the ``Trenchcoat Mafia The Trenchcoat Mafia is the informal name given to a group of counterculture students from Columbine High School, in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado (near Denver and Littleton). ,'' in Colorado. Rachel Nussbaum 11th grade Grant Magnet School Teen-age life is a time of insecurity, confusion and unsure decisions. Society portrays to teen-agers the so-called `cool ways to look and act' and, of course, to the so-called `wrong way to look and act.' None the less, a problem arises when these stereotypes are multiplied by thousands, in a place full of teen-age rage. This place is called a learning environment, also known as high school. At my high school, there is an increasingly high demand for popularity among the athletes, the freshmen and the smart kids. Whether these groups try to portray themselves as sexually active or being hip with the latest jig jig, dance of English origin that is performed also in Ireland and Scotland. It is usually a lively dance, performed by one or more persons, with quick and irregular steps. When the jig was introduced to the United States, it was often danced in minstrel shows. , their whole demeanor actually brings their group to a lower level. Although it is often times obvious that these so-called popular groups are trying too hard, they are getting attention, even if it is negative. The teens who wish they could receive this recognition, are the ones who have low self-esteem and poor role models. These are the teens headed for destruction. As seen in the Columbine High School incident in Colorado, these teen-agers knew of no other way to be recognized. Every teen-ager strives to be cool, popular and successful; and it is a fact that everyone wants to be part of something, everyone needs to feel wanted and useful. The teens involved in the Columbine High School incident did not see any hope for their future nor consider the consequences of their actions. With a little hope and self-perseverance, we can prevent such tragedy from ever occurring. My heartfelt heart·felt adj. Deeply or sincerely felt; earnest. heartfelt Adjective sincerely and strongly felt: heartfelt thanks Adj. 1. wishes go out to all of the unfortunate parties involved in the Columbine columbine, in botany columbine (kŏl`əmbīn), any plant of the genus Aquilegia, temperate-zone perennials of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), popular both as wildflowers and as garden flowers. incident. Kyle Duarte 10th grade Burbank High School A student is faced with an enormous amount of stress as he goes through the four grueling years of high school. As a youth hits the age of 15 and enters the ninth-grade, he realizes his urge to get involved with the opposite sex. Not only does this tear apart the hearts of many teens, but also commits them to spending most of their free time with their loved one. Yet another aspect of a teen's interaction with other people, is his circle of friends. It was once said, that ``if one wants to know what his life will be like in the future, one only has to look at his friends.'' In high school, this quote is proved to hold a lot of clout in that friends take up most of one's time and reflect one's lifestyle. The other major aspect of a teen's life in school, in the upper high school levels, many students try to balance three or four advanced placement classes. As the name indicates, these classes can prove to be extremely difficult and time-consuming. On top of these classes, students often have extracurricular activities, which take up more of their time. These activities also drain students physically and cause them to falter in their studies. Obviously, time is an irreplaceable item to teen-agers today. Without the necessary tools to manage it, one can go crazy and resort to inappropriate ways of spending their time. Nicole Arje 10th grade Grant Magnet School There are many challenges in being a teen-age girl in 1999. There are many things to consider, such as being yourself and deciding who your friends are and whether or not to be in a clique (mathematics) clique - A maximal totally connected subgraph. Given a graph with nodes N, a clique C is a subset of N where every node in C is directly connected to every other node in C (i.e. C is totally connected), and C contains all such nodes (C is maximal). . We want to fit in and avoid being ridiculed or humiliated hu·mil·i·ate tr.v. hu·mil·i·at·ed, hu·mil·i·at·ing, hu·mil·i·ates To lower the pride, dignity, or self-respect of. See Synonyms at degrade. . Making the right friends, was more difficult than I had anticipated. I entered high school not knowing anyone, and found myself altering my personality to be accepted. I realized that this method of making friends wasn't getting me any where. I decided to start acting like myself. Though it took some tMime, I am now much happier having one best friend with whom I can be myself. I often see girls in the situation I was in, and I hope they will be as fortunate as I am. In all schools, there are students who are ridiculed. In every group there are cruel kids who enjoy teasing teasing the act of parading a male before a female to see if she displays estrus, and is therefore in a state where mating is likely to be fertile. . Ethnic background and low family income are frequent reasons for taunting. Some students bring it upon themselves in order to get attention. They may not enjoy being teased tease v. teased, teas·ing, teas·es v.tr. 1. To annoy or pester; vex. 2. To make fun of; mock playfully. 3. , but they feel that negative attention is better than no attention at all. These students are the most insecure and try to cover up their real personalities with something that will give them the attention. These students really have no defense against the teasing because by standing up to the problem, or involving adults just antagonizes the bully. It is sad to say, but it seems to me that the best defense is probably to ignore the problem. While it is difficult to be a teen-ager and have an almost perfect life, it is possible to have friends and be accepted by others. Lauren Manalang 12th grade Van Nuys High School What is it like? You ask because you don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. , because you don't understand the reasons behind our illogical actions, because you fear the future we are creating. But it's hard to tell you what it's like to be a teen-ager today. There's no standard existence, no white picket fence with cheer practice on Thursdays. Behind that fence and that azalea azalea (əzāl`yə) [Gr.,=dry], any species of the genus Rhododendron, North American and Asian shrubs of the family Ericaceae (heath family) that are distinguished by the usually deciduous leaves. bush are drug addicts, valedictorians, pregnant girls, thespians, confused and depressed children. They look alike, speak the same slang, eat the same chili (language) CHILI - D.L. Abt. A language for systems programming, based on ALGOL 60 with extensions for structures and type declarations. ["CHILI, An Algorithmic Language for Systems Programming", CHI-1014, Chi Corp, Sep 1975] fries. And even those who once snuggled snug·gle v. snug·gled, snug·gling, snug·gles v.intr. 1. To lie or press close together; cuddle. 2. in their safe illusion are today tagging body bags after the massacre by trench-coated maniacs. So what is it like? Surreal sur·re·al adj. 1. Having qualities attributed to or associated with surrealism: "Even with most facilities shut down ... . Teens live in a separate world. Parents are often absent, even in that rare case where they live in the same house. And when they ask, ``How was your day?'' the reports they get back are censored cen·sor n. 1. A person authorized to examine books, films, or other material and to remove or suppress what is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable. 2. at best. Because we know they can't handle the truth. Normal lives are those where backpacks hold both textbooks and condoms, and a cell phone to explain why you're out so late. We study ourselves as much as our notebooks and scrutinize scru·ti·nize tr.v. scru·ti·nized, scru·ti·niz·ing, scru·ti·niz·es To examine or observe with great care; inspect critically. scru each facial feature with the seriousness of surgeons. Pressure comes in from all sides - parents, school, the law, hormones. And in the space that's left, we try to lead as normal a life as we can. We do regular things. We laugh wild, meaningless laughter, think with amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. clarity, and enjoy the energy that our young bodies readily produce. We have fun. The same fun you had. The difference is that we're not allowed to be naive. We can fall in love, but we must face the fact that our sweetheart could carry any number of life-threatening diseases. We can ``experiment'' as teen-agers ought to, but we live right next to the edge. We are precariously perched between the need for harmless fun and the possibility of ruining our lives. What if the rubber breaks or the weed is laced with cocaine? What if we find we've escaped suburbia only to land in rehab? But this is normal. This is teen-age life today. Arlet Agazaryan 10th grade Burbank High School Adults really wonder why teen-agers say they have so much pressure on them. Well some say it comes from home and others say it is from school and then some go far and even blame it on the music they listen to. Well, let's just say that home life and school can be the answer to this question. Teen-agers in the '90s have found themselves stressed over things from grades to drugs. As an Honors student An honors student is a student in elementary, middle, or high school recognized for achieving high grades. Honors students are recognized on lists published periodically throughout the school year, known as "honor rolls". and the vice-president of our sophomore class, I have found myself, several times during the year, staying up one or two nighs in a row to finish the huge amounts of homework assigned. Along with these colossal co·los·sal adj. Of a size, extent, or degree that elicits awe or taxes belief; immense. See Synonyms at enormous. [French, from Latin colossus, colossus; see colossus. amounts of homework, we have those horrible backpacks to carry from one class to another, that are filled with books weighing up to five pounds each! This pressure isn't only from school work, though. Pressures also come from our peers about things like drugs, alcohol and sex. Being in high school is a tough job and is like Darwin's theory: Whoever is fit enough will survive. Some teen-agers cannot cannot handle these tensions and sadly, like the Colorado High School massacre, students take it out on other students and end up taking their own lives. Christine Chung 10th grade Burbank High School High school is full of pressures. There are the academic pressures that are put on by the parents. Some parents think that ``Bs'' are like ``Ds'' and the only letter they are satisfied to see on a report card is an ``A.'' There are those parents who think a 1600 for a SAT score is an easy achievement and then, of course, there are the students who can't stand getting a score less than anyone else. Excluding all the academic pressures that a high school student has, there are even more pressures that have more effect on students. There are those pressures that one feels because of what the media so strongly emphasizes: the pressures of looking good, being thin, being popular and so on. Some students would do anything for popularity and to be a part of the in crowd. Then, of course, there is the desire in everyone to look good, to be thin and to have a perfect body. Looking good and being attractive seems to appeal to everyone but, there are just some people who go to any extent to achieve their goal. Another big issue in high school is pride. That's what starts fights, and that's what keeps people vulnerable. It's pride breaking that can really make someone go to an extreme extent of vengeance. Pride is a valuable possession in high school and most pressures come from trying to prevent the pride lowering. It takes a lot of endurance to take all the pressures high school and, of course, in all this chaotic mist, there are times when it really gets to someone and then comes the pressure of how one deals with the pressure of stress. Leticia Pineda 11th grade Monroe High School Being a ``loner loner Psychiatry A single young man estranged from society and family, who suffers from psychogenic pain, and tends to live 'on the edge', vacillating between aggression and depression; loners often have unrealistic goals, but are unable to work towards those goals ,'' and being popular in high school can be the decisive force in determining whether one can become the Student Body President, Prom King or Queen. It can also increase or decrease the chances of gaining the respect and true friendship of another student. Popularity gained by molding oneself into what the ``in crowd'' holds to be acceptable and ``cool,'' is still the main practice in schools. Sometimes the practice can shut out other students who do not fit the mold, thus leaving many bitter, saddened students with an inferiority complex inferiority complex Acute sense of personal inferiority, often resulting in either timidity or (through overcompensation) exaggerated aggressiveness. Though once a standard psychological concept, particularly among followers of Alfred Adler, it has lost much of its that does not allow them to enjoy the ups and downs ups and downs pl.n. Alternating periods of good and bad fortune or spirits. ups and downs Noun, pl alternating periods of good and bad luck or high and low spirits of teen-age life. Parents and teachers sometimes say ``Teen-agers do not have any stress. They don't work, so they don't have any real problems to think about.'' Teen-agers do have a lot on their shoulders. The courses we, as teens, now take in school, are a lot more difficult than those our parents took when they were young. Teen-agers are now expected to take college-level classes, just to meet the minimum requirements that are needed to be admitted into a noteworthy university. Teens have to juggle jobs, community service requisite, AP exams, college entrance exams Noun 1. entrance exam - examination to determine a candidate's preparation for a course of studies entrance examination exam, examination, test - a set of questions or exercises evaluating skill or knowledge; "when the test was stolen the professor had to and other things that are needed to build a future. If they do not make the best of their school years and if they do not surpass other student's grades in a competitive college admission system, there is not a lot a person can do with just a high school diploma A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED. in the working world jungle. Ben Applegate 10th grade Burbank High School It takes all the effort of parents, teachers, friends and mentors to help a teen-ager make it through a time like this. However, in this day and age, it is rare find a high school student who has all these things "These Things" is an EP by She Wants Revenge, released in 2005 by Perfect Kiss, a subsidiary of Geffen Records. Music Video The music video stars Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage. Track Listing 1. "These Things [Radio Edit]" - 3:17 2. . The combined devastating effects of hormones, social stresses and school stresses can easily causea high school student, without an adequate support system, to crash and burn under the pressure. There is no structure that can be applied to being 15 years old, not rules of sociology that hold completely true, except the one that says, ``expect the unexpected.'' The anxiety produced by homework alone is enough to drive some faltering academic buffs over the edge of a cliff, figuratively fig·u·ra·tive adj. 1. a. Based on or making use of figures of speech; metaphorical: figurative language. b. Containing many figures of speech; ornate. 2. and sometimes literally. The teen-age years are years of mistakes, years where we try to figure out what to do with, all these new inputs, new feelings and new stresses we are receiving. We must all fail at least once, and learn from that mistake to rise higher. The fall is inevitable. However, the parent needs to be there to help us back up. In single-parent or double-income households, where that support simply does not exist, bitterness and resentment of life itself brew. Jennie Le 11th grade Monroe High School Prior to this siege, teen-age students like me usually thought that school was the safest place we could be when we're out of our homes. Now, massive murderers at Columbine High School, tell us were are wrong, school is not a safe place. In fact, it could also be a very dangerous place. Going to school is not the same anymore. Each morning, when we leave our homes to go to school, we are taking a risk that could cost us our lives. Every minute that we spend in school is a risk. While in class, we will be thinking that right this moment someone could come in and just start killing us all. We look at our classmates differently now. We'll never know which one of them could be the one to kill us all. There is a lot of pressure on us as students. On the other side, the terrifying ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. incident warns us to be cautious about behavior and action. We need to be more careful and considerate when a friend or anyone comes up to us for help. When we sense or suspect anyone in a depressing situation, we should tell someone. Weerasinghe Bhashini 11th grade Monroe High School In a world where media depicts schools as war zones and a place where students are out to kill each other, they are ignoring the obvious - that is, all schools are not the same and that most students are there to learn. For instance, about 1,800 students attended Littleton High School Littleton High School in Littleton, Colorado is a 100 year old, grade 9-12, high school in the Littleton Public Schools system, located in a suburb south of Denver, Colorado. Littleton High School has approximately 97 teachers, and 1600 students. , yet only a small ratio of those students turned to violence. This is not to say that we should underestimate the damage done by these two gunmen, but by emphasizing it, the media is making all those who are depressed and outcasts The Outcasts are a fictional criminal organization from the Digital Anvil/Microsoft game Freelancer. Based on the planet Malta, the Outcasts are the descendants of colonists from the sleeper ship Hispania. to be potential killers. Not all students who portray a dark image are in a gang or planning to kill their classmates. There has always been the possibility of violence occurring in schools, where students with gang affiliations have fights and one is afraid of becoming an innocent bystander by·stand·er n. A person who is present at an event without participating in it. bystander Noun a person present but not involved; onlooker; spectator Noun 1. . Unfortunately, it seems that the recent victims were all innocent bystanders. However, in schools, like James Monroe High School James Monroe High School may refer to:
We cannot live in fear. We, as a society, have to believe that the good of the people will triumph, as Thomas Jefferson believed. We cannot stop living our lives, and we cannot hide under a blanket. We must move on and take precautions to stop future violence. Every member of our community should keep both their eyes wide open This article contains links, text or other information that has been inserted due to a business arrangement by the Wikimedia Foundation rather than the usual Wikipedia editing process. It may or may not comply with all of Wikipedia's normal editorial standards. , be perceptive of early signs that may lead to violence and take action to prevent any violence. Christine Mekhitarian 10th grade Grant Magnet School As a teen-ager in the '90s, it's so hard to be who you really are inside. In grade school, my best friend was popular, so I became really popular. But going into junior high I had to be treated bad, just to hang out with the ``cool crowd.'' And now, in high school, if you're not wearing name-brands like Calvin Klein Noun 1. Calvin Klein - United States fashion designer noted for understated fashions (born in 1942) Calvin Richard Klein, Klein or DKNY DKNY Donna Karan New York don't even think about being friends with them! Each day, as I grow up, it hurts to know there are always two sides to a person. The side you thought you really knew, but then when something went wrong, the person was long gone. And you realize that the person was a fake. Fitting in is what everybody wants to do. So they can feel like one of the cool people. Even if it takes making fun of a person, who is different than other students. Bullies and fighters are people who have low self-esteem or don't get enough attention. So they try to get it somewhere else, like fighting or just putting people down so they can feel like the bigger person. As I walk to school, everyday I realize my school is separated into different races. If you're Mexican, you hang out with Mexicans. If you're African-American, you hang out with the African-Americans. Martin Luther King made a speech and it changed the world, but slowly our world is turning back to the same direction as it was a long time ago. Friends are people we can't live without. But they can be what makes us into the person we really are not. As a teen-ager, I watch the news and I cry out to the people who are murdered by gunshots. And each tear I cry, I realize that's how many people die each day. Perla Vega 11th grade Monroe High School As teen-agers, we face challenges every day. High school is our main one. In school we are forced to be bright, to always give the best from us and to breathe in Verb 1. breathe in - draw in (air); "Inhale deeply"; "inhale the fresh mountain air"; "The patient has trouble inspiring"; "The lung cancer patient cannot inspire air very well" inhale, inspire all the peer pressure around us. Schools offer many opportunities from which we can take advantage. We are constantly pressured to compete against each other, and be the best in class, the best in sports and the best in our own group of friends. We are judged in every single imaginable aspect, the way we dress, the way we act, or even the way we walk. We not only have to keep up with school, but we also have to keep up with our friends, who play a highly important role in our lives. We try so hard to fit in with the rest our schoolmates, that sometimes we even lose our individuality, wanting to do what everybody does to look good. The truth is, that we often find ourselves feeling insecure, unsafe and scared, even on school grounds. With the increase of violence in schools around the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , especially with incidents like the one in Colorado, our fears increase. We no longer know if schools are any safer than streets. Knowing that school authorities are working every day to make schools a safe place to be in, restores in us a feeling of security. CAPTION(S): 17 Photos PHOTO (1) Tearful friends of Columbine High School student Rachel Scott Rachel Joy Scott (August 5 1981 – April 20 1999) was the first victim of the Columbine High School massacre, which claimed the lives of 12 students and a teacher, along with the two perpetrators, in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. leave her funeral service funeral service n → misa de cuerpo presente funeral service n → service m funèbre funeral service funeral n in Littleton, Colo. Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press (2) Mourners gather near a cross at the top of a hill overlooking Columbine High School on Saturday. Fifteen died in the attack, including the two gunmen. Eric Gay/Associated Press (3--Ran in Bulldog Edition Bulldog edition refers to an earlier edition of a newspaper or other print publications. For instance, the Sunday New York Times publishes its bulldog edition, about 100,000 copies, for distribution around the country, at about noon on Saturday. only) Mourners gaze at a single rose left as part of a makeshift memorial to the victims at a Littleton city park. Michael S. Green/Associated Press (4--Ran in Bulldog Edition only) A cross errected on a snow-covered hillside near Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., memorializes the people killed Tuesday at the suburban campus. Eric Gay/Associated Press (5--7) Support from the Valley Above, students at Granada Hills High School Granada Hills Charter High School (Granada Hills High School) is a public, charter, co-educational, secondary school consisting of students in grades 9-12. The school colors are green, black, and white. leave messages on a banner to be delivered to Columbine High School, site of last week's deadly shooting rampage. Below, Nina La Fountaine, left, Lisa Robbins and Christina Hanchera inscribe in·scribe tr.v. in·scribed, in·scrib·ing, in·scribes 1. a. To write, print, carve, or engrave (words or letters) on or in a surface. b. To mark or engrave (a surface) with words or letters. messages to their Colorado counterparts. At right, two 30-foot banners bear messages from hundreds of Granada Hills High students expressing sympathy and support. Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News (8--Color) MADATYAN (9) SHARRON (10) PORTER (11) POP (12) FAJARDO (13) YAN (14) NUSSBAUM (15) ARJE (16) MANALANG (17) MEKHITARIAN |
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