NATIONAL:
 
                                  Ted Kennedy Leaves a Lasting Legacy

by Aneesa Vaez-Iravani
Webmaster
     On Sat., Aug. 29, Senator Edward Kennedy was put in his final resting place on the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery within a few steps from his two brothers. Ted, as he was called, succumbed not to the bullet of an assassin, but to the quiet violence of a brain tumor that ended the career of America’s third longest serving senator and the patriarch of the Kennedy dynasty.
      Kennedy’s final burial was a culmination of a week-long series of events, which included the long procession from Hyannis Port through the streets of Boston and up the steps of the US Capitol, along which many politicians paid their respects to a true public servant. President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy at Kennedy’s funeral.
     Born into a life of luxury and under the shadow of his two celebrity brothers, John and Robert, Ted Kennedy opted for public service early in his life. Some observers believe that the Kennedys went into politics to fulfill the ambitions of their father, Joseph Kennedy. Regardless of the motives, countless Americans are the beneficiaries of Ted Kennedy’s legislative achievements, which include the initial passage of Medicare, the Family Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act...(read more)

EDITORIAL:

                                                 The Perks of Being "Lopsided"

by Michelle Aranovsky and Abbie Carson
Editor-in-Chief and News Editor
        High school provides the perfect time and place for students to find their niches. With the plethora of clubs, electives, and extracurricular activities available to all students on campus, high school fosters the ideal environment for discovering passions, interests, and hobbies prior to going off to college.  However, as college admissions have become more and more cut throat, many students have been spreading themselves too thin as they try to take on as many of these activities as possible in order to impress admissions officers, rather than focusing on the few that are most important to them. 
    Lopsidedness is the idea of pursuing one area of interest and perfecting it. Rather than involving oneself in “a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” a lopsided person recognizes his or her strengths and focuses on improving them, instead of dabbling in many unrelated hobbies and never reaching a level of high proficiency in any of them. Lopsidedness serves as a direct opposite to the commonly heard phrase, “well-roundedness.” While pursuing many diverse interests may seem like a good idea, at the same time, spreading oneself too thin often leads to several areas of mediocrity...(read more)


OPINION:

                                      Teen Pregnancy Should not Be Glorified

by Kaitlin Highstreet
News Editor
     Juno, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Jamie Lynn Spears. Bristol Palin.  Teen pregnancy has heavily impacted all facets of pop culture.  In recent years, not only has the depiction of teenage pregnancy become more frequent, but also the information shown by movies, celebrities and television shows has become less accurate.  The media is portraying young pregnancy as a positive phenomenon.

     In Juno, the main character, a pregnant teen, reaches a much happier conclusion than most teens in her situation. Contrary to the happy adoption that ends the movie, many teen parents struggle to return to a normal life after the baby is born. Only forty percent of women who become mothers before age eighteen get their high school diplomas.  Even fewer, less than two percent, have a college degree by the age of thirty. In Juno, the main character has a baby, gives it up for a simple adoption, and returns to her life as it was before. This is unrealistic and oversimplifies teen pregnancy. The movie does not accurately portray the problems faced by a teen mother, especially life after birth...(read more)