“Time may change me…but I can’t trace time.”

That famous quote from David Bowie’s “Changes” can probably describe how many of the students at Middletown High School feel about the start of the new school year.

As time has progressed, school has changed drastically for the students; from coloring books to Calculus books, from learning the alphabet to learning Algebra-Based Physics. And students themselves have experienced the change as well.

No longer dependent on parents, maintaining jobs, and taking AP level courses, many students are experiencing their first tastes of responsibility. The change can be overwhelming, but it is the true entrance into the “adult world.”

Like Bowie describes in “Changes,” people change through time, but instead of fighting the natural order, they should try to make the best of it. And that is shown by the attitude of the Middletown High School students this year.

Many are setting goals to improve their grades and are organizing their time in order to keep their crazy schedules in check. The students are spending more time on their studies as well, instead of wasting hours in front of the television or computer.

The change may be difficult and strenuous, but the students are keeping optimistic attitude. They are looking at this year with optimism in their eyes instead of dreading the future.

The students are also joining extracurricular activities in order to relieve stress, build friendships, and learn life lessons that cannot be found in any textbook. Activities that are popular with the MHS students include sports, band, choir, and activities with the drama department.

School has changed for the MHS students. But, instead of regretting the change and resisting, the teenagers are developing positive outlooks.

Time may change them…but they can’t trace time.

NHL players Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn are currently having decent hockey careers and look to have promising futures with the league. The NHL team the Montreal Canadiens have housed the brothers throughout their careers.

Pasquale Mangiola, a friend and associate of the Kostitsyn brothers, was arrested and is now facing drug-trafficking and illegal weapons charges. Mangiola and the Kostitsyn brothers often went to restaurants and bars together.

Mangiola frequently helped out the brothers by supplying them with lavish cars, attractive women and alcoholic beverages. He did this with full access to their credit cards. The brothers should know to never give an alleged criminal their credit card information or even let them buy them a drink.

Documents owned by the Kostitsyn brothers were unearthed during the arrest of Mangiola. Alongside these papers were cassette tapes featuring conversations held between the brothers and Mangiola.

Investigators have taken a close look at the Kostitsyn brothers and they have not accused them of anything criminal.

If crime were to come to the NHL, the commissioner would be on top of it. Once a general counsel of the NBA, Gary Bettman would not allow antics such as drugs and weapons charges influence the league like they do in the NBA.

Rumors say that the reason of Sergei moving down to the AHL (minor league) was his relationship with Mangiola. NHL executives declare that the move was due to performance matters associated with Montreal.

If there is one thing that should be taken away from this, do not associate with suspected criminals and/or mobsters.

So reads the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. Proposed in 1789 and ratified in 1791; the Fourth Amendment serves to protect U.S. citizens from unjust and unnecessary search and seizures. Such as the First Amendment for free speech, the rights entitled to a students are somewhat decreased.

A 1985 Supreme Court ruling gave schools the right to search a student based solely on reasonable suspicions, not probable cause. This ruling is to be further tested in the coming weeks.

In 2003, a 13-year-old Middle School student in Arizona was forced to strip down in front of two female school officials in pursuit of the equivalent of two Advils. 

Savana Redding, then in eighth grade, was suspected of carrying prescription-strength ibuprofen pills, the equivalent of two Advils. The Safford Unified School District bans the use of prescription and over-the-counter drug use. A student was found in possession of pills, and then told Safford Middle School officials (while faced with punishment) that Redding supplied them the drugs.

Redding then was brought into the vice principal’s office, where Redding’s backpack was searched. No drugs were found, so she was told to remove her shirt and pants. No drugs were found, so she was then told to move aside her bra and stretch the waistband of her underwear, exposing her breasts and pelvic area. No drugs were found.

Redding says the school was not justified in believing she would hide pills in her underwear, saying they did not pose a serious enough public health threat to warrant a strip search.

Redding has been an honor roll student, and had no record of disciplinary problems or substance abuse. No attempt was made to corroborate the student’s claims that it was Redding. Anyway, it’s not like the student claimed that Redding had anything on her, it was that the student had received pills from her. Also, attempts were not made to contact Redding’s parents before the search.

The question raised in this situation is how far can a school go in their pursuit to crack down on banned substances? It is one thing to have been searching for a drug such as heroine or cocaine, but when the drug in question is the equivalent of Advil, did they go too far?

Reasonable suspicion is very loosely defined and enforced, but an uncorroborated claim of a fellow student hardly should fit the definition. The school officials made up their minds that they knew she had drugs on her (regardless of the amount) and that they would find them.

Safford Middle School overstepped their bounds in searching Redding they way they did. What did they hope to accomplish? An imminent threat was not present, and acting as if there was is rather unfair. It sets a very bad precedent.

What is next? Well they force a student to strip in searching for an iPod or cell phone? It may seem like comparing apples to oranges, but essentially it is the same deal. While still not allowed in school, an iPod or cell phone won’t hurt a student any more than two Advils would. This sets a precedent for schools to be able to search whenever they feel for anything that is not allowed in school, based purely on hearsay.

Safford Middle School grossly overreacted to the situation. She should not have been told to remove her clothing; there was no reason for the school to believe she was hiding them under her clothing. Also, there was no physical evidence to point to Redding hiding the pills in her underwear.

What Safford Middle School did clearly violated Redding’s rights, and if the Supreme Court does not side with Redding, more schools are sure to follow.

My generation, has, however, gravitated toward some common, arguably distasteful, cultural ideals. Thanks to MTV, VH1, and the rest of Hollywood, American teens are accustomed to cursing in public, refusing belts when they are desperately needed, and singing along with overtly sexual lyrics.

An especially defining staple of twenty-first century teen-dome is the ever-controversial style of dance: “grinding.”

Grinding has invaded Middletown High School dances to the point where there are very few options left for those who choose not to participate. Dancing for the current generation involves mainly facing the same direction, bumping and swaying to thunderous bass music.

Parents are, not surprisingly, taken aback by such a dance style. It contrasts dramatically with what was considered “in” when they were young, and such a jarring difference is unnerving for any parent.

As strikingly different as the dance style may be, more disconcerting to parents are the values the cultural phenomenon promotes, or, rather, lack thereof.

Parents are fully aware of our need to define our generation; they suffered the same battles with their parents decades ago. They are not, however, simply enforcing rules for the sake of enforcing rules; they have perfectly sound, if controversial, reasoning for their actions.

They argue that such dancing is sexually suggestive, and it is difficult to deny such a claim. Even those in favor of students dancing as they choose cannot argue that grinding has no sexual implications.

In fact, such dancing focuses less on connecting with one’s partner through music as it does simply being as provocative as possible while still within limits.

Limits are being lowered, and within reason.

Grinding is, for many, an inappropriate form of dance. Even for students who argue that it is within their basic rights to express themselves however they wish, they are missing a crucial point: parents are still in charge.

MHS students are still grounded when it comes to parental guidelines. Even for those who have passed the eighteen-year mark, they must abide by school policies, unfair or not.

In this case, parents are simply looking to protect their loved ones from negative influences. It is one of their final opportunities to set a good example for their children before they are sent off on their own.

If restricting our means of self expression at prom will make our parents feel more comfortable, it is a sacrifice high schoolers need to be mature enough to make.

MHS students need to stop looking at the new set of guidelines as tyrannical restrictions; it is an opportunity to prove their maturity and self-control to the adult crowd. If students can accept such policies, and not purposefully violate them for the sake of violating them, the rules very well become more relaxed.

At the moment, however, students’ previous dance behaviors have hardly convinced parents and teachers of our trustworthiness.

They have taken steps to compromise theirs needs and the students’ needs. It is the students’ turn to take action and prove they are mature enough to handle such responsibility.

Perhaps, instead of considering such policies a restriction, they should look at it as what it is being promoted as: regulation.

Besides the fact that Suleman now has eight new babies to take care of, she still has to take care of her other six kids in her parent’s house. She still lives with her parents, and she is unmarried without a steady source of income.

Many people have described Suleman as “irresponsible” and “selfish.” She is depending on her mother to help her raise the kids.

The mother said raising the kids, “has drained her emotionally, physically, and monetarily.”

There is no way that the mother can give all of her kids the care they need and deserve; she is basically ruining the life of 14 kids, and putting a huge burden on her mother just so she can have her dream of have a “huge family.”

In an interview with Ann Curry, Suleman said, “I know I’ll be able to afford them when I’m done with my schooling.”

However, this would be impossible unless she was some extremely famous scientist or movie star. The hospital bill alone will cost between one and a half and three million dollars. Then she has to fund all the special needs stuff, clothes, food and these are just the basics for survival. Her kids will most likely never have the chance to go to college or enjoy luxuries such as going on vacations. 

Suleman is depending on the taxpayers of California, her family, and the hospital. Even though she does have plans to return to college to pursue a master in counseling this will only get her so far. 

According to payscale.com a master in counseling lists $36,885 as the median salary. Suleman is crazy to think that this is enough to raise her 14 children. She is going to have to heavily depend on her parents, church, hospital or disability bill. She “supposedly” got when she hurt her back in a riot at the disability facility she worked at.

“When you don’t have a connection in childhood, you go see a therapist, you don’t have 14 babies,” said psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz.

Suleman continues to make up excuses for her actions. She blames she did what she did to make up for her “dysfunctional childhood”

Suleman said, “Everything I do, I’ll stop my life for them and be present with them. And hold them. And be with them. And how many parents do that? I’m sure there are many that do, but many don’t. And that’s unfortunate. That is selfish.”

She clearly doesn’t even understand the fact that she is the one being selfish to take on this huge responsibility of raising fourteen kids. At least the parents who don’t take care of their kids as well as they could don’t ruin 14 lives.

 Suleman can not tend to all of the kids at once and hold them all. The kids will most likely get very little attention unless they are very dependent they are going to struggle. Even though she claims that she holds each baby for “45 minutes,” there is no way that she can take care of her other six children at her parent’s house. Her children are most likely going to have some serious emotional issues which will require therapy but again, she probably won’t be able to afford that.

It is still a mystery to why a doctor would implant six embryos two of which turned into twins. Suleman went to the same vitro fertilization clinic for the birth of all 14 of her children, and all were conceived with the same father. Suleman refused to tell the doctor responsible in her interview

Dr. David Adamson Director of Fertility Physicians of North America said “I have never provided fertility treatment to a woman with six children,” or ever heard of a similar case.”

Many medical officials are trying to get to the bottom of this issue and make efforts to ensure that it doesn’t happen again in the future.

Yes, some people might refer to this event as a major medical miracle but the majorities agree on one thing. This woman had no business having as many babies as she did will her financial status.

Suleman absolutely doesn’t deserve all of the attention and praise she is get from the media. This is only going to make her think what she did was acceptable. One thing is clear these children are going to have a tough unfair life.

“I think that the idea of the lock-down was a good idea, but I don’t think many people took it as seriously as they should have,” said MHS junior Sarah Benfield.

Teachers were instructed to close and lock doors, pull all blinds, place black paper over other exposed windows and halt all teaching.

A specific colored card was to be placed under doors labeling the state of safety in the classroom. A green card means that all is well in the room. A yellow card means that assistance is needed but, is not urgent (a student is in need of medicine within a few hours, someone is vomiting, but it is under control). And a red card means that immediate assistance is needed (broken bone, injured and bleeding, immediate medical assistance or medication needed).

Thankfully, the only lockdown situation that has ever occurred at Middletown is when the drug dogs have been on the premises inspecting for illegal substances.

“It’s important to know what to do incase anything like a real lock-down ever happens,” said Middletown High School Assistant Principal Donna Clabaugh.

A lock-down would only truly occur if a suspicious person was roaming school grounds or a thorough investigation showed they could be dangerous.

“If something serious were to really happen, students and staff are instructed to go into the nearest classroom, close the doors and windows, and turn off the lights,” said Clabaugh. “As soon as the police or law enforcement arrived, they would take over.”

Portables pose a problem for those teaching and learning in them. Many wonder if a portable would be as safe as a classroom in the school.

“Students should stay in portables and perform all required procedures. A decision will be made of either bringing students in or not, depending on the danger level,” said Clabaugh.

The lock-down turned out to be a success.

“Everything overall went well. Some teachers didn’t put their cards under their doors and some lights remained on, but everything pretty much went well,” said Clabaugh.

“In some classrooms the blinds weren’t completely covering the windows which could cause a problem. We just want our students and staff to be safe,” she said.

The only question remaining now is whether or not we will have another one.

“We will be having another one but we will not be notifying staff,” said Clabaugh. “We are required to have at least ten drills a year so between this and monthly fire drills, we will be having another.”

The Middletown Valley is a beautiful place, and many residents will admit that the cozy home-town atmosphere is the reason why they moved here. For many, dropping a natural gas compressor station on their South Mountain scenery is the last thing wanted.

According to the Citizens for the Preservation of Middletown Valley, that is exactly what Dominion Transmissions plans to do sometime in 2014; big deal.

The CPMV is doing everything it can to stop the plan: passing out fliers, running ads in local newspapers and organizing a march of Civil War re-enactors on the site of the station. It sure seems like a lot of hoopla over just another power plant.

Dominion Transmissions recently purchased 135 acres just outside of Middletown, at the intersection of Marker and Bolivar Roads. The CPMV drew a lot of attention to the historical significance of the site in its arguments against Dominion’s plan. The area has ties to the Civil War and the Battle of South Mountain, as well has containing the 18th-century building known as Fox’s Tavern.

A historical site is never a top choice for construction of any kind, which makes construction around Middletown difficult. Practically the whole valley is related to the Civil War, especially near South Mountain. Main Street in Middletown, the South Mountain Inn, the trail leading up to Washington Monument; they all hold little shards of the past.

But it’s not like 8^th graders are taking field trips to the intersection at Marker and Bolivar; the site is just not that important.

Another popular argument, particularly among homeowners near the potential construction site, is that the compression station will spoil their view of the valley and the mountains. Some residents are also worried about the possibility for a pipe line explosion, as well as natural gas leaks.

The compressor station would not be as easy on the eyes as an orchard of apple trees, or another park, but beauty is not a major consideration when it comes to creating energy to power homes. The water tower in Middletown Park is not the most impressive piece of infrastructure either; nor is the waste water treatment plant behind the Brookridge South neighborhood a work of art. What they are is necessary, as is the natural gas compressor station.

Dominion argues that the purpose of the station is to increase the flow of Natural gas between Pennsylvania and Virginia.  Natural gas is used in homes, for heating, cooking and as a general source of energy. It is safe, clean, and reliable.

Some may say that natural gas leaks are dangerous, and they are, if they are ignored. Natural gas quickly disperses into the air because it is so much lighter than oxygen, which means that, if there is a leak, the danger presented by it is extremely low. Natural gas is flammable, but only if there is a strict 4-15 percent content in the air; any more or less and it will not ignite.

To sum things up, the construction of a natural gas compressor station is really a non-issue. Dominion Transmissions should be allowed to build where they want, especially if they pay for the space. There are plenty of historical sites in Middletown, and most of them are more historically important than Fox’s Tavern. The station would not be all that dangerous, and no more unattractive, than other structures that locals have to deal with.  People need the power this compressor station will provide, so that makes it a positive addition to the town

However, when deciding what English class to take, their choices are limited to AP Language and Composition, AP Literature English and Composition, English 12 Merit, and English 12 Directed.

What’s missing?

 English 12 Honors.

There has been increasing pressure for students to take advanced placement classes. It looks good on college transcripts, it looks good for the school, and it can provide credit for college.

But, for those who aren’t ready or don’t have the desire to take a college level course, it is a bad idea to force them to take the class. Yes, a student can greatly benefit from a challenge, but limiting the decision to advanced placement is asking too much.

While only offering AP and not honors may seem like it is encouraging students to challenge themselves, it can actually create the opposite effect.

For example, a student who has traditionally taken merit classes throughout his or her high school career may feel he or she can move up one level for senior year.

However, under the current system, students are unable to do this. They have no choice but to remain at their current level of merit.

The main motivation for completing an AP class is to eventually take the exam and receive college credit. Otherwise, someone may end up repeating the same class in college (in this case, English 101), and paying far greater than $86.

This is potentially extremely beneficial for those who pass the exam. However, someone who did not want to take the class to begin with would certainly hesitate to spend $86 on the exam.

An English 12 Honors course is the proper fit for many seniors; adding it would solve the current problems that exist. After all, students are required to take four years of English (unlike subjects like social studies and science), and should feel comfortable in their final English class.  

The website sells products to keep college students safer, products such as Spy Sunglasses, Wireless Camera Detector, and Date Rape Drug Test Strips. Now I’m all for safety, but is it really necessary to have sunglasses that allow you to see the person walking behind you?

 After a bit more research on Security On Campus, Inc. and looking into their crime logs, the harsh reality set in; 27 crimes ranging from murder to burglary have happened on college campuses in the past month.

    “My brother is a security guard at Denison University and he continually says that the incidences of violence are under reported because colleges don’t want them reported,” said Middletown High School guidance counselor Rena Egan.

     Maybe those sunglasses wouldn’t be so bad after all.

College is the first place where kids have limited supervision and when alcohol and drugs are added, a friendly party can end in disaster.

 “I think the availability of drugs and alcohol is the major factor that leads students to do something they wouldn’t, under normal circumstances, do,” said MHS junior Jordan Bushong-Taylor.

College crimes are largely due to poor decisions which don’t ease a worried parent’s mind.

This is not to say that colleges don’t do their best to keep students safe.

 “Many college campuses offer emergency phones at various locations on campus, while others offer community watch programs to patrol school grounds,” said MHS senior Jody Brummage.

Colleges need to find a way to keep students safe but not gloss over the truth for parents.

To better protect themselves from harm, students need to be aware of their surroundings and remember that they’re not invincible or immune.

“Young people feel a sense of immortality and that’s just not the case,” said Egan.

Both right and left wingers are guilty of tearing their extreme political opposites apart like ravenous dogs while ignoring their opponent’s arguments.

The most recent event involves conservative-talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and his “outrageous” statement that he hopes President Barack Obama “fails.”

This one quote has both sides of the political spectrum pointing fingers, but very few people are asking why Limbaugh would make such an extreme declaration, and why it even matters so much.

The whole fiasco began when President Obama flat out told Republicans in Washington not to listen to Limbaugh’s radio show.

“You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” said the President.

Limbaugh’s statement was made shortly after this statement by the President. However, contrary to popular belief, he did not speak out in response to President Obama’s attack. Limbaugh was frustrated with the already liberal policies of the new administration, and was asked by a major American publication to write 400 words in hope for the Obama presidency.

Limbaugh expressed his “hope” for Mr.Obama’s liberal plans in four short words: “I hope he fails.”

What aggravates conservatives like Limbaugh the most about liberals is their bad habit of making up rules that affect everyone but them.

 “Liberalism is our problem,” he said on his radio-show on January 16. “Liberalism is what’s gotten us dangerously close to the precipice here.”

To be fair, Limbaugh did say “I hope Obama fails.” According to the transcript from the show the staff of the Rush Limbaugh Show were shocked by the announcement. But Limbaugh’s next point makes sense also, what is there to be upset about? How many people said they wanted Bush to fail, and yet there were no wide eyes and open mouths for that?

 Limbaugh meant what he said, but what many don’t know is what he meant by it. The conservative host of America’s number one most listened to talk-radio-show does not support Obama’s liberal policies, because Limbaugh believes they will destroy the country.

 “What he’s talking about is the absorption of as much of the private sector by the US government as possible, from the banking business, to the mortgage industry, the automobile business, to health care,” said Limbaugh.  “I do not want the government in charge of all of these things. I don’t want this to work.”

The actual one line quote can easily be seen as an attack on the new President of the United States. Anything can be taken out of context and twisted to sound one way or another if it is vague enough, which is exactly what happened here.

The same thing happened while the President was still on the campaign trail. When he said he planned to “spread the wealth around,” to Joe the Plummer last year it was all any conservative could talk about for days. Only four little words were said by Limbaugh but what Obama said was strongly defended by the media, while Limbaugh was practically left fending for himself. It was only four words; it is impossible to get the whole story from so little, and yet there are countless articles all over the internet calling Limbaugh unpatriotic.

So far Obama has shown little support for Conservative or even Republican ideas. The closing of Guantanamo Bay, and the passing of an ever-growing stimulus bill that won no Republican votes are all examples of his liberal leaning. To outspoken conservatives like Limbaugh, the President’s policies are only causing more problems.

Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is listen to the other side of the story, but how else can the whole truth be found? If anything is to be learned from all this, it’s that a four word quote is not evidence for a severe accusation, even against a political enemy.