High school students who give themselves a full workload now are better prepared for college. -Photo by Ayla Mulvey

By Shannon McKenna
Round Table Lifestyle editor

Four book reports, three math worksheets, two art projects that are only half completed, one lab assignment, and fulfilling daily gym requirements. For freshmen college students, it may seem as though there aren’t nearly enough hours in the day. Finding time to complete school work, along with having a social life, is a challenge in itself.

Once students receive their diploma it marks a new chapter in their lives, and with that chapter comes more work and determination. Freshmen year college students are thrown into the unknown. The standards that Middletown High School students have always achieved are nothing compared to the higher level of learning that colleges offer.

American Interest magazine editor Walter Russell Mead has done a report showing that 75 percent of entering freshman aren’t ready for the work load that comes with college. Although students dive into college with high hopes, many don’t anticipate the amount of work they will be facing once they start.  

“In college it’s so much harder; no teacher is going to hold your hand the way they do in high school,” said MHS graduate Carlee Lammers, a freshman studying journalism at West Virginia University.

To add to an already busy schedule of homework, many students also participate in social or extracurricular activities.

“It was really hard to adjust; I immediately wanted to be involved in as much as possible. I rushed a sorority, learned the sousaphone for Towson’s Marching Band, and took 15 credits so I was bombarded by schoolwork. It was a big adjustment and much more time had to go into studying,” said MHS graduate Angelica Flowers, a freshmen studying occupational therapy with a certificate in autism and pediatrics at Towson University.

As a way for high school students to make themselves fully prepared for their future classes all high school students should try to give themselves a full work load, rather than taking “easy” classes.

“I really need to start studying harder and prioritizing what I do based on importance, not want. It’s going to be hard, but I know that once I set my mind to it, I will be able to switch gears,” said MHS senior Maddie Nissel. Nissel plans to major in speech and language pathology and minor in music at Loyola University.

Working hard doesn’t mean not having a good time.

“I’m trying to enjoy every minute of it [senior year], I’ve held myself to high standards and push myself to do my best in terms of schoolwork. I’ve been taking AP classes since sophomore year, which has really helped prepare me for the workload I’m about to face in college,” said MHS senior Jenna Witman. Witman is hoping to study at Washington College and major in English.

There are plenty of freshmen who had strong track records of academic success in high school, and who did well on the SAT or ACT but then struggle when they get to the college level.

“I think it’s important to take advantage of the opportunities we’re given in high school to transition into the life of a college student; we’re given nearly all the tools, resources and knowledge we need to properly prepare for this important change,” said Witman.

As it turns out, only 52 percent of college freshmen rated themselves as “above average” in emotional health because of the intense work they face freshmen year.

Students should take a deep breath, work their hardest, take time to enjoy the little pleasures and ask for help when they need it.

“I think if you keep up with the work and the fast-paced schedule, like you would in high school, it becomes a lot less difficult and overwhelming,” said MHS graduate Taylor Graham. Graham is a freshmen currently studying hotel management at Johnson and Wales University, but plans on transferring to Frostburg University for her sophomore year.

College can be a fun and exciting time in a young person’s life. It’s a great opportunity to experience new things, and it can lead to important moments that will shape a students future, provided they survive the demanding lifestyle. 

“There is undoubtedly a lot more work assigned, but everyone has a lot more free time to do it,” said MHS graduate Mallory Vaughan, a freshmen who is currently studying Arabic at College of Charleston, “It’s definitely not like high school, though, where you can just coast through doing the minimum amount of work and still get decent grades. Grades in college are definitely more determined by the work you put in.”

Coming home from a long day at school, she walks through the door into her room and sighs. It was a difficult day, full of three-page essays, sports practice and drama among friends. Suddenly, she feels a bump against her leg and turns to find her dog smiling playfully at her. Beaming back, she crouches down and starts making baby noises, rubbing her dog’s head. In that instant, the day has turned for the better.

Throughout history, man has seemed to have always been with an animal of some kind as a pet. Stories of unbreakable bonds and unconditional love between pet and master have been passed down for centuries.

A classic example of the tight bond between man and animal is the timeless story of Hachiko. It tells of an Akita dog that waited ten years for his owner who never returned.

Steven Speilberg’s adaptation of the play War Horse, which is about a young man and his horse living in England during World War I, who are forced apart when the horse is taken to the British cavalry, and the mission both take to find one another.

The impact that pets have on their owners can ultimately change lives, in some ways for better or for worse.

According to an article from WebMD.com, “pets can be good for people’s mental and physical health.”

 Studies conducted by Cambridge University in England and at the University of California in Los Angeles concluded that pets are able to improve health and owners have to make fewer medical care visits for themselves.

HealthyPets states that, “The calming effect of animals…has a more general application as protection against loneliness, depression and anxiety in people whose circumstances make them vulnerable to emotions.”

For many Middletown High School students, pets can be great comforters. MHS junior Isabel Geisler believes pets are able to bring better comfort at times than people.

“Family members try to solve your problems, and sometimes you don’t want that,” she said. “Sometimes, you just want somebody who’ll listen and not say anything.”

Dr. Philip Palmer, head veterinarian at Palmer Animal Hospital in Myersville, agrees that pets can be a comfort.

 “They [pets] certainly are better listeners, and rarely give unwanted advice…you can share your troubles with your pet without being judged.”

Palmer also added that pets bring “extra comfort” to their owners in major times of grief, such as when a person loses a loved one.

“…Often the family pet becomes their link to that person. They find extra comfort and feel close to their lost one by having the pet around.”  

Although pets can sometimes improve a person for the best, at times, pets can have a negative impact on owners.

 “Sometimes pets can be like little kids,” said MHS sophomore Jennifer Desimone. “My dog can get really annoying with his barking, and it’s frustrating when he doesn’t stop.”

 Palmer also added that there can be difficulties with pets.

 “You can have owners that are allergic to pets and have difficulty being around them,” he said.  “There are also some cases where the pet may be difficult to handle and even post a risk of physical injury to the owner,” said Palmer.

 Still, there is no doubt that pets have a strong impact on their owner, no matter what they may do.

“Pets provide people with…what many call ‘unconditional love’,” said Palmer. “I think this is one of the reasons people can develop such close bonds to their pets.”

Television today has become a distraction to families, detracting from their conversation time at the dinner table.

A survey by the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston asked 287 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders about their dinner routines for a week. The researchers discovered that those who ate dinner with their families ate more vegetables and drank fewer sodas. The children were also more likely to eat lower-fat foods, such as low-fat milk, salad dressing and lean meats.

“TV promotes unhealthy eating by the ads directed at kids,” said Middletown High School freshman Rachelle Miller.

According to an article from The Telegraph, “Making time for formal meals at a table rather than grabbing food while on the run or in front of the television could help dieters to cut down on unhealthy snacking.”

“When I’m eating at the table… my mom cooks something healthy. When I’m eating in front of the TV, it’s generally snack foods,” said MHS junior Sarah Weltman.

Trey Parker, MHS sophomore, said that television can have both positive and negative affects when eating in front of it.

“I think it could either make families talk more to each other or less. If they watch something together, then they can talk about it and enjoy it, but if [families] watch separate things, they won’t spend much time together,” he said.

Parker said he prefers eating at the table as a family because they are able to talk about each other’s day. “If we didn’t eat together, I probably wouldn’t talk to them that much,” said Parker.

Families that eat together have closer relationships with one another and have fewer disconnects when it comes to communicating as a family.

“[Television] absorbs the attention of everyone there,” said MHS senior Marc Diederich, who also prefers eating dinner at the table as a family. “There’s no time for conversation.”

Blair Donald sits on her father’s lap as he reads the morning paper. The close friendship the two share started when Blair was very young and has only grown since. – Photo courtesy of the Donald family

By Jake Dziubla
Round Table online editor-in-chief

She peddled slowly. The bike wobbled. It nearly fell. She struggled. The bike inched forward. The muscles coordinated. Her dad leaped from his lawn mower and cheered. Nine-year-old Blair Donald could finally ride a bike solo. From this point, she and her father, Jerry, had a single mindset for their biking: “How crazy can we be?”

When Jerry Donald was younger, he rode the C&O Canal with a friend of his. After having children of his own, he wanted to share his experiences first hand by taking them on the canal for themselves. Two summers ago, Jerry Donald, a social studies teacher at Middletown High School, made this dream a reality when he and his daughter, Blair, an MHS senior, followed the canal from our nation’s capital to Cumberland, Md.

The past summer, Blair and Jerry decided to up the ante by beginning their biking excursion in Pittsburgh and finishing in Washington,D.C., using both the Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal. Since their first trip on the canal, Blair was eager for their next trip and the “bragging rights” that went along with it.

Before the duo began taking these lengthy bike rides, their steps were small. As Blair put it, “I grew up riding a bicycle.” Since Blair was a toddler, she tagged along with her dad on bike rides around their home in Braddock Heights, riding in an attached seat to visit a horse farm near their home.

The two then “upgraded” to a tandem bicycle, allowing Blair to share the biking experience with her father more closely. The turning point in their biking story occurred when Blair was able to ride a bike solo, allowing for the two to now ride in freedom around their home and offered to them a broad spectrum regarding their biking opportunities and travels.

These opportunities and future trips would not be possible without the friendship that the two share. Blair not only enjoys the trips because of the health benefits that they offer, but because of the time that she is able to spend with her father.  The most recent trip was a “tiny vacation” to Blair.

“We’re not father and daughter. We’re just Jerry and Blair riding bikes.” Blair said.

The idea for the trip from Pittsburgh to D.C. sprouted from their first trip along the canal. The two had heard that the canal connects with the Allegheny Passage near the Continental Divide and instantly were hooked on the idea. Packing only bare necessities, the two embarked on a journey without any sense of urgency or rush in order to “see and hear nature more.”

“People always complain that there’s nothing to do here; well then why not do something different? What in five days are you going to miss in Middletown?” Jerry Donald asked.

The five day trip began in Pittsburgh along the Allegheny Passage. After an intense rainstorm in Ohiopyle,Pa., the two began a scenic, 20-mile downhill coast down the Continental Divide north of Cumberland. Their 110-mile uphill climb began almost as soon as the downhill portion finished. As intimidating as 110 miles uphill appears, Jerry Donald quieted this factor.

“It’s railroad grade. It’s not crazy,” he said.

In Cumberland, the two entered the familiar path of the canal and began their home-stretch to D.C. The average 70-mile-a-day trip ended with a trip from Brunswick to D.C. on the fifth day. Aside from the obstacles posed to them along the way, including a muddy encounter in White’s Ferry, the two had accomplished, together, a nearly 400-mile bike ride across two states.

Although poetry doesnt show up as often as it use to, it still has found it's way into the new society. People use poetry as a way to express their emotions in a written form. - Photo by Shannon McKenna

Time moves liquidly – dripping

Syrup         s

                   l

                   o

                   w       over

loose limbed faces of   _the

Clock

Too fast – too slow; mashed

no hope of separation

mixed by   _hands:

The imperfect chemist

To blink away a day -

and an age

Some days sticky on   _fingernails

Catch me if you dare

                                      – Samantha Weaver, MHS sophomore

Poetry has been around since spoken language began, hiding in songs and epic stories, forming words into pictures and expressing emotions through verse.

Though poetry may conjure an image of Virgil of Ancient Greece or Edgar Allen Poe and it may be thought to be out of date, there are still a lot of poets, even here atMiddletownHigh School.

How poetry is defined, however, depends on the person.

I know you fret, dear

About the state of your skin

The imperfections you trace like constellations

In a clouded morning mirror

But you don’t hide under your jacket sleeves

Like a bird from the winter

It doesn’t matter; I know well your broken pieces

I’m not counting them

I can only hope to brace the parts you lack

A novel written in Braille

My fingertips, too small and slow

To read it all

But I’ve glimpsed such sparse rays of light

Through the trees, the last sounds of summer singing

Towards their death

It’s a scary noise but you never run

So I find it in me to sleep at night with windows cracked

Electric feeling pulsing like carnival lights

Know, I won’t pull my hair out

If you don’t let me

And I won’t spend my life afraid of the changing seasons

Reminding me that time leaves nothing to remain

My nails will grow; my eyes will open and close

I will throw the worst of everyday away

If you want me

And my words, I’ll hang them from your walls

Smothering your nightmares up

Blaming it on something as cheap and bloated as love

A dream that belongs to the ghosts in my head

Are you one of them?

I promise not to mind, nor to stray

If I can speak all those languages

Only we understand

I’m filled with a longing I cannot say

And I hope that is enough of an argument

To convey, all you are is exactly what it should be

(It is the world, the stars, the sun to me)

                                                                                                                                                – Rachel Barton, MHS senior

MHS senior Rachel Barton said, “Poetry is a way to transcend human morality and create a lasting documentation of the miraculous spectrum of human emotions.”

Or as “Poetry is a human being trying to put emotions into words,” said Jacob Watkins, MHS freshman.

To some, poetry seems more like a connector between people.

“I think poetry is a way to release something that is inside of us while trying to communicate and connect with others that may be experiencing something similar,” said Sean Haardt, MHS social studies teacher.

So why use poetry instead of other written forms?

Part of it can be attributed to the tradition of poetry, which is likely as old as the spoken word itself.

“The earliest form in the English language was ballads and those were all sung initially,” said Becky Reickel, MHS media specialist.

Because the language was spoken, not written, poetry, being shorter than prose, was easier to remember, said MHS English teacher Kelly Headley.

That tradition continues in music today, said Headley.  A lot of music is actually rhyming poetry, she said, and if the music is taken away from the words, this becomes apparent.

No fairy tale ending

Once upon a time

I wanted to be Molly Bloom

“…yes I said yes I will Yes…”

I wanted to hear my name roll of your tongue,

like Tom Wingo in The Princess of Tides

saying “Lowenstein, Lowenstein, Lowenstein”

as he drove across that bridge

But our bridge is one of despair,

a bridge of sighs,

like we crossed in Venice.

Yet in Venice we were poetry

in Venice we were in time

and you whispered you were mine

Watching you watching me -

we were a symphony

it was the greatest time of my life…

But it didn’t last.

You kept me,

like Rapunzel,

in an ivory tower

but the ivory turned to silt…

you swallowed me whole

embalmed me in semantics

entombed me in the earth.

Your warnings,

like Daedalus’,

eventually fell on deaf ears.

You thought I’d melt

plummet to my death…

you mistook me for Icarus -

but I etched out a new myth,

no longer followed you, like Oz,

down the yellow brick road

to “the laughter of the immortals.”

Instead, I tried,

like Sisyphus,

to find intrinsic value in all things.

And I was victorious

unexpectedly bowled you over

like a woman

delirious

               at

                   the

                         moon.                                           

                               - Daria Baldovin-Jahrling, MHS creative writing teacher

Nonetheless, the poetry in its more formal forms does not enjoy the popularity it once did.

“It is not the way it was,” said Daria Baldovin-Jahrling, MHS creative writing teacher.

Perhaps part of reason poetry has a diminished role in society is because of the difficulty in getting poems published.  Baldovin-Jahrling said getting poetry published is considerably more difficult than doing the same with prose.

Still, many people, including many of Baldovin-Jahrling’s students, write poetry either for publication or personal use and consider themselves poets.

Baldovin has a creative writing class and said that she has gifted poets every year.

One of her students Gabby Bronson, a MHS senior, said that creative writing class “is fun and allows you to dig deep into yourself and let all of your feelings come out”

Bronson also says that she uses poetry as an outlet to help when her emotions are running rampant, saying, “whenever my emotions are overwhelming, it helps me to write it out. So I usually write about what is going on in my life.”

Baldovin herself writes poetry, as have Haardt, Headley and Reickel.

Baldovin has written about her children and has put a poem for each of them into their senior yearbook.

Composing poetry doesn’t require a special writing spot or subject. Haardt used to write poetry while riding the bus to work inHouston. Reickel wrote about her golden retriever, and Headley would simply write about the events of the day.

Not only teachers or students in creative writing classes work in the genre. MHS senior Brendan Raleigh said that he is “a competition-winning poet.”

Obviously, poetry is still about, whether in assignments for class, hiding in songs, or sneaking out in doodles along the margins of paper.

MHS junior Victoria Ward believes that poetry has value that will ensure its role in people’s lives.

“Poetry is the metaphoric writings of life,” she said.

Forseth preforms with the dance line for the half time show during the state tournament football game. - Photo by Shannon McKenna

The loud pop was the first sign. Practicing a trick she had done numerous times over the last few months, it had become nearly effortless. Little did she know that that loud popping sound could have completely destroyed her dancing career and any future she had in dance. That, at the time, insignificant little pop was a foreboding sign of the challenging few months that were coming, now that her ACL was torn.

Middletown High School senior Tara Forseth described her ACL (one of the four major ligaments of the human knee) tear as a grueling experience that helped her grow not only as a dancer, but helped her to realize her strength and abilities.

Dance has been Forseth’s passion for years, and when her injury occurred, she wasn’t sure if she should cry or if she was really in pain. During the final dress rehearsal run at Way Off Broadway’s Dinner Theater’s production of “Cats” on June 18, 2009, she was performing an acrobatic trick known as “a double cartwheel” when the life changing event occurred.

The trick is essentially a partner cartwheel where neither person has to touch the ground with their hands because there is always one of the two people holding on to the other upside down. So their partner’s legs and feet act as their arms and hands.

“When I landed my first full rotation of a cartwheel, something accidentally went wrong” said Forseth, “when I began to pull my partner over I felt (and heard) my knee pop and dislocate as I fell.”

Anterior cruciate ligament tears, or ACL tears, are a potentially debilitating injury, and one of the most common sports-related knee injuries.

Not only did the injury affect her, but her parents were also very concerned about their daughter’s injury. They were glad that the surgery was going to be low risk and the damage wasn’t going to be permanent but were heart broken for her sake, especially when they found out that she wouldn’t be able to dance to the best of her abilities for a year and a half.

Because of the injury, Forseth was forced to take a step back from dance and go through a long recovery process. After the injury, she had to keep from dancing for almost an entire year, and on June 30, 2010, her surgery finally came around.

Still not being allowed to dance at the level she once did, Forseth had to wear a brace to protect her knee from having any other injuries until this summer when she was finally able to take it off to dance.

Throughout the recovery process, Forseth was reminded of a close friend of hers who went through the same thing, MHS graduate Jordan DuMars. Although Forseth’s injury occurred before hers, DuMars went through the surgical and full recovery processes before Forseth did.

“She was always willing to offer advice and encouragement, and it was incredibly comforting to hear at a time when I really needed it,” Forseth said.

Since then, Forseth has recovered almost fully from her surgery and has already taken her dancing skills to a new level, refusing to let her prior injury keep her from enjoying what she loves to do.

“I chose to go back to dance, because what happened was an accident. I wasn’t even performing a standard dance move when it happened. It was just one of those things you could never predict would happen,” said Forseth.

Currently, Forseth is a member of the MHS dance team which dances at home football games and competitions and has rehearsal three times a week. Along with that, she takes four dance classes separately and plans on auditioning for the musical. But because of it she is still constantly reminded of her injury and how careful she needs to be to prevent any further injuries.

“I strive to be as careful as I can, and enjoy every minute that I get to spend dancing, because it’s my passion. That, singing, and acting are what I intend to make a lifelong career out of, and I could never imagine myself doing anything else. So I guess you could say I went back to dance out of personal necessity,” said Forseth.

Driving to school, Josh, a tall, well-built senior, is listening to his favorite song of the moment.  It’s by Cee Lo Green and contains plenty of expletives. He starts singing along, feeling like today is going to be a good day for him. When Josh gets into school, he greets his friends on his way to class with a nod, still singing the lyrics under his breath, not thinking twice about the words. A teacher catches his arm. “What did you just say?” the teacher asks. Josh is completely thrown. He was just singing a song to himself and now here he is, face to face with a very angry teacher.  The teacher yells at Josh for a good five minutes about the type of language students in this high school should be using and what trashy music kids these days listen to. Good mood ruined, Josh heads to class, unable to believe that he got in trouble for simply singing a song.  On his way, he hears another student curse out loud.  It’s the same word that just got Josh in trouble.

While walking down the hallways, sitting in the cafeteria, and even in the classrooms, one can hear vulgar language coming from students and sometimes even the teachers’ mouths at Middletown High School. Vulgar and profane language is becoming increasingly more common in not just today’s schools, but in today’s society, as well. Parents already have very little control over what their children hear, and once students are in high school, the fight is practically out of reach.

“People are more comfortable with stronger language today,” said Daniel Mullins, MHS assistant principal. “Vulgar language is not okay, but society is constantly changing.”

“It has been put into everyone’s heads that you can use vulgarity whenever you want, which is wrong,” said Abby DeLauter, MHS sophomore.

Vulgar and profane language is still thought of as highly inappropriate in school and MHS is no different. According to the Frederick County Public School Handbook, vulgar and profane language is any “language that is inappropriate, disgusting, or repulsive to the senses” and students using such language can be suspended for up to 10 days from school.

“I feel it is inappropriate to use vulgar language when you are with your family, around elders and in school,” said Danielle Williams, MHS freshman.

Students hear vulgar language virtually everywhere today; it is hard to watch a reality television show without having at least one cast member be bleeped because of language the Federal Communications Commission deems inappropriate. In addition, offensive language litters the everyday conversations people of all ages in all walks of life.

Jerry Donald, MHS philosophy of knowledge teacher, said that use of such language is not an effective means of communication, but even understanding that doesn’t stop people from uttering the words.

“We’d be better off if we never use vulgar language for it rarely clarifies what we are saying,” said Jerry Donald, MHS philosophy of knowledge teacher, “but it would be hypocritical of me to say I never use it.”

MHS has students who never use vulgar language and students who use vulgar language frequently, which makes it both difficult to control the use of such language and impose disciplinary actions.

Student’s beliefs on the type of punishment they should receive for using vulgar language differ.

“Students should first get a warning and then get a detention [for using vulgar and profane language in school],” said DeLauter.

MHS junior Krysta Twigg disagrees. “Nothing should happen; it’s the choice they are making,” she said.

The full effect of the disciplinary actions for vulgar language is rarely enforced at MHS because students, in most cases, do understand that they can get in trouble for the use of such language. A mild warning from a teacher is enough to get the student to alter their language; for a few minute anyways.

“When a student uses vulgar and profane language, you need to tell the student that is not acceptable and other consequences may ensue if they do not alter it,” said Donald.

The reality is that most students do not indefinitely change their behavior and language; they revert back to using the same words that got them in trouble with the teacher in the first place. And when discipline does not go past a warning, many students do not alter the behavior for the better. They continue to use profane language amongst friends, regardless of whether they are in school.

Society as a whole is changing; students who once never used profane language slip a few vulgar words into everyday conversations, especially when they are mad or upset about the particular topic of conversation. Vulgar and profane language is becoming a normal part of speech for students

“I would say that definitely my biggest exposure to profanity is most certainly in school. Unfortunately, it seems the majority of teenagers seem to use them as if it were no big deal and as if there were no other words that they could possibly use to express an idea or feeling,” said Caleb Wilson, MHS junior.

That constant exposure to such language makes even those students who were once uncomfortable with saying such things more inclined to do so.

Holly Scarpignato, MHS freshman, said that the vulgarity of today’s society has affected her own use of language. “Hearing other people curse has made me use those words more often.”

Great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion.” – Unknown

Reviewing all the steps in her head, she waits backstage for the other dance to finish. Looking down at her pink satin pointe shoes, she prepares herself for her solo performance. Checking to make sure her ribbons on her shoes are tied tight and her dark, red curly hair is firmly up in a bun, she breathes deeply. When the music and lights die away on stage, the other solo performer hurries off to the dressing room. As she walks on the stage to take her place, she breathes in once again and prepares for the start of the music. During her solo the bright colors above the stage adjust as the mood of the music changes. She can feel it; she has peaked just in time for this competition with one of her best performances.

Competition dance is a way of showing off skills and ability to the judges while going up against dancers from different studios, but it is also a way to improve skills in the pursuit of perfection.

Dancing for fun is a way to strive personally for excellence and enjoyment. Instead of competing against other dancers, the goal is to work together with the other dancers in the class.

“For me, when I dance competitively, it is fun because performance is one of the best parts about dance and putting yourself out there. I also like the feedback from the judges on how to get better,” said Middletown High School junior Abby Buchanan.

MHS junior Melanie Bower participated in competition dance for one year and now participates in taking dance classes at The Dee Buchanan Studio of Dance.

“When you dance for fun, you are dancing for yourself. It is like trying to outdance yourself. You learn new things and try to improve only because you love the sport and it is so fulfilling to finally nail something you have been working hard on,” said Bower.

But both competition dance and dancing for fun are challenging, require training, and, in the end, are rewarding.

“Winning a high award at competitions is a great feeling and you feel so accomplished,” said MHS junior Angela Thomas, a dancer for 13 years.

There are many benefits of competition dance and dancing for fun. They both teach flexibility, strength, commitment, discipline, rhythm and teamwork.

“Our teachers want us to be the best dancers we can be, so they are always pushing me to do harder things,” said MHS freshman Rebecca Holcomb. “They help me work on things that I have trouble with and help me to excel in things that I am good at.”

Many dancers get started for different reasons.

MHS junior Matt Gabb started after seeing his sister dance in all her recitals and he decided to try it out.

“It just stuck to me,” said Gabb.

MHS sophomore Ally Caho started for a similar reason after watching her older cousin’s dance.

“It looked so beautiful and fun that I wanted to dance,” said Caho.

Exercise is also a good reason to start dancing. Regular dancing can increase endurance, stamina and sense of well-being.

A number of dancers start dancing when they are young, so by the time they grow up, dance is already a passion in their life. Buchanan said, “I started dance classes at age 2, but my mom was dancing two hours before I was born.”

Other dancers don’t start dancing until they are a little bit older and they see someone else dancing; then they fall in love with it, like Gabb, who started dancing at age 7.

Bower has been dancing since she was 3 years old. “The way I challenge myself is to set a mental goal on a step or a skill that I have not been able to do for the past year because I was injured. So I set a goal for myself and every dance class I progress to try to accomplish it, even if it hurts, because I know it is making me stronger. Plus, the felling of accomplishing a move you were unable to do is so exciting and it makes you want to work even harder,” she said.

The end of her solo approaches; the exhaust on her face is buried by her smile. The lights die away and she walks off the stage to applause. She dances to compete. She dances for fitness. She dances for fun. She dances with passion.

With winter in full swing it is more than important to keep yourself looking great. Not only does winter bring snow and sleet; it also brings chapped lips, dry skin, and dry hair. There are many ways to fight the side effects of the winter weather and here are some tips and tricks to help.

One of the most common side effects of winter weather is dry skin. It is very important to moisturize skin right after you step out of the shower, since pores are fully opened after a shower. Don’t forget to use a moisturizer with an SPF since the sun is your skins worst enemy. Try using a deep moisturizing facial lotion like Olay Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotion SPF 15. This will leave your skin feeling soft and moisturized. To keep the rest of your body feeling soft and smooth try a lotion that is good for the whole body. Try one like Aquaphor Healing Ointment Advanced Therapy Skin Protectant which usually goes for around $8 at drug stores.

To keep your lips soft in the harsh winter weather it is important to moisturize them just like the rest of your skin. Lips tend to become very chapped in the winter due to the lack of moisture in the air; and chapped lips can be very painful. To keep lips moisturized try a simple lip care product like Blistex or Soft Lips which comes in many different flavors; both going for around $1 or $2 at drug stores. If lips are chapped avoid any acidic drinks like orange juice since they will irritate your lips.

One of the last side effects of winter is dry hair. Hair tends to get dry and break for the same reason that lips get chapped and that is because the lack of moisture in the air. To keep locks from drying out use a deep conditioner like Pantene Pro-V Time Renewal Replenishing Mask. Use it in the shower and let it sit for about 8 minutes than rinse with cool water and it will leave hair silky soft, and it also repairs split ends. Also try avoiding using heated products like straighteners and curling irons which makes hair even more dried out.

 There is much to enjoy about the winter season, and it is always better to do it with a healthy, moisturized glow.

 Middletown High School English teachers Melissa Bolt and Becky Larson not only work at the same school, have coached  the MHS cheerleading squad  together  and have been great friends for years. So when students and staff learned that their due dates were only a few weeks apart, it seemed as nothing out of the ordinary for the two.

At the beginning of the school year, Larson and Bolt were both seen with  small baby bumps. Larson was due in the end of Dec. and Bolt was supposed to be due in the beginning of Jan.

As if their pregnancy wasn’t ironic enough, both teachers went to the the same hospital, and ended up giving birth on the same day. Larson was thrilled when she found out that she had a baby girl, whom she named Avery Grace. 

Avery Grace was 7lbs. 4oz. and “super cute,” said Larson.

Bolt had been planning to have a cesarean section on Jan. 3; however, when she went in for a check-up on Dec. 22 she found out that she would be having her little boy the next day Tyce Bolt Lushbaugh was born on Dec. 23, at 9:29 a.m. Tyce was born a few weeks earlier then expected weighing in at 6 lbs. 1 oz,.

 One thing Bolt wanted was for her baby was for him to have  a unique name. She knew that she wanted her maiden name, Bolt, to be his middle name in memory of her father.

 “We wanted something that was uncommon, yet short and sweet.” said Bolt.

As for Larson, the gender of her child was unknown, so the Larsons’ went to the hospital with both boy and girl names picked out.
 “There was no specific reason for her name, but we wanted something that was somewhat out of the ordinary, interesting, and yet still cute.” said Larson.

As new moms, both Bolt and Larson took time to prepare themselves for the new additions to their families. Both being first time mothers, prepared by taking feeding and infant CPR classes to make sure they could be ready for anything in the future.

They were both thankful that they received multiple baby showers, so many of the necessities needed with kids were given to them as gifts.