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.