opinion 5
the
RPFriday, Oct 5, 2012
Does Hopkins School District do a good job in teaching students about drugs? No “If Hopkins did a good job they wouldn’t have the nickname ‘Potkins.’”Emily Debol, Junior
41% No 59% Yes
100 Students interviewed at HHS Illustration by Caroline Ravits
Yes “The signs in the bathroom are really helpful.”- Lauren Poppie, Senior
No “It’s hard to reach out and get kids to listen.”-Halle Teigen, Senior
T
op 10
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
:
Yes “They make the students go to drug meetings for sports.”- Cody Zarroug, Sophomore Joel Ratner is the Opinion Editor and Josh Gallop is the News Editor of the Royal Page
Things I shouldn’t
have done at homecoming
Hang with freshmen
Bring a parent to the game Wear the wrong color Going #2 in the porta-potty Accidently dance with your sibling Choke down three hot dogs at once Fall off the bleachers and have internal bleeding for a month Go tailgating as a sophomore Campaign to be homecoming king/queen
Streak and become a registered sex offender
From the Desk of the Editors Dear HHS students, faculty, and community, This year’s Royal Page staff is dedicated to serving the community. We’re focused on reporting ethically and loyally, as well as keeping a journalistic voice and straying from bias. We want to cover national and international stories on a local scale along with covering local stories. We respect the First Amendment as the most imortant amendment, and we pledge to use the rights granted to us by the First Amendment in a thoughtful manner. This newspaper belongs to the community, and we want to hear from you. The Royal Page welcomes your feedback and input. If you have any story suggestions or reactions, please send a letter to the editor at royalpage@ gmail.com. Another main goal we have this year is to increase our traffic on the web. We update our twitter (@theroyalpage) and website (royalpage.org) weekly, and we’re utilizing these sties to report
timely as well as to educate our community on local, current events. We promise to abide by our goals and ethics whether we’re in the field interviewing or writing articles, and this requires dedication. This staff also takes journalistic writing very seriously. For example, in this issue, we’ve covered a story on a transgender student. The staff takes great care in writing stories such as these, and we pay close attention to our community’s needs. We hope to serve the community throughout the year by entertaining and educating via journalism. Sincerely,
Ursula Arhart Lydia Wilson 2012-2013 Editors-in-Chief
High school changes people Attempting to maintain an image that equity and integration specialist. is impossible for the mind to manage. Being Decisions like these, make it harder for judged at any given moment, spoken about to someone to find who they are. In the midst of others and then expected to be okay with it. getting high or bullying someone, they will truly Welcome to high school. miss out on opportunities that can empower This is an experience that can either emthem. This allows a person to take steps backpower or disempower a person, but sometimes ward in finding who they are, when the goal is a balance. This is a time to discover interests, to move forward. values, morals but most of all who a person When people have to hide who they are, wants to be and how one wants to be perceived at a place they have to be five times a week, by the world. demolishes the idea of being unique. Thinking People are classified under categories that outside of the box, believing in ideas that others do not give them full value to who they are as a do not have, is something that separates us from person. Whether it’s race, background or ethnic- everyone and forms who we are. ity, these are not the characteristics that should To walk into someone’s shoes, realizing the define us. Our personalities are. challenges they face daily, then to bring them If this is supposed to be our time to make down with negative comments and behaviors is memories and learn from experiences, why has it torturous. No one deserves to feel shameful for seemed to become such a negative environment what they go through, but to only have people for students? learn to understand the issues. This can make Commonly known is pretending to be the environment more positive and powerful. someone you aren’t. This is to mask characterisEveryone is human and working to do tics that others may not accept. the best they can. We as people are constantly Being too embarrassed to set yourself away making mistakes, judgements and learning how from the rest, people hide in the middle of the to deal with the consequences. Lots of people in crowd. This distracts the attention that could be high school tend to neglect that base of an idea, directed towards them. due to pride, ego and other reasons. An issue with fitting in is participating Purpose, process and product are the reason in activities you may have never thought you we are put into this situation. Seniors have had would. Drugs have become a more common the same structure for the last thirteen years. social activity and a release to feel better due As a result it is now time to figure out what to stress, found amongst high school students. we want to achieve for the rest of our lives. Why Everyone’s doing it so why don’t you? we are here, what we are doing and what comes Hazing may seem harmless at first, but this of it, is the basis of what is going on. is false. They effect your peers, friends and the Life works in mysterious ways and tends to person who it is being done to. let people fall into place. Because it’s a learnThese actions later in life will have you realing process, when you know better you can do ize if this was due to fitting in or you wanted to better. It’s okay to be different, but it’s not okay do them. to be ashamed of who you are in a time you are “Everyone develops means and methods of blossoming. This is high school. dealing with change and difference. Difference is not deficit. Learning how to make useful, Caroline Ravits is a staff reporter for the Royal healthy choices is a learned process, usually based on a bigger purpose,” said Terrall Lewis, Page