Tri-Color Times 2007-05

Granger High School

Tri-Color Times

May, 2007

Volume XLIX, Issue 07

May

Keys To Success

Monday, May 21 Baseball State Tournament TBA Lancer Action Team Fieldtrip: 2nd period @ Harmon Home 9:00 AM-11:00 AM

Tuesday, May 22 Senior Play: When? Where?

Baseball State Tournament TBA Team Meeting: Room 120 7:45 AM-8:45 AM

Wednesday, May 23 Men’s Soccer State Tournament TBA Seminary Senior Recognition Night: Baseball State Tournament TBA Josten’s Cap & Gown Delivery both lunches 10:30 AM-1:00 PM (Auditorium)

Thursday, May 24

Congratulations to Shealynne McCormick, winner of the Ken Garff Keys to Success car.

By Megan McManama

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Baseball State Tournament TBA Men’s Soccer State Tournament TBA Senior Honors Night: SLCC 6:00 PM-8:00 PM Drama Class 7:00 PM-8:00 PM (Room 16)

Friday, May 25

hen I won the car I cried, and my mom cried My mom said to me ‘Our lucks is turning around. It will be a good year!’ I’m really happy my mom was there.” Shea said it was a blur when she turned the key.

Her friends ran up to her screaming, her mom hugged her, the mascot hugged her too. Shea laughed when she told me this and said, “I was hoping he was hot! He did have a nice butt.” Shealynne’s mom couldn’t pay Shealynne’s old cars payments, so she gave her mom the new car. And Shealynne is keeping her old car.

Shealynne McCormick’s mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer on August 24, 2004, the beginning of Shealynne’s sophomore year. Shealynne has been working since she was fourteen years old. She started with one job, and now in her senior year, she works three part-time jobs. Her mom was cured in February of 2005, but is still in remission and will be for two more years.

Most everything Shealynne has done in her life has been for her

family. Every paycheck she hands to her mom. The only thing she needs is gas money. I think we could all easily say she is not selfish. But I wondered why she didn’t do things for herself. Why, when she was a dancer, she never tried out for Dance Company, or Excaliburs. When I asked, she replied, “It’s hard to be motivated. I was always depressed…

I feel like I’m doing nothing with my life. I don’t have a life! I go to work and come home.” In a way, Shealynne is one of the most motivated people I know. In all of our lives at one point it has turned for the worst, and it gets rough. After a while you can’t handle it before you quit, or depend on someone else to help you.

For three years Shealynne has gotten good grades, and has held many jobs.

She supported her mom in fighting Breast Cancer, she makes sure her little sister finishes homework, and she drives her to school each day. To continually do that for three years, and come to school smiling, you’ve got to have motivation.

Shealynne is Graduating this year, and is going to cosmetology

school in June. She’s also taking photography classes at SLCC. She told me, “I’m scared and sad for graduation. All my friends will be going away to college. When I don’t see them everyday, that’s when I’m going to feel lonely.” She would really like to study interior design, she doesn’t have high hopes of getting there, so cosmetology is the next best thing on her list!

“My older sister and her kids are going to move in soon. And tuition is going to be a lot of money! So I really don’t see myself leaving home for a while.” She brightened up, and sighed then continued, “Unless, I meet a millionaire to move out with! Ah, that’s highly unlikely.”

So, to any of you readers who were deciding in your minds, who really deserves it, and who should just leave while watching the fifty kids line up to try their key in the Honda Accord. I think we can all say Shealynne deserved to win.

The popular role playing game has become a little too obsessive.

– page 04

Saturday, May 26 Baseball State Tournament TBA

Monday, May 28 No School/Memorial Day Observed

Tuesday, May 29 Awards PM Assembly 1:15 PM-2:10 PM (Auditorium)

Wednesday, May 30 Memorial Day Fine Arts Awards Breakfast 7:00 AM-8:30 AM (Room 16) West Valley Symphony rehearsal/ building rental: Room 106 5:00 PM-10:00 PM

Thursday, May 31 Orchestra performance rm 16 (solo night) 6:30 PM-8:00 PM

Friday, June 1 Graduation @ E-center 7:00 PM

INSIDE WORLD OF WARCRAFT

Men’s Soccer State Tournament TBA Baseball State Tournament TBA

INDEX

2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

See who is vying to be the next US president.

– page 07

Hall Monster....................................................02 Tattoos............................................................ 04 Drugs, Addiction, and Recovery..................... 06 TCT Staff as WoW Characters........................08

2 NEWS

Tri-Color Times May 2007

Hall Monster

By RaShonda Miles You’re walking down the hall when the one minute music starts.

You see Eddie, clipboard in hand walking towards you. “30 seconds” he bellows. Your heart starts racing.

Frantically you search for an empty hall or bathroom to dodge into and hide until the coast is clear.

But is the coast ever clear? It seems like whenever I’m in the hall, Eddie is not far behind. “Cheerleaders should never be late” he always tells me. “He expects us to be in class, but I have never seen him in class,” says Edward Gonzales. I’ve been following Eddie for a couple months now and on average he is in the halls for about half of class, and in a classroom for the other half. During both lunches he pulls a chair into the halls and sits there the whole time. So the time he is in class actually equals less then two periods.

How effective is Eddie though? Does he really make kids get to class on time? “I have to get from the Math and English building to the second story of the main building.

I’m almost always late. Eddie stops and gives me a ticket making me even later. I always end up disrupting the whole class,” Commented Sergio Reyes. “He doesn’t help me get to class on time. When I see him, I run the other way, farther away from

my class,” said Josh Edvik. Not only do the kids walking in late disrupt the class, but also the unmistakable “Why you late?” that bellows into the classroom ten minutes after class has started disrupts class too. Just the other day I was sitting in math taking the CRT’s when Eddie walked in to yell at a kid that was sleeping. While we were testing!

Not only does Eddie scare

Heat Wave

there putting on make up and fixing their hair. “Eddie can’t come in the girls’ bathroom,” said Justine Farnsworth.

“I know the kids are scared of me, but I don’t think I’m very effective.

I’m not very strict,” said Eddie. “I love my job and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else”.

So should Eddie calm down?

Or is he just a good guy doing his job?

You make the decision.

MySpace Mobile

By Jackie Salm

By RaShonda Miles My first period is weight training, so to warm up we run a couple laps around the track. Being May, it’s nice and cool at eight in the morning. After warming up, we come into the weight room to start lifting. More often than not I find myself lying on the bench not wanting to move. Even though I am just laying there, I’m sweating. It’s too hot to lift weights.

It seems throughout the whole school, it is unbearably hot. Teachers have resorted to opening windows and bringing fans from home, trying to catch some sort of breeze. This constant heat has caused a chain reaction.

It has made students wear less clothing, and it made them sleepy in class so they don’t pay as much attention as they should.

“I don’t see the point of the vents [in the ceiling]. No air ever passes through them” commented Mr. Tanner. So what exactly are the vents for? “Well some of the classes are air conditioned” said Mr. Anthony. “The classes that are air conditioned are like the computer classes because those machines have to be kept cool. Some

us, but also the community. “I came to check my son out of school for a doctor’s appointment when this big man comes down the hall chasing this poor kid. I was scared out of my mind. I didn’t know what was going on,” commented one junior’s mom.

Eddie may keep our halls clear, but that doesn’t necessarily mean kids are in class. Whenever I walk into the bathroom, I see girls in

of the re-vamped rooms also have air conditioning. Also the offices because, well, they are the offices.”

School policy actually says if we are in the “Danger Zone” (100 degrees or hotter) for longer than an hour, we are to be “immediately moved to cooler areas of the building. If there are no suitable locations below the “danger” level, immediately contact the School Services Office to determine what actions, including the possible dismissal of school, to initiate.”

Once we reach 80 degrees, teachers are supposed to encourage us to wear loose, light clothing, bring water bottles, and allow frequent water breaks. They are supposed to provide us with wet wipes, damp cloths, and spray bottles. Has a teacher ever sprayed you down and told you to wear loose-fitting clothes? I doubt it.

So next time you find yourself too hot to do your school work, pull out your thermometer and see if it’s one hundred degrees yet so we can all go home early.

MySpace is one of the most popular teen sites on the web. It is the site you can Perform limited activities, like chat, post pictures, and start video blogs. Most students know that MySpace has been a big problem among teenagers’ personal lives. Fights and rumors have started over things written or posted on MySpace. So what would it be like if MySpace went mobile?

MySpace partnered with a mobile company called Helio, which is backed by the internet company Earth Link. The three companies have come up with the mobile MySpace. The MySpace mobile can be accessed at any time of the day on a cell phone, and even at school. The phone would allow you to film video, take pictures, and chat online from your phone.

The MySpace mobile came out spring of last year. It has recently become available on phones from the company, Helio.

And now myspace is coming to Cingular phones.

“It think it is a bad idea”, says junior Sarah Morrison, “MySpace is a place for problems; it can make problems worse by being accessed by phones”. Over the past several years we have heard about problems created by MySpace; one of the

biggest problem, fights at school.

Some people think it is okay to have MySpace mobile, Rachel Davis, a junior, said, “It would be fine for people to use it who are mature enough. People who pick fights online should learn to face their problems face to face, that way they do not make matters worse on the internet first”. Most students have split opinions about MySpace.

The teachers have another opinion. Mrs. Pray says, “ Cell phones should be used sparingly. If MySpace comes to cell phones it could be an invasion of privacy and a big distraction in class.” If MySpace is used in school it can cause distractions in class, but also verbal fights in the hallway.

One student, Yesenia Cuevas, a junior, said that she had MySpace mobile on her cell phone for a while. She would do everything on her MySpace account from her phone. She dis- continued the service because it got to expensive to keep up.

Remember, MySpace has been the source of many problems in the past, so before you get a MySpace phone, think about what you can be getting yourself into before logging on.

NEWS 3

Tri-Color Times May 2007

The Art Show

By Malerie Phillips & Robyn Green

A noisy crowd filled the GTI auditorium on the evening of Wednesday, April 25th. The awards for the Granite District Art Show were about to begin. As names were called for the winners many notice that many of the top winners were from Granger High School. “I never thought that I would win with the pieces I entered, but it was really awesome that I did. On top of that I also got the 1st place ribbon for one of my pieces entitled ‘Meditation,’” said Will Thorup. Will is not the only winner in this year’s art show.

Other winners include: DJ Riccardi, Chelsea Adams, and Shaylin Mataele. When we asked Shaylin about her honorable mention she said, “I felt mentioned for my honorable mention,” which she won for her piece titled “Portrait 1.” Other than drawing, Shaylin

likes to go to concerts. She says drawing fills her with pure ecstacy.

Along with getting 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons, some students received a Rosenblatt Award. This award is a scholarship for $100 that the art student can use to further their education in the world of creativity. We have two students who received the Rosenblatt Award for

their amazing pieces. DJ Riccardi won with “Girl In Blue” while Will Thorup won with “Meditation.”

Along with a Rosenblatt Award for DJ’s “Girl In Blue” he also won best in show. “It was fantastic winning best in show, and when I won 3 honorable Girl in Blue by DJ Riccardi mentions, ‘Monkey Two,’ and my two ceramic pieces. I placed my $200 in the bank and I am saving up for a new

car.” says DJ. Other students that entered the art show included Alan Ha with his ceramics piece “Hour Glass,” Ethan Evans with his mixed media “Defeat,” Chelsea Adams with her painting “Eye,” Norma Pearson with her painting “In The Garden,” Sara Morisson with her photographs, “The View,” “The Falls,” and “An Interesting Angle” and Walter Lopez with his ceramics piece. Even though none of these artists won awards we would like to acknowledge their beautiful works of art.

Over all, the district art show was a great success and many students are looking forward to next year’s show. Many will be artists while others will be spectators. But one thing is for sure, we will all be in awe.

4 NEWS

Tri-Color Times May 2007

Tattoos

Metal Art

By Malerie Phillips

By Robyn Green There’s always a certain trend going on in the world of fashion. Whether it is tie dye of the 60’s or acid wash of the 80’s, fashion is always evolving in new and sometimes hilarious ways. One thing that has been throughout almost every fashion influential decade is the permanent and forever lasting tattoo.

Even back in the 1800’s, tattoos were popular with socialites. Tattoos were very expensive and set you apart from commoners. Soon after though, the ink became cheaper and everyone could afford to get one.

This seems to be the case with a lot of teens today. With teens having more money and resources then ever, tattoos are popping up everywhere. Let’s back up though and think about this. The legal age to get a tattoo in Utah is 18. Many seniors aren’t even eighteen yet, so how are juniors and even sophomores getting these permanent works? Students know many friends under the age of eighteen that have tattoos, with numbers ranging from 1 to 48. Many have been heard getting them done by their friends. “I had this guy I know do mine. It was kind of at the moment. I like it but I don’t think I would get another one until I’m a lot older,” said Katie Rubio. This is very, very dangerous. Unless the friend is a licensed professional many students said they would never let a friend tattoo their body.

But what about a family member? They are indeed a lot more trustworthy, but the same rule should still apply. Only get it done if they are a professional.

The reasoning for going to a professional is very simple: fewer chances of infections and diseases. They have a more sterile environment and they know what they are doing. There is less of a chance that they will mess it up too. No one wants a fairy when they asked for a panther. When

it comes to getting a tattoo you have to realize that it is going to last forever. “I get my tattoos to remember certain life events and people that I love. I’ve seen how tattoos can change your life and that’s why I think they are so cool,” said Jessie Eller about why he got his tattoos. Jessie wants to be a tattoo artist for this reason, but recommends that you don’t get a tattoo until you are absolutely ready for that kind of commitment.

The last thing that may not be important now, but will most likely be when you are 40, will be how much it means to you. Something like your boyfriend’s name, of this week, on your back is probably not going to matter to you in 20 years, but it may affect your relationship with your husband that you are sticking with. If you think that you can just get it removed, think again. Removing a tattoo is very expensive and more painful then the original.

So if you do decide to get one don’t get one for the coolness that you think you may get.

Get something that means a lot to you, so that when you think about it you realize it was worth the pain, money, and time spent into creating it.

Austin Wilson and Barry Warr with their metal art.

Art doesn’t just come in the regular form anymore. There are a plethora of art types in areas like photography, painting, drawing, pottery, sculpting, latch hook, and even sewing. It seems like everything is becoming art these days but one art form has caught the attention of Granger student’s, the art of the metal. Now some may be asking what exactly is this so called “metal art.” I was asking the same question when I was assigned to go over to the auto body shop and take some pictures and interview some students. I did not know what I was getting myself into.

I walked into the shop and was surprised to see a large table set up with some colorful pieces of metal. When I questioned what they were, Mr. Dimas, the shop teacher, explained how he took old pieces of scrap metal and bent them into the shapes for the students. They then colored it however they chose. There are a total of 52 pieces made. The

MESA Competition Winners 2006-2007 District Competition was held on February 20th, 2007 Granger High School received 1st place overall in this competition.

Other winners include: 1st place: College Display and Presentation Harjit Kaur Noel Vongthongchit Sue (Sreyluch) Suy Nancy Vongsenkeo

3rd place: Egg Drop Hoa Huynh Kelley Senthavisouk Jennifer Phung Andrew Lee Luan Nguyen

2nd place: Trebuchet Faatisga (Sina) Tupola Irene Pole Polu Mulitalo Christina Fevaleaki

3rd place: Krypto Haun Phan Bao Nguyen Rannie Singh Carlos Soto

State Competition was held on April 28th, 2007 at Cottonwood High School 1st place: State Display Harjit Kaur Noel Vongthongchit Sue (Sreyluch) Suy Nancy Vongsenkeo 1st place: Oral Presentation Harjit Kaur Noel Vongthongchit Sue (Sreyluch) Suy Nancy Vongsenkeo 2nd place: Technical Paper Faatisga (Sina) Tupola Irene Pole Polu Mulitalo Christina Fevaleaki

students made them using a three color paint scheme. “I thought it was a fun activity for the students and I felt they would enjoy it”, said Mr. Dimas.

One of the pieces that caught my eye was co-created by Barry Warr and Austin Wilson.

They both seemed to enjoy turning the metal into art and were proud of their piece. “It took hard work and dedication to make this piece. A lot of time and effort was put into creating this.” said Barry.

Austin said, “I was excited to create this with Barry. My favorite part was painting the metal.”

The auto body shop would be the last place I would look to see art. Many people go to art rooms or to an art show.

Next time you go and get you car worked on or the oil changed, look around, you may see some beautiful pieces of art.

The Tri-Color Times Staff Editor-In-Chief Selina Tran

Staff Writers Dahn Carlson Marianne Carlson Tacara DeTevis Joseph Fatani Robyn Green Megan McManama

RaShonda Miles Brin Nelson Malerie Phillips Dominick Prospero Jackie Salm J. Enoch Wallis

Advisor John Carlisle

Tri-Color Times is a student forum for student opinion and student expression.

Granger High School 3690 South 3600 West West Valley City, Utah 84119

NEWS 5

Tri-Color Times May 2007

It's Not Too Late

By Marianne Carlson When I first started using drugs I was in the sixth grade. I used it as a mask for my abuse, self-esteem problems, and simply to fit in.

I started experimenting with alcohol and painkillers. My first time was exactly what I wanted it to be. It was sedating and I felt rebellious.

These attitudes and behaviors quickly attracted the wrong crowd. Soon after that I began going to parties and using marijuana, alcohol, and other drugs on a day-to-day basis. I would always say, “at least I’m not using hard drugs.” After a few months, that saying could no longer be true. My drug use quickly increased. “I saw her going into a downward spiral that I never thought she’d be able to get herself out of,” said my father, Jerry Carlson.

It was my eighth grade year and I was already ditching school, failing classes, and was about to drop out. I started heavily using harder drugs such as: meth, heroin, ecstasy, and cocaine. I also got involved in a gang. Later that year, after experimenting with all those drugs, I was addicted and consistently using meth.

Little did I know, meth would eventually change and consume my life forever. I was using thousands of dollars of meth a week.

At the time it felt like meth gave me everything I wanted. It gave me popularity, guys, money, respect, and in my eyes, good looks. If I could go back I would have never touched meth. It was at that point I started reaching for a better high. I began using stimulants such as meth and cocaine intravenously. I also started stealing and pawning mine and my family’s things for drug money. My older sister, Jaci Carlson, said, “I was no longer looking into the eyes

of my once innocent little sister; I was now staring into the lost and hollow eyes of a troubled adolescent.”

The effect it had on my family was dramatic. One night my sisters picked me up from a “friend’s” house. It actually wasn’t a friend’s house, it was my drug dealers’. I came home with body shakes, paranoia, and hallucinations. That night I overdosed on meth and prescription drugs. Dahn Carlson, my youngest sister says, “It was hard to see her like that. She wouldn’t stop moving.

I never knew her drug use was that bad until that moment. I had lost my best friend.”

All I remember is the look on my family’s faces.

My dad stayed with me that night in the hospital.

When I was in the hospital, my heart rate was topping 160. That’s a night I’ll never forget. You think that would make someone want to get off the drugs. Wrong, that made me worse. It was at that point I realized I had lost my family, my real friends, my life, my dreams, and all hope. From then on all I had to look forward to was my next fix.

After being in and out of court, my judge, Commissioner Russell, finally had enough of me. He changed my judge to Judge McCully, and sent

me to detention. I was in detention for seven days. I was released into an after school program called EIP (Early Intervention Program). I ended up failing a UA (urinary analysis) and was sent back to detention exactly a week later from the day I was previously released. I waited there for two months on a waiting list for Odyssey House.

I entered Odyssey and was required to complete the 45-60 day residential program.

The first two weeks were hard. I didn’t want to be there and I refused to do the work.

This lead to difficult consequences.

After that, I realized I needed help with my addiction.

I started doing good and participating in therapy.

Towards the remainder of my time there, they decided to transition me back into society by having me take overnight home visits. It was a Saturday and I was going to take my first one. I went home and to my knowledge, everything went great.

Monday morning, in group, my counselors told me I had failed my drug test for a benzodiazepine called Clonazepan. Clonazepan is a prescription drug that drug addicts use as a sedative. Did I take them? Was I drugged?

Still to this day, it is a mystery to me.

From there they decided to keep me in

Odyssey House but switched me from short-term to long-term. Long-term requires 6-12 months.

My second time around was incredible. At first I hated it. Who would actually want to be in rehab for that amount of time? The first few months were very difficult. I had to change my unwilling behavior, accept where I was, and realize what I have to do to remain sober. This would include participating in school, individual therapy, group therapy, and house activities. This was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I was in Odyssey House for sixteen months. I had to learn to function without drugs. It’s like trying to draw a picture out of a magazine with the hand you don’t normally write with.

I successfully completed Odyssey house adolescents on September 29, 2006, and was placed back into my parent’s custody. Now I’m trying to learn to fit in and be a regular teenager. The hardest part is picking up where I left off. Granted, I have many struggles and have suffered one relapse, but ultimately, I have completely changed my life.

As far as school, I plan on graduating with my class and walking June 1, 2007. Following that, I plan on starting classes at SLCC and eventually getting my LSAC (Licensed substance abuse counselor). With my LSAC I plan on becoming a counselor for adolescents with substance abuse.

I have also continued therapy three times a week to keep me balanced and to prevent future relapses. Even though rehab was one of the hardest things to do, it was the most rewarding thing I have and ever will do in my life.

6 NEWS

Conformity

May 2007

Druids, Warlocks, and Shamans Oh My!

By Dominick Prospero

By Tacara DeTevis

Why do people conform? During the past few years of my life I’ve allowed myself to step back and look at the idea and realize how much it affects teenagers. We teenagers are extremely vulnerable and susceptible to this disease that rots individualism mainly because we want to be accepted. Conformity has become so present in people that it’s become difficult to stray from it and demonstrate individualism. Now for those who are lost, you don’t avoid conformity by dressing like a punk or growing your hair or anything like that. Conformity is a disease of the mind and soul; you avoid it with your ideals and your neglect of the stability in a functioning crowd, group, or small society. When you become a punk you are conforming just as much as any other prep kid or working person. Doing drugs and drinking is conforming as well. Anticonformist, in essence, is educating yourself (books, observing people and nature, thinking for YOURSELF etc.) and not making yourself vulnerable to society and it’s aged and decaying ideals.

The problem with being individualistic today is that the bulk of people have come to fear it and have playfully and ignorantly labeled it as “insane.” People see a barefooted boy laying in the grass somewhere and staring into the sky and they think, “This guy needs to be taken to a hospital,” or even worse they disregard it as stupid. I am infatuated with anybody who has the courage to walk off any paved path and wander around for themselves. I like to think I am doing the same thing. The point is that America, the country who seemingly supports individualism more than any other, needs to be desensitized to the people who are anti-conformists. We need to stop instinctively labeling people and not be so shocked that some kids, unlike you, hate crowds, despise all government-funded forms of education, and are completely lost on how America has become what it is today.

I asked junior, Atoni Deangelo and senior, AnnJeanette Johnson if they knew what World of Warcraft was and the answer was “No.” Danielle Heilman, a senior, replied “Is that a book? Oh wait… a game?” On the other hand, many of you know all too well exactly what I’m talking about.

World of Warcraft (WoW) is an online role play game (commonly known as RPG). As a player you are a hero in a fantasy world.

As this hero you choose a race (i.e. troll, elf, gnome, etc.), a class (i.e. warlock, hunter, warrior, etc.), and then you run around the world completing quests to help in game characters, thus becoming a hero.

As you play, like most games, you level up. In WoW a new level is not like a new task, it’s a personal rank of accomplishment. Edson Rojas, a senior here and like many, a WoW addict, admits “I have three characters. Levels 70, 60, and 34.” I asked what kind of playing time it took Edson to achieve this, “approximately 6 months, 4 to 5 hrs a day.” Now you understand ‘addict’.

WoW is addictive like drugs and will cause withdrawals! It is a hallucinogen. You log on and your life is replaced by an alternate reality. That’s where it sucks you in, replacing the stresses of life with a fantasy. This, however, quickly becomes unhealthy (see hours Edson Rojas plays). Junior, Analee Scripter’s brother is a WoW addict, “Instead of actually hanging out with friends they just sit in a room staring at separate computer screens. It seems like that’s all he does.”

Just like any other drug, it’s also a costly addiction. To buy the game is $30, the extension pack, “Burning Crusade,” is another $40, and an online account to play is $15 per month.

You will also need a good computer with lots of memory to avoid lag. Lag is when your computer doesn’t load the screen images as fast as it receives the information causing the screen to act like a skipping DVD. Considering all the money and time that goes into playing, do you wonder how some of these people hold a job? The game will take the place of any and all social life. Your guild becomes your friends; maybe you’ll even get married. That’s right, your character can get married, but you have to find a priest to marry you. People really do it.

So how can people keep playing this game? It tends to lose it’s game status; to a lot of players it becomes life. After all, it is significantly life like. Parallels can be found such as this one pointed out by senior, Brandon Herd, “Your skills are like getting degrees in college. There are different levels like associates, bachelors, and PHD. And it costs just as much and takes the same amount of time.”

People lose more than just money playing this game. While playing I’ve met people who ignore their family and/or have lost their marriage because they prioritize this game too highly. This last summer I almost broke up with my boyfriend because when he wasn’t working he played.

(At the time I didn’t realize that it was a necessary stress relief. Once again though, it’s not really healthy.)

He played WoW and I just sat there.

Sometimes giving him a massage or

cooking Mac & Cheese. Well, it gets old fast and that wasn’t a relationship I wanted. I brought this to his attention and as a WoW addict what did he do? He bought me a computer, a game, and an account, and later when it was released he bought me the extension, Burning Crusade. (You do the math!) So now, I play and we’re happy. However, I wouldn’t consider myself an addict; I’ve gone weeks without playing when I’ve had lots of homework and/or Dance Company. If I had to pay for it I wouldn’t play at all. What happens though when someone can’t keep their playing healthy?

Senior, Brandon Herd has recovered from his WoW addiction. “I was having trouble thinking about it at school all day. It was obviously taking over so I stopped playing.” Brandon just went cold turkey and that worked for him, but during this interview the difficulty of letting go of the relation was apparent in Brandon’s reminiscing of his main character from his playing days.

So this is a message, if you are a player already, check yourself!

If you are beginning or thinking of playing, watch yourself. WoW is a game, and generally a fun game, but it is unimportant when compared to reality. Also WoW is going to be here for a long time (Trust me Blizzard is making HUGE $$ off this game.)!

Don’t pass up REAL life opportunities over a game. Another FYI, running from Darnassus to Iron Forge doesn’t burn any real calories, your body is yearning for some active time out of that computer chair.

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NEWS 7

Tri-Color Times May 2007

Presidential Campaign

By Malerie Phillips Elections are coming and many students here at Granger will be able to vote. Once we turn 18, it is a privilege to be able to vote for your president, governor, mayor, representatives, etc. In November 2008 we will be electing a new president to take over our country. Sometime this year Republicans and Democrats will be voting on who they want to represent their party in the presidency. Here is a list of candidates for the Democrat and Republican Parties.

Democrats Here is a list of candidates wanting to run for the Democratic Party. Each party must choose one candidate and the following are those who are campaigning to be that candidate. Underneath each candidate is a small compilation of their campaign issues:

Republicans Here is a list of candidates wanting to run for the Republican Party. Each party must choose one candidate and the following are those who are campaigning to be that candidate. Underneath each candidate is a small compilation of their campaign issues: Former Governor Tommy G. Thompson (Wisconsin) •Need for improved health care •A need for tax cuts •Ban on partial birth abortion

US Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Delaware) •Plan to end the War in Iraq •Reduce oil consumption and America's dependency on other nations for it •Energy Security and Health Care •Contain cost of Health Care—Expand Health Insurance •Higher Education

Congressman Thomas G. Tancredo (Colorado) •Controlling illegal immigration—keep out all nonEnglish speaking immigrants, legal or illegal •Build a huge militarized wall against the US-Mexico border.

•Helped create the Minuteman Patrol

US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York) •Improve Homeland Security •Increase the minimum wage •Affordable Health Care •Rights of Women

Former Governor W. Mitt Romney (Massachusetts) •In 1990 he was an advocate of pro-choice and pro-gay rights, he has now changed his opinion to pro-life and he opposes same sex marriage

US Senator Christopher J. Dodd (Connecticut) •American Security •Education •Leadership on Iraq

Congressman Ron Paul (Texas) •He votes no on almost everything •Against improving Federal budget •Against new Federal programs •Against drug laws •Against regulatory laws •Opposes the Iraq War •Sharply Lower Taxes, slash Federal spending

Former US Senator John R. Edwards (North Carolina) •Eliminate Poverty •End war in Iraq •Affordable Health Care •Eliminate America’s addiction to foreign oil Former US Senator Maurice R. Gravel (Virignia) •Against a Military Draft •Withdrawal of troops in Iraq •Eliminate income tax •Education if #1 •Put real money into Social Security •Enact National Healthcare

US Senator John S. McCain lll (Arizona) •Vietnam War Credentials, so he would be a better leader in terms of the war •Massive immediate increase of number of soldiers in Iraq •Opposes Gay Marriage but he opposes the Constitutional amendment to ban it.

Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio) •Universal Health Care •US out of Iraq and put the UN in •Repeal the Patriot Act •Quality Education Pre-K through College •Social Security benefits at age 65

Congressman Duncan L. Hunter (California) •Significant increase in Military •Stopping illegal immigration in US •Influence Intelligence Gathering Agency Former New York City Rudolph W. Giuliani (New York) •Strong leadership following 9/11 attacks •Drastically reduced crime in New York •Pro-choice, Pro-Gay Rights, Pro-Gun Rights •Messy Personal History

US Senator Barack Obama (Illinois) •Strengthen America's position in the World •End war in Iraq •Open an honest Government •Improving Schools •Create a working healthcare system •Improve Homeland Security

US Senator Samuel D. Brownback (Kansas) •Pro-Life, anti-embryonic cell research anti-gay rights •Armed intervention of ongoing genocide in Darfur

Who are you voting for?

Sarah Denning: "I think it is pointless to vote and a waste of my time."

Tyler Moore: "I would vote for Mitt Romney because I agree with his values and I am in his religion. I don’t think he will change where he stands if he gets voted into office."

Jesse Burr: "I don’t know enough information about politics to vote and to place my opinion, although if I did know more about it, I would definitely vote."

8 STAFF

Tri-Color Times May 2007

Tri-Color Times Staff

Images by Will Thorup and Bios by Joe Fatani

(As World of Warcraft characters)