With the end of the school year slowly (but surely) coming to an end, stress is at an all-time high, at least in my world. I’ve got my Humanities project (that includes gallery night, my presentation and actually finishing the project), AP exams, finals, and making sure I don’t fail math. I’ve tried everything in an attempt to ease my stress, but recently I gave up and accepted the stress into my life. Here are a few ways I’ve embraced my stress:

1. Sleep­: First thing’s first, completely disregard sleeping. Being an insomniac, it’s pretty easy for me. Force yourself to stay up ridiculously late way past the point of basic sanity to try and finish your work. It’s a terrible idea to sleep because if you do, it could ruin your chances of getting sleep debt, and sleep debt is amazing because you then get granted one more thing to stress about!

2. Diet: One of the most stressful things to deal with is ensuring you are eating a balanced diet. I end up eating whatever can be heated in the microwave quick and easy. Also make sure that employees of Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks, whatever you prefer, know you by heart because you need that caffeine in order to help with tip #1.

3. Exercise­: Sitting in the same spot for hours on end is a fantastic way of ensuring you avoid any of the positive effects that physical activity can have on your mental health. You have to be very careful though because even a 10­ minute walk can start bringing stress levels down, which can really suck when you’re trying to break into new levels of frustration.

4. Hobbies­: It’s a very good, I mean, terrible idea to try out different things until you find something which relieves your stress. A lot of people find having a new hobby will give them a new outlook. So to ensure that won’t happen to me, I made my school work my hobby. In happier times, I love writing. But now, the majority of the time I spend writing, I’m actually squeezing any enjoyment I could have had from it right out of my life. The result? You got it: stress!

When I look back on September, I can easily say now that I didn’t have a good idea of what to expect of high school. I had a slight advantage over going in completely blind because my 16-year-old sister Cate had already gone through the high school transition two years before. However, the tips and explanations she gave me about the experience did not paint the entire picture of being a freshman.
This was not her fault, of course. First of all, that would be a pretty long conversation—one school-year’s worth of details. But most importantly, we were — and are — different people so our experiences had the strong potential of being totally different. People often speak of not being prepared for something as a negative thing. But for me, the lack of expectation was very exciting. It was not going to be another year of middle school, I knew that. My year could have gone in any number of directions and I was eager to discover which direction it would go.

Speaking personally, I enjoyed this uncertainty. However, I can’t deny that it was very helpful to have a little bit of advice and perspective beforehand. The most important thing to appreciate going in is how much more independence you have. This was a very good thing. In middle school, the big change was not following a line of the same people from class to class. What I found in high school, however, was a new meaning of self-reliance, beginning at the very start of the day. We no longer have a homeroom or academic support experience. Instead, there are school bells which dictate the beginning of the day and when each class begins and ends. It’s up to you to manage getting books from your locker and getting to class on time. This idea was terrifying at first, but in reality the teachers were forgiving when I occasionally couldn’t make it to class on time. Plus there has always been plenty of time to grab my binders in between classes.

It has been interesting going to school with students who aren’t really kids anymore, but are closer to adults. At the beginning of the year, I did cross country. The team was very small and mostly composed of upperclassmen. Suddenly, the coaches had high expectations of each individual’s capability and maturity. And everyone on the team was very responsible and friendly, reaching out to the newcomers on the team like myself. I suggest that any incoming freshman consider a sport or club which can allow them to interact with other students outside of a classroom.

I would say that this year has been pretty challenging for me in class. I’ve had to dedicate more time to school because I’ve wanted to get a good grasp of the academics. So, for most of the year I didn’t take part in any sport or club besides cross country. I do think, however, that this was just a reflection on this being a bigger adjustment for me than my freshman classmates. Some of my classmates have played a sport each season and done fine.

But despite the new workload that everyone experiences, the air of independence encouraged and practiced by the teachers and students has allowed me to develop a work ethic I otherwise could never have gained. The information that’s taught in class is more detailed and fascinating. At this point, I feel like I know a little more about the “real world” and feel much more confident about myself in it.

So now that three-quarters of the year has passed by, I can identify which direction high school has swung me. It’s an exciting direction with new friends, new environments, and new teachers. I am a lot more self-reliant and I’ve had opportunities I didn’t have in middle school. Being around more people who know themselves better than they had in the lower grades is inspiring and interesting. I can say now the direction high school has taken me in is a great one.

As the snow slowly and painfully begins to melt away, I find myself thinking more and more about days where the I can wear shorts and tank tops, the days where I can get a sunburn and drink iced tea. Along with all of this, I find myself craving good, out-of-a-cone ice cream. In order to inspire you to think of these far away warm days, here is my list of the top places to eat ice cream nearby.

JC Dairy
This is absolutely a local favorite. Its location right in Hanover makes it a great place to quickly satisfy ice cream cravings. The opening of JC’s always marks the beginning of the spring season for all of us in Hanover. They carry all the classic soft-serve flavors, along with several other treats as well.

Dairy Twist
Dairy Twist is another popular place in the summer months. It is only a short drive away in Pembroke. As one can see from any Hanover student’s Instagram, Dairy Twist ice creams are a work of art. They come with bountiful toppings, coating the entire outside. They also give very large portions. Unless you can deftly eat an enormous ice cream before it melts, I recommend buying a small cone. Dairy Twist offers all kinds of flavors, giving it some of the most varieties in the South Shore.

Peaceful Meadows
Peaceful Meadows is a classic ice cream destination for any day of the year. As their sign proudly boasts, they are open ten to ten, 365 days a year. However, only in the summer can you pet their cows while you wait for your cone to be prepared. Yes, cows. Located on Route 18 in Whitman, Peaceful Meadows is an actual farm. The milk they use to make their ice cream comes from the cows on their farm. Although they do not offer as many flavors as these other shops, they have incredible homemade ice cream.

Hornstra Farms

Like Peaceful Meadows, Hornstra uses milk from the cows roaming in their pastures. Only recently did this Norwell farm start selling ice cream. Before this they just sold milk. You can see some of their trucks driving around town making deliveries. Their ice cream is mind-blowingly delicious. Also, driving to Hornstra is an ice cream experience. I know this sounds silly, but it really does feel authentic driving down a secluded road to a little farm with a big barn and a fields of corn. And yes, you can pet the cows here too.

Sometimes I think instead of having only one sweet tooth, both rows of my teeth are infused with sugar (surprisingly I’ve had no cavities  . . . yet). From cupcakes to brownies, I love them all. Basically the key to my heart is a cupcake, specifically red velvet. I’m the person that people who work in bakeries despise because not only do I poke and touch the glass, but also can never decide what to get because I’m engrossed in a world of precious treasures. After traveling from town to town in a quest for the best bakery, I’ve made up a list of the top 5 best bakeries nearby that every lover of sweets needs to visit.  Also I’m curious to know what’s your favorite bakery, for, you know, uh . . . research. Without further delay let’s begin before my mouth
starts watering.

5. Giuseppes Cakes: I’ve only recently discovered this bakery and am so glad I did. This is actually the only bakery in my list that’s in Hanover. Incredibly sweet cookies and cupcakes and they’re all so beautifully decorated. Also it’s fairly cheap considering their cupcakes are gigantic.

4. Montilio’s Baking Company: Ok even though their service isn’t the best in my opinion, if you want amazing Italian sweets, this is the place for you. There are quite a few locations, one in Braintree, Brockton and Quincy. My personal favorite is their lobster tails that they load with cream. They also are very creative when it comes to their designs, such as adorable gingerbread houses.

3. White’s Bakery: Now if you have not been to a White’s bakery, you clearly have not lived yet. But not to worry, they have three locations, one at Derby Street in Hingham, and others in Brockton and Mansfield. This bakery has such a wide range of sweets, even mini desserts which is perfect because you can have three of them but can justify it by saying “it’s ok, they’re mini.” They win the award for best tarts, the fruit tart being my favorite.

2. Greenhills Irish Bakery: I have to tip my hat to the people who work here because whenever I go into this bakery it’s always flooded with people, yet they manage to make the line move very quickly. Because it’s located in Dorchester it does take a while to get there, but it’s worth it.  If you are on the lookout for a great apple pie, this is the bakery for you. The thing I love most about this bakery is that they have amazing sweets from England that are impossible to find such as flakes.

1. Cupcake Charlie’s: As I mentioned before, I have a major addiction to cupcakes and this place satisfies any cupcake urge I get. With two locations, one in Plymouth and at Patriot Place, if you’re a cupcake addict like myself you must visit this place. With a huge selection of cupcakes to choose from, you will not be disappointed. My favorite is a tie between the peanut butter and the red velvet.
Lastly, most of their cupakes have a rich fudge center, and who doesn’t love that?

It was a typical Sunday afternoon. I was just sitting on my bed when all of a sudden the sweet aroma of brownies wafted up to my room. I trudged down the stairs to see my mom pouring brownie mix into none other than the . . . waffle iron?

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love waffles. I honestly might be obsessed with waffles. I just love everything about them from the shape to the taste. Anyway, it has lately come to my attention that people all over America — including my mom — are cooking more than just waffles in their waffle irons. (Search Google or Pinterest if you don’t believe me) Does that seem right to you? It is specifically called a “waffle iron,” so clearly its intended use is to make waffles and ONLY WAFFLES.

Okay, there are some things that are, by my standards, “semi-socially acceptable” to cook in a waffle iron:

• WAFFLES (obviously!)
• cinnamon rolls
• brownies
• French toast
• cookies
• cake
• paninis and sandwiches
• MAYBE a quesadilla (but that’s pushing it)

On the other hand, here are some things that I have read you can cook in a waffle iron that I do not condone whatsoever:

• omelets
• bacon
• pizza
• fried rice
• potatoes
• churros
• cornbread, banana bread or any other type of bread
• hash browns
• crab cakes
• corn dogs
• eggplant parmesan
• chicken parmesan
• french fries
• any form of pasta
• hamburgers or anything else containing meat

Okay, so let’s run through some specifics. I truly did enjoy the brownies that my mom made in the waffle iron. They were perfectly crispy on the outside with warm, soft, brownie on the inside. So go ahead and pour some brownie mix in a waffle iron! I support that! But let me tell you why I think basically everything else in a waffle iron is horribly wrong.

Let’s begin with meat. WHY WOULD YOU EVEN THINK TO PUT MEAT IN A WAFFLE IRON??? Why would you ever want to make a waffle in the same iron that you’ve made chicken parmesan in? I like to think of waffles basically as a dessert for breakfast, and why would you want meat with a dessert?! Who wants a hamburger in the shape of a waffle?? Not me. It’s just un-American. Please don’t cook meat in a waffle iron.

And DO NOT even get me started on crab cakes and other seafood. No explanation necessary. I would rather put meat in a waffle iron than seafood and you KNOW how I feel about meat in a waffle iron.

Pasta. Let me just say the workers of Barilla and other pasta companies, along with pasta chefs everywhere, take time out of their precious days to make sure pasta is in a beautiful little shape. They shape all different pastas into all different shapes such as elbows, linguine, spaghetti, ziti, fettucinni, rotini, ravioli, etc. If people take their time making all these little pasta shapes… why would you turn it into the shape of a freaking waffle?!? I think we can all agree that the majority of Italian chefs wouldn’t be so happy to see people pressing ziti into a waffle iron. I hope nobody tells the Italian chefs that pizza is being put into wafffle shapes as well!

To end my article, I would like to advise that everybody go and make themselves a belgian waffle, just a NORMAL thing to cook in a waffle iron.

For the first two weeks of February, McDonald’s restaurants ran a marketing campaign that terrified me. “Pay With Lovin’ ” promised that customers would get free food if they agreed to random stunts such as calling their mother, performing a dance or hugging a stranger. McDonald’s thought this would be hip and spontaneous and generate a lot of good neighborly feelings. Instead, social media exploded with complaints that the promotion was intrusive, obnoxious and mortifying.

I couldn’t agree more. When I go to McDonald’s, it’s to get a quarter pounder and fries, not to feel neighborly. I want a friendly, but quick, transaction. I don’t want a life-changing experience. If they asked me to call my mother, I’d either look like a jerk for saying “no thanks” or sound like a downer for telling them she’s passed away. The Grub Street website reported about a customer who called his mom and freaked her out because the call was out of the blue. McDonald’s can’t anticipate people’s issues. What they think might be a fun and harmless task can stress or offend someone. And I feel bad for the employees too, who are forced to dredge up what is most likely false enthusiasm for a job that barely pays the bills. I have to admit that I avoided McDonald’s for the duration of the promotion out of fear of being targeted.

Advertising is all about catching the public’s eye, getting attention and generating excitement — I get that. And while I see through all the manipulation and innuendo of commercials, I still enjoy them and sing the catchiest jingles (“give me a break, give me a break . . .”). But companies presume too much when they try to turn marketing into something touchy-feely. Customers want a product, not an experience. Just give me my food (or my beverage or my whatever) and leave me alone.

Another recent example of invasive and awkward marketing is Starbucks’ efforts to spark conversations between baristas and the customers they serve on the issue of race. Race, religion and politics are things I only talk about with close friends, where I know differing viewpoints will be accepted and relationships won’t be crushed in the debate. I would never talk about these things with a complete stranger for fear of offending the person, or getting trapped in a heated exchange with someone who doesn’t know how to agree to disagree. I can’t think of a topic more potentially incendiary than race. Yes, this country needs to open a better dialogue about discrimination and social ills, but that conversation doesn’t need to take place between servers and patrons during the brief, often rushed purchase of a coffee. I would argue that doing so is not only potentially uncomfortable for everyone involved, but also irresponsible. Is Starbucks giving its employees specific talking points to follow in these discussions, or giving them free reign? I’m not sure which would be worse.

I’m sure in both cases, the companies were trying to bolster their image as compassionate, socially-conscious businesses concerned with more than making a profit. But I think these efforts back-fired. Rather than encourage people to feel good about the company, these campaigns turned people off. If McDonalds, Starbucks and other companies  want to help people, they should work with reputable charity organizations and put their company’s wealth behind a good cause. Don’t hide behind a marketing gimmick — an obnoxious one, at that — and pretend it’s a way of doing good.

You know when someone says something that resonates with you to your very core?  It can be a passing comment, a token of advice or just a statement, but it stays with you long past that person’s presence. It plays on repeat in your mind every second, it just won’t seem to get out. It’s called “over thinking” and personally, I deal with this on a daily basis. Everything that comes my way, I typically go crazy and think that if I mess this up, the entire world will go into peril. These situation can be anything from writing an essay to smearing peanut butter on my sandwich. It’s not just me who goes through these dilemmas, it seems everyone overthinks everything. Whether it’s what we think or what someone says, it affects us more than we let it show. But I, for one, am sick of it! So I decided to list several concepts that people need to stop over thinking:

Every painstaking detail of why something didn’t work out. It doesn’t matter anymore. There is a time for reflection for the sake of growth to not repeat a mistake, but other than that, overthinking the wrongness of it will just bury you in your own sadness and remorse.

Mundane social disparities that, contrary to your fears, do not mean anything. Sometimes people just don’t have the time to talk to you, or they just don’t want to hang out. We have a tendency to spiral into panic when these things happen, but in reality, more often than not, all these less-than-pleasing social cues mean nothing more than the person in question is saying they do.

Your overall performance. You will never receive constant validation that you’re doing a good job. Sometimes you just have to do your absolute best and let the other pieces fall as they may. Trying to decipher everyone’s opinion on what you do won’t make you any better at it, it will just drive you crazy

Your place in the world. The only place you belong is wherever you are right now, and if you’d like to change, where you belong next is where you want to go. There is no conflicting right and wrong when it comes to where you’re supposed to be in life. The mind may deceive you but your reality will not

How you look at any given moment. How people perceive you is a) usually a misconception of their own imagination and does not actually dictate anything about you and b) is never as in-depth as you think.

For as long as anyone can remember, physical education has been a welcome part of the high school curriculum nationwide. Ever since the mid-1800s, schools have placed a strong importance on physical fitness and its contribution to the well-being of students. Especially in today’s society, when childhood obesity looms terrifyingly close and the mass marketing of fast food and video games are promoting sugar and lethargy to teenagers everywhere, exercise and physical education are considered vital factors of a school’s curriculum. But what gym class doesn’t take into consideration is the fact that a large fraction of high school students have turned to playing after school sports as a daily form of exercise and physical activity. High school athletes, in practices and games, are given the opportunity to build healthy exercise habits and spend hours being active, making an additional 50 minutes in gym class two to three times a week excessive and unnecessary. In other words, student athletes shouldn’t have to take gym. If student athletes were not required to take a physical education class, there would be numerous benefits in regards to the convenience and health of the athletes, while also providing opportunities for non-athletes. In such a sports-loving society, physical education should be something that is provided as an alternative to those who are not involved or interested in sports, not required for those who are.

When you consider the hours throughout the week that athletes are spending with professional coaches in an active environment, gym class is not necessary to an athlete’s school day. Students who play sports are already getting up to two or more hours a day of physical exercise when practicing or performing in games. Students who don’t have this type of active schedule may need the 50 minute gym period every other day in order to get their weekly dose of physical activity. Athletes do not. This additional physical activity period creates another obstacle for student athletes: the possibility of overexertion. All students, even athletes, are expected to try their hardest to be active in gym class. But by the end of the day, those 50 minutes of exertion in gym class may have taken a very heavy toll on student athletes. They will not be able to perform to their highest standards for the duration of games and important practices that take place after school. Gym class serves the purpose of keeping students active throughout the school day, but when athletes are already exerting themselves on the field at practice, another 50 minutes in gym is irrelevant and overwhelming.

For high school athletes, feeling overwhelmed is something that is a clear effect of their busy sports schedules. Coaches expect them to be present at practices every day, and additionally participating in every game for as long as the game occurs. Sometimes, games can even run until after the sun has set. With such a tightly packed schedule, and spending so much essential energy during practice or a game, athletes rarely have time to get all of their homework done and study to their best ability.  But if athletes were not required to take gym, they would have more flexibility in their schedule to allow for more time for studying. Those gym periods could be utilized in a more beneficial way to athletes, giving them time to catch up on work that they might not have time to do between practices. Exemption from gym would definitely benefit athletes both mentally, by reducing stress levels from slipping behind on homework, and scholarly, giving them a chance to boost their grades by studying more.

Benefits of athletes opting out of gym class aren’t just limited to the athletes themselves- a fraction of students being absent from physical education gives the non-athletes a chance to participate to their fullest extent. With the number of students in gym class cut down, it eliminates the overly-competitive aspect of having athletes in gym who can keep regular phys ed students from getting involved. Students can feel comfortable enough to really try their best in activities, not just hide in the background while the athletes demonstrate their sports talents. And in addition to this, gym teachers would be able to spend closer time with these non-athletes, teaching them ways to stay active and get in shape that they may not learn otherwise. Exempting athletes from gym class isn’t only the right choice for the athletes- it is the right choice for the student population as a whole.

Overall, the clear benefits of athletes opting out of gym class make the decision to allow it such a thing an easy one. If athletes did not have to take physical education, they would be more energetic and prepared for practices and games, they would have allotted time for studying and making up time lost on the playing field, and non-athletes would be able to participate without pressure in gym class.  Without physical education, athletes may not get specialized lessons from a gym teacher, but they can get good information about maintaining a healthy lifestyle from coaches, or even parents, instead. If student athletes weren’t required to take physical education, they would become overall better athletes and students. With such advantages blossoming from exempting athletes from gym, all school administrators should be asking themselves why they haven’t allowed it yet.

Seniors only have about 3 more months of school before Senior Week and the activities leading up to graduation. Those three months will fly by in the blink of an eye. Before we all know it, we will be processing onto the turf field one last time to receive our diplomas. Summer will fly by and most of us will be heading off to college before we even realize what has hit us.

For that reason, I encourage all the seniors (definitely myself included) to finish out senior year at least strongly as they started it, if not stronger. It’s all too easy to become lazy and complacent when the end is so close in sight. It becomes even easier when we haven’t had a full week of school in weeks due to unprecedented snowfall this winter. Seriously, we just broke a 70-day record for snowfall in the Boston area in about half as many days. I pity the underclassmen who are going to be in school until the end of June. At least the high school will be best building to be in because we at least have a functioning HVAC system, most of the time.

Yet I’ve already started to see the inevitable laziness and complacency begin to creep into the social fabric right here at HHS. Let’s be honest, if you asked any senior how much homework they’ve actually done for their classes, it would be an insanely low amount. You very quickly learn which classes require you to put in effort and then put in the bare minimum needed. Trust me, I may or may not be guilty of the same tendencies myself.

Ultimately, while it so easy to throw away your last few months here at HHS, I would you encourage you not to. The only person who you end up hurting in the long run is yourself. Once foisted into the responsibilities of the real world, high school will probably seem as if it was the easiest time of our lives. Why not enjoy it while it lasts?

This past month, students across HHS were shocked and excited to discover that Instagram — a popular social networking app which allows users to post, like, and comment on personal photographs — had been unblocked on the school’s WiFi connection.  My fellow classmates and I were of course overjoyed to find out that we no longer had to waste personal gigabytes on scrolling through our friends’ selfies and artsy pictures, but some teachers were not so optimistic. They felt that access to these sites would cause a distraction in the classroom and take away learning. So the real question is, will unblocking Instagram be a generous gift to students at HHS as they pass time at lunch and after school, or a fatal mistake which will result in lower test scores, lower grades, and lower attention in class overall?

In my opinion, Instagram is one of the better social networking apps. It encourages creativity and meeting new people without the danger of having all of your personal information on display. In addition to just my friends and classmates, I follow Instagrammers from Australia, France, Germany and Hawaii. Actually, many groups at our own school use “Insta” for publicity and important announcements. National Honor Society, Student Council, and Drama Club all have their own accounts, to name a few (follow us @ _hhsindian for some of the best pictures on the web).

Like anything in life, Instagram is fine in moderation. Spending hours upon hours transfixed to that little screen is by no means acceptable, I think any high school student would agree. But in my experience, Instagram does not absorb too much time, or even require the user’s full attention. It is mostly something to quickly scroll through when we have a free 5-10 minutes.

People who worry about Instagram being unblocked forget one important thing: the app may not have been on the WiFi but students could still access it by simply turning off their WiFi connection and using their own wireless signal. It was never a major issue before, and most likely won’t be now. Having been often stranded after school awaiting a ride or sitting at lunch and remembering a cool photo to show my friends, I believe Instagram can be used in the high school without interrupting the learning that takes place.