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.

As a current junior, I am confident I can speak for the rest of my classmates when I say that college is one of the many things constantly running through our minds. Teachers, parents, and guidance counselors have been pushing college preparation guides at us basically since we walked through the doors on the first day of school . . . stressing that it can never be too soon to start getting ready to make what could be seen as the most important decision in our lives. But when it comes to choosing your future career and college, can such a decision really be narrowed down at barely 17 years old?

I know that a few months ago, I could barely set my mind on what I wanted for lunch each day, nevermind nail down a concrete future. And with that said, seeing college brochures pile up in my mailbox and e-mails pouring in from hordes of schools I’d never even heard of truly made me want to just pull the covers over my head and hide from the idea of college instead of embracing it. Posters advertising various career programs line the hallways at school, and college informational guides are splayed out everywhere you can imagine. It’s hard enough to focus on high school these days, with the immense amount of work and important assignments introduced to us each day, let alone let your mind wander to the distant future where colleges and careers are concerned. Yet according to many of the adults in our lives, we should be putting thought into the college process as often as we can.

Flashback to September and October — back to the days of the college mini fairs. For three consecutive Tuesdays, representatives from many colleges across the New England area set up smartly decorated tables throughout the cafeteria, fanning out informational booklets and laying out pens for hopeful students to give out their personal information. And then hundreds of juniors and seniors were herded into the cafeteria and, for the next 20 minutes, were expected to mill about and find their potential academic calling. Immediately, the indecisive student in me became overwhelmed by the chaos of the crowded cafeteria, and I scurried around collecting a brochure from each and every school available, worried that the one school I miss could be the one destined for me. And three mini fairs later, I now had an entire milk crate filled with informational booklets and brochures from more colleges than I could name offhand. But they were still just that — a crate full of brochures. I still could not single out among them the one college I was dying to attend. And in the months following, guidance counselors set to work, scheduling assemblies and appointments to help each of us juniors pinpoint the career path right for us. My parents also took on a fair share of the work, sitting me down and showing me documentaries about student loans and scheduling college visits over school vacations. And I can’t forget about the teachers — they all somehow manage to incorporate the word “college” into the curriculum even when it seems to have no relevance to the matter at hand.

The first few months of junior year seem to be more geared toward college prep than anything else. As soon as you step into eleventh grade, you are rocketed into a world of college lectures and online statistics, and the pressure is on for you to find your educational calling. There’s no doubt that this introduction to the college search is stressful. Adults and peers are constantly asking the question, “have you figured out where you want to go to school yet?” And until now, I would always answer tentatively. “Not really, I’m still looking!” Because the truth was, I hadn’t figured it out. Figuring out what you want to do for the rest of your life and which college is going to take you there is a hard decision. Probably the hardest one I’ve had to make yet. But the real question is, are the efforts put forth by guidance counselors and parents helpful in this decision? Do their informational strategies help ease this stress-inducing process?

After months of college fairs, relentless emails, and parental pressure, I can finally say that I’ve begun to narrow down my college decision, finally beginning to see the career destined for me. And why? Because for the past few months I’ve been surrounded by nothing but ideas: ideas about college, ideas about careers, ideas about my future. Ideas that really helped me brainstorm and figure out my decision without even thinking about it, really. Months ago, back in September, I was annoyed by all of the college information being thrown at me by the guidance department. But now I realize that because I was introduced to that information, and especially because I was introduced to that information so soon, I was able to narrow down my decision quicker than I ever would have if not informed. The truth is, for these past few months my brain has been quietly working, quietly sorting through all of the information gathered from college letters and brochures and preparing me for this big decision without me even realizing. And though I’m not sure exactly where I’m going and what I’m going to do when I get there, I’m definitely a few steps closer.

Many of you juniors out there might know exactly what you’re meant to do. Many of you might be figuring out one step at a time, like I am. And for those of you who have absolutely no clue where you’re going, don’t worry. You’re not alone. But whether you realize it or not, you’re much more prepared for the college decision than you know. All of the efforts of the guidance department have not been for nothing. Though it seems like college is all anyone is pushing at you right now, you will be thankful once you finally figure out what college is right for you. College is undoubtedly one of the biggest decisions of our lives. And though it may seem silly to start thinking about something so distant in the future, the truth is that it really never is too soon to start planning. Graduation is coming whether you’re ready or not. When you finally figure out where you want to apply, it will no doubt be because of the hard work of those around you.

Marijuana is always a tricky subject to tackle. More often than not, there will be smoked-out hippies defending it and middle class suburbanites attacking it. As some states have  voted to legalize it, and others have softened laws about its use, I was looking for some unbiased information on whether or not marijuana is “healthy” for use.

Now that raises the question: what is healthy? Health is defined as “the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living organism” (thank you, Wikipedia). So I will be judging the herbage on whether or not it meets that criteria.

Right off the bat, it is smoke going into your lungs so it’s a carcinogen. That means it can cause cancer. Scientists are still arguing over whether inhaling marijuana smoke is more or less dangerous than sucking in cigarette smoke, but either way, it can’t be healthy for you. Frequent use of the drug can also irritate or damage your lungs and increase your heart rate by 20-100 percent shortly after smoking. So that most likely isn’t beneficial to your health.

By using marijuana, you gain a sense of euphoria and an out-of-body experience. This is likely why it is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S., according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.   Chronic use of the drug during your teen years can result in loss of memory, lowered IQ, inability to concentrate, increased depression and loss of motivation . . .  so, definitely not healthy. I did say, however, “chronic use.” Proponents of marijuana cite studies that have suggested these side effects are lessened in recreational or light use of the drug. Of course, then you get into the sticky situation of determining what should be considered “chronic” and what is “recreational.” According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, chronic use is defined as smoking marijuana 27 days out of 30.

But then I discovered thanks to DrugWarFacts.org that there has never been a recorded overdose-related death caused by the mean green. I assumed that thanks to lung damage, cancer or loss of IQ, someone would have died from years and years of use of it. This isn’t the case. Many  states including New Hampshire, New York, California and Massachusetts have legalized medicinal marijuana. Medicinal marijuana is utilized to help people in extreme pain and suffering such as cancer patients. It eases their pain, and since it probably isn’t going to kill them (there’s a reason you’ve never heard of medicinal crack), they smoke it. In Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, the drug has been completely legalized, and their mortality, murder and injury rates have not gone up (if anything, the food service business has gotten a boost).

Marijuana walks the fine line between being classified as a drug for good reason (remember all those side effects) and being able to truly help people in pain. It is fairly non-addictive. I believe that it’s not the drug that hurts people, it’s the people who hurt the drug’s reputation. People are dumb, let’s face it, and they are most certainly dumb enough to think they’re okay to use a mind-altering drug every day or drive while under the influence. No surprise. But there are some  times when using the drug can be relatively safe or even medically beneficial. Alcohol is legal and that hurts and kills a lot more people than marijuana.

Every year since third grade, the months of March and May have meant only one thing: MCAS. For two or three days in each month, students in classrooms across the state sit in silent rooms for hours and muddle their way through the thick, professional packets. Reading passages with questions to follow, the dreaded five-paragraph essay, and math diagrams to solve are the most prominent memories I have of these long spring afternoons. MCAS is not very difficult if the teacher has taught the curriculum well, and students are often given practice packets for months leading up to the big day. In fact, it is not uncommon for a few kids from each grade to achieve a perfect score on the English or Math tests. MCAS is long and painful, but very doable for most students.

Last year, change began to take place in the seemingly immovable system. My English class was selected to take part in the pilot test of the brand-new PARCC exam. There is no better surprise than getting told you got lucky enough to take part in even more standardized testing! In all seriousness though, taking this new test was interesting in that we got to see what the MCAS will become. The PARCC test is different in that it is entirely online, including all readings, drawings, diagrams and open responses. It took a while to get used to the new interface, but once I had the hang of it, the exam was basically just a computerized MCAS. I felt that the readings were more advanced and questions more analytical than MCAS, but overall, there were no major changes to the world of statewide tests.

So, which is better (or should I say, less painful), MCAS or PARCC? My answer: neither. MCAS is helpful in that it introduces students at a young age to the concept of standardized testing, and PARCC combines testing with the use of technology which cuts back on our environmental footprint (and makes my inner Prius driver very happy). But what do these tests really accomplish? Sure, they help track that students in Massachusetts are being taught what they should be under the curriculum, but there are other, more beneficial ways of accomplishing this. I feel that the standardized tests taken by elementary, middle andhigh school students should resemble the SAT or ACT. Rather than asking questions about what an author meant by certain phrases or how to find perimeter and area, the tests should focus on vocabulary, critical thinking, and logic to get students used to thinking in this way. These two tests in the long run are much more important to individual students since they play a large role in college admission. If the MCAS or PARCC were treated like an early version of the SAT for younger grades, students would be starting to think in terms of this test years before they even have to take it. Rather than having to spend hundreds on private tutors or classes to prepare for the SAT and ACT like many families do each year, the school system could provide this service all the while checking to see if schools are teaching what they need to. I’m not saying we should do away with standardized testing, I’m simply advocating that we reinvent it.

There were three aspects of the recent shooting at Paris magazine Charlie Hebdo that frightened me.  The first being the initial shock that arises from learning of a terrorist attack, the feeling of sadness and vulnerability.  The second wave of fear was the realization that this was not just another assault, but a direct attack on free speech, an ideal that embodies individuality, creativity, expression and knowledge.  The third wave was one I had experienced before, the fear of a ripple effect.  I worried that the incorrect presumption that this catastrophe was an act of the Islamic religion would only spawn more hate, creating the very thing that had spurred this event.

It is a sad but true fact that everyone our age has experienced this emotion, the slightly disoriented feeling that arises when you learn about a recent terrorist attack.  I can recall it clearly after the Boston Marathon bombings.  It is a upsetting feeling, realizing the lives lost and the many injured.  It is also rather confusing.  I think it is difficult to entirely comprehend how people can harbor so much hate for others. I mean, we hear of things like this relatively frequently and we understand that these kinds of things happen. Yet it is still difficult to cope with, when one deeply examines the fact that something drove these men to such hate, that they believed wholeheartedly that these journalists do not deserve to live anymore.  Accompanying this confusion is the immediate fear that terrorism is crawling closer to you and your family.  This feeling was painfully apparent at the Marathon, but I still feel it in over the Parish attack, thousands of miles away.  Although they were not attacking America, they were attacking journalists, the human representation of free speech and, as guaranteed by the First Amendment,  a value on which our culture was built.

I do not agree with the cartoons published by the magazine Charlie
Hebdo.  I would say that they portray Islam in a derogatory way.  This poor depiction is not exclusive to Islam; the magazine has insulted all walks of life including America and friendly European countries. However, no matter how much I dislike their content, their editors have the right to publish the material.  As much as we roll our eyes at a rude cartoon, a wild proclamation from Time magazine, or an image of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover of Rolling Stone, these are byproducts of freedom of speech.  Although we can fiercely disagree with some things that are published (or most things), without freedom of speech we would lose the many world-changing articles, poems, songs, books and speeches that have been created.  We would feel alone in our selves, losing the song that captures our exact emotion.  We would lack inspiration, never hearing that speech that urges us to do more. Without the freedom to express ourselves we would not form different opinions, we would not challenge opposition, we would not overthrow tyranny, we would not fight for what we believe in, and we would not have the ability to profess our truth.  To take away freedom of speech would be to smother the passion that is inside every one of us.  The attack on Charlie was an attack on freedom of speech and the only way to encounter this is to fight back.  I do not mean fight back in the traditional sense, but to use the gift of speech to fight against terror and encourage hope.

As I had mentioned, the last wave of fear that came over me was the fear of a ripple effect.  I will use Boston as an example again.  I hated coming back to school after this catastrophe because I hated listening to my classmates talk about Muslims.  It was not all my classmates, but enough to trouble me.  I heard derogatory things said about the people who practice this religion. I am sure this was just people speaking from a hurt place, saying things that they did not really mean, but this is only a small example of a terrible phenomenon.  If allowed to fester, this hate, this feeling of being attacked or harmed, can turn into something so much more. Although the act was deranged, the terrorists who attacked Charlie believed they were retaliating against the phallic-faced image of Mohammed that the magazine released.  I fear that this hate will continue, that our society will have caught this feeling and turn it around on the people who practice the same religion as these terrorists.  This was not the crime of an entire faith, but the crime of some sad, sick men. In fact, many devout Muslims condemned the attack and any terrorists who use violence in the name of their faith.

Ridding oneself of hate is not an easy task, but it is something that we all must strive for.  As difficult as it is, we cannot allow the fear of this terrorism to affect us any further. In order to combat it, we must carry on, professing love in all ways possible and hoping that it can spread.

A common theme with all of our latest articles is the fact that 2015 is a new year with new opportunities. One of those opportunities is to evaluate where exactly you stand in life. Is it where you want to be? Or are you perfectly happy and content with the person you are right now? Most people people I know would answer “yes” to the first question and are always striving toward the elusive goal of self improvement. What better way to start off 2015 than by fully taking advantage of all of the opportunities that HHS has to offer?

You have four years here and at a basic level you have two options on how to spend them. One option is to choose to whine and complain about everything that doesn’t go your way. This option is exercised whenever you hear people grumble and grouse over doing work in class. I know far too many people who take that option and it’s honestly quite depressing for me to hear.

The other option (and the most favorable one) is to realize that you have the opportunity to become a better person and improve yourself during your years as a high school student. You are stuck here for about 40 hours a week so you might as well make the best of it. The best way to meet that goal is to become involved in HHS wealth of extracurricular clubs and activities. Most people I know are involved in at least a couple of them.

But joining an activity just to list it on your college applications isn’t enough.  I would encourage everyone to take the next step and ask themselves why they involved in the activities that they have chosen. Too many people fall into the trap of selecting activities due to the perceived value of them to college admissions boards. No matter how many times it has been debunked, the misconception remains that you have to be involved in everything in order to have a shot at college. Or even worse, that you have to be in the right clubs. This leads to an unfortunate issue of people attending meetings but not really being too engaged. In such a case, both the person and the club in question are being hurt. The person is wasting their time and the club finds itself starved of talent or energy and it ends up dying. That is an end result that, as a senior, I have seen far too often and heard earfuls about from plenty of other people. It is a situation we as a student body should resolve to prevent in 2015 and going forward.

I really encourage everyone to look at their extracurriculars and ask themselves whether it is the best use of their talents. To continue doing an activity you have no passion for is doing a disservice to everyone involved. Don’t overextend yourself to create a grand resume of activities. Find something you’re really interested in and commit to it.

That being said, News Club is always looking for new writers and we encourage anyone to come our meetings in the Library on Wednesdays. If nothing else, you’ll see me there ;).