The Talon » Student Life

Faculty edges out students

JT Shores — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:24:15 +0000

The faculty came out on top of Wednesday night’s First Annual Faculty vs. Students basketball game narrowly beating the seniors 83-80, despite a variety of unusual calls against the seniors such as face mask, dress code and patty cake. At the end of the third quarter with the faculty in the lead, Mrs. Stafford tried calling the game due to rain. Without the unorthodox calls, it’s easy to say the seniors would have won despite “The Real McCoy’s” 56 points which includes his three crowd rousing dunks.

Getting ready for the big dance…Prop Prep!

Elizabeth Hernandez — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:32:25 +0000

Prom is the most awaited dance in high school and it’s suppose to be the best night of your life. Prom is your final school dance and a step closer to graduation, preparing for prom is full of nostalgia, in-decisions, and nerve reck. Yet when it all boils down it’s all worth it. Preparing for prom could be easy, or hard for you depending on what kind of person you are. The biggest thing that every one stresses over is what to wear, especially girls since their wardrobe consists more then just a black on white tuxedo. Choosing your prom dress is very decisive so here’s a checklist that will help set you on the right track.

Perfect Prom Checklist

There are six weeks before prom: picking out the perfect prom dress

_ Things to take in mind when picking your prom dress.

keep in mind what people are wearing this year. A few examples of what’s in this year are fitted shapes with striking colors and delicate embroidery. Curvy dresses girded with structured undergarments will trumpet your femininity, while soft fabrics…silk and chiffon overlays, lace bordering and beaded hemlines…will announce your elegance. Necklines tend to be straight across, with or without straps. Backs that are low cut with one strap per side are center stage. A-lines with floor length skirts are most popular.

* Also remember to pick a figure faltering dress, a dress that does not complement your figure is like wearing a lamp shade as a dress. This is very important please keep in mind.

* Another thing dresses which have cuts and slits in unflattering places and which expose too much cleavage are out. Romantic soft flowing fabrics are more the fashion at the moment. Don’t over do it with your dress keep glitter at a minimum and any thing that seems like too much or too harsh.

* Although having the perfect prom dress is a long awaited fantasy, choose something that reflects your personality.

Next important thing is your hair.

* Pick a hair style that suits your dress theme.

* If wearing a heavy jeweled neckless, style your hear in an elegant up-do.

_Four weeks before Prom

*Make any nail appointments and Salon appointments ahead of time (Do not leave this for the last minute unless you want to do your own nails and hair)

* If you have already picked out your dress try it on again and see if any alterations are needed take care of this now so that you don’t have to worry about it later.

* The worst thing at prom is getting blisters on your feet. So break into your newly bought prom shoes. This will help you get use to them and feel more comfortable wearing them.

The most important thing to remember is to feel comfortable with what you are wearing, whether you choose the classic look, with a long flowy prom dress, or the sweet and sexy look. Prom night is your night, and it’s a night you’ll always remember, so make it worth while!!!

Gang Life: What’s the story?

adviser — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:01:52 +0000

Gangs are defined as “a group of people who through organization, formation, and assembly share a common identity and use it to do criminal activity.” Gangs are responsible for roughly half of all homicides and other crimes in major cities. There are over 21,000 existing gangs with 731,000 active members some of the biggest gangs are MS-13, 18^th Street, Latin Kings, Bloods, Crips, and also Folk Nation. From this huge number of active gang members they estimated that 49 percent of gang members were Hispanic, 37 percent were black, 8 percent white, 5 percent Asian, and 1 percent had another ethnicity.

Now the real question: Why would someone join a gang? You might think it’s just a big group of people with 1 person in charge, and that 1 person is telling you what to do and how to do it. If you don’t obey you get jumped by your own brothers or members. The truth is that it’s still something that more and more kids are getting into for a variety of reasons. For one, gangs are known to make a lot of money and they are able to do this by selling drugs or hitting licks (another term for doing any kind of theft). Another reason is peer pressure. Seeing your older brother, cousin, or anyone you look up to in a gang will initially lead you to wanting to join a gang too. Seeing how cool they are and how they have protection towards anything. Some might say gangs are like a brotherhood. Does that remind you of anything?

Fraternities are a lot like gangs they both go through initiation to get in and must obey the so-called leader. Just look at gangs as an underworld fraternity that instead of planning mixers and parties they plan crimes and instead of helping each other with their college work. Instead of throwing keggers or helping the other member get a guy or girl they help each other hit licks or sell drugs.

I interviewed some gang members who would rather not be named, for obvious reasons, and asked them why they joined them and what’s a typical a day in the life of a “gangbanger”. One told me “ I joined because I was going through a lot of problems with my family and being with the gang took my mind off of it, my big brother was in it too and the gang was always at my house because of him so I just figured why not just join. Usually through the day all we do is just chill, smoke, drink and sometimes go out together to clubs which just cause problems because we run into other gang members and we have to fight or murk them.” Another told me “ Being in a gang is not just something anyone can do it takes a lot of guts to be able to do it because you don’t get to run free and do what you want you are told an order and no matter how crazy you have to follow through with it.”

Gangs are on the rise and growing rapidly by recruiting peewees (gangbanger in training). While law enforcement tries to contain them it seems to be a never ending battle of back and forth.

クラブ That’s Japanese for club

Monique Boileau — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:07:07 +0000

“We have a Japanese club?”
This is, more often than not, the response students give when Mrs Saarela announces a Japanese club meeting on the morning announcements. So to clear up all the confusion, yes! Forest Hill does, in fact, have a Japanese club. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just a place for manga and anime (Japanese comics and animation) fans to congregate on Wednesday afternoons; in this club, students can learn basics of the Japanese language and immerse themselves in different aspects of Japanese culture. “It’s not anime club,” says club president Rebecca Morales. “We’ve got music videos, movies, TV shows, and you can actually participate in what we’re doing.” The members decide what the next meeting will be about, which could be anything from movies and music to politics and pressing issues facing the people of Japan.
They may not all be Japanese, but these kids come from all walks of life and are interested in the same thing. “It’s neat because it’s a variety of kids,” says Mrs Johnson, club supervisor. “Everybody can come here and fit in because it’s a culture unfamiliar to everyone, which is what makes it interesting.” Mrs Johnson also says that although the club started small, it has doubled in size it started. It was started by students, for students, and they’re the ones running the show. “I just supervise,” she says. The way the club is structured allows students to make suggestions and work as a team to teach each other about different aspects of Japanese culture. “We have a lot of fun, but at the same time we get to see [Japan's] culture through movies and different activities,” says club member Maria Olea.
The club is currently planning a trip to the Morikami Museum once the FCAT is out of the way. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach has been a center for Japanese arts and culture in Palm Beach County for over 30 years. It was originally created as an exhibit of the history of the Yamato Colony, and Japanese farming community that came to South Florida over 100 years ago. The Japanese club hopes to visit the Morikami to gain a better understanding of Japanese customs and history. Here, one can attend tea ceremonies, which are an important part of Japanese culture, and visit the different galleries open to the public. These include the history of Japan and the Japanese culture in Florida, paintings, sculptures, traditional Japanese clothing like Kimonos, and much more. Even the buildings are built in the traditional Japanese style of architecture. When you walk out into the 200 acres of Japanese gardens surrounding the museum, there is a certain sense of tranquility. The tropical banzai and Japanese Koi fish in the gardens help to mimic the forests of Japan. The Zen gardens also offer a taste of traditional Japan. These dry gardens of gravel, pebbles, and small boulders and plants are like miniature landscapes. They are a way for Japanese Buddhists to represent cosmic beauty and are found in Japanese meditation temples.
Even though Japan is in some ways more modernized and more technologically advanced than the rest of the world, ancient traditions and cultural beliefs are still a huge part of their daily lives. Here, even if we are Americans, many of us still practice traditions and customs that our parents or grandparents brought from their countries. By visiting the Morikami, the Japanese club and other visitors can experience the essence of Japan in America. The Morikami Museum and the spark of interest at Forest Hill in Japanese culture is a reflection of the ways that Japan has really become part of our culture. “It’s fun to come here and learn about a culture that not many people get to experience,” says one member. Thanks to the Japanese club, the students of Forest Hill can learn about the customs, art, language, you-name-it of Japan. So, if you think you might want to learn a Japanese word besides “karate”, you should consider stopping by the Japanese club this Wednesday in room 4-206.