Author: Helen Phillips, staff writer
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On Quotes
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt Except for spiders, car crashes, sharks, rape, drowning, terrorist attacks and death. There is nothing wrong with fear. There is…
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On cannibalism
Do you ever wonder what the little pieces of goldfish crackers are doing at the bottom of the bag? The spare head, the extra tails? They are not misplaced parts of goldfish left over…
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The death of the paper
I first read about the Boston Marathon bombings online as they were happening. There were live updates by the minute about the death and injury toll, the suspect in hiding, the material the bomb…
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Disney: Where dreams, not racism, comes true
I grew up on Disney movies. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Tangled, and Mary Poppins, to name a few. Watching these movies taught me…
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The changing dynamics of marriage
For the first time in American history, “the median age [of women] at first birth (25.7) now falls before the median age at first marriage (26.5).” For the first time women are having children…
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The insurmountable divide
In the United States, and across the world for that matter, there are various divides. There are divides between Duke fans and Carolina fans, between freezing temperatures in the winter and hot summer weather,…
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The repercussions of online donating sites
Karen Klein is a 68-year-old woman who recently received a $703,168 check. She did not develop a cure for cancer, nor did she end poverty or win the lottery. Karen Klein received over $700,000…
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The hidden super star in Winnie The Pooh
Everyone remembers Pooh. In Winnie the Pooh stories, Pooh is the main character. He is the honey loving bear, the protagonist, the unflappable, reliable, turn-to sort of character. He is most kids’ favorite character…
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Why failure is good
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”– Michael Jordan Using the words of Michael Jordan, success stems from failure. People often strive to be…
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The problem with iPhones
According to a survey by Nielsen, 66 percent of Americans between the ages of 24-35 have a smartphone. The advantages of smart phones are obvious–easy, quick access to the internet, entertainment, and social networking…
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Why Malala should have been #1
Time Magazine named Barack Obama as the 2012 Person of the Year, calling him “the symbol” and “the architect of this new America.” Author Michael Scherer argues for Obama in the Time article, citing…
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The rise of online colleges
Colleges and universities have been the cornerstone of American education since Harvard was founded in 1636. Yet technological advances and easy access of the internet allows for a new market for prospective students: online…
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Why the Santa lie is a good lie
He’s had the chest pains for weeks, but doctors don’t make house calls to the North Pole … There comes a time in every child’s life when his parents reveal the ugly truth: the…
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Christianity: all you need is love
My name is Helen. I’m a soccer playing, J-Crew wearing, minivan driving high school senior. But I don’t want to be known as anything other than a Christian. In Acts 13:22 God describes David…
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The argument for affirmative action
As college admission representatives receive applications from students across the US, many are faced with the difficult decision of who to accept. Many students appear the exact same on paper: good grades, involved in…
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The benefits of high school sports
An article on usnews.com found that 55.5% of all high school students played a sport during the 2010-2011 school year. But after examining the wide range of social and academic benefits of being…
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ESL students work together
There are a mix of communities at Leesville: the athletes, the theater kids, the artists, the ESL students and the AP scholars, to name a few. Each community is unique from the others, but…
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Are women forced to marry down?
Over the past several years many statistics have been published detailing the number of men and women graduating from college. According to an article on cnsnews.com, “685,000 men and 916,000 women graduated from college…
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NHS supports JDRF
National Honor Society met Monday, Oct. 15, for a presentation on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Marianne Corocoran, a Kids Walk Coordinator for JDRF, presented a powerpoint about JDRF to members of NHS.…
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Environmental Club seeks to serve
Environmental Club met Tuesday, October 2 after school to do more than just socialize and enjoy some tasty snacks. Instead, the club decided see how they could impact Raleigh for the better. Jessica Merdes,…
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Music stimulates student minds
With Chris Martin singing “Yellow” in my ear, I turn up my ipod and set out to conquer my homework. It’s routine for me, as well as many other students, to listen to music…
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Obama and Romney differ on college grant funding
As presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney debate issues such as terrorism and health care, many wonder how their policies will affect education. High schools receive most of their funding from the state,…
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Music: helpful with homework
With Chris Martin singing “Yellow” in my ear, I turn up my ipod and set out to conquer my homework. It’s routine for me, as well as many other students, to listen to music…
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Twins: more than meets the eye
There is a picture of my dad holding me when I am just three weeks old. My skin is practically translucent, and I have IV’s coming out of my nose. My grandpa says I…
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Caps outrun Pride
The Leesville Cross Country team lost to Broughton’s XC team Wednesday, Sept. 5. After a tough 5k (3.1 miles) on the Leesville course, Broughton just edged out the Pride. Despite the loss, Leesville runners…
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Loonies gain pride with summer jobs
With teenagers wanting more independence and more money in their pockets, many have started to work. Summer jobs are a great way for teenagers to do something productive with their time and also gain…
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Khan Academy enables students to succeed
With confusing subjects, hard exams, and difficult teachers, students often struggle trying to find a source of extra help without having to pay for an expensive tutor. However, Khan Academy, a free online tutoring…
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Christmas spirit surrounds LRHS
As the much anticipated break grows nearer, many students at Leesville are breaking out Christmas decorations and reviving yearly traditions. For many students, Christmas decorations are a fun way to jazz up normal school…
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The joy of Christmas tree shopping
Burton Hills once said, “The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree….the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” Yet to have the happy family, you first have to…
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Peppermint mocha delights
On an unusually warm day for December, I walked into Starbucks after track practice. I don’t like coffee, so I planned on buying peppermint hot chocolate to quench my chocolate desire. Yet after smelling…
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Model UN club meets again
The Model UN club met Thursday, December 1 to discuss the rules of order for their caucus (a debate) next week. Since Model UN is a debate club, students must learn certain rules and…
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Toddlers and Tiaras: too much?
Many researchers, as well as parents and other adults, believe children are growing up too fast. Younger girls are striving to look older by wearing more mature clothes and layers of makeup. Pressure for…
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Block scheduling: the pros and cons
Block scheduling is a program based off of two semesters that are four classes each. Traditional schedules are different in that seven to eight classes are taken year long. As I have progressed through…
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Literary contest commences
The Raleigh Fine Arts Society Literary Contest is a short story writing competition held for high school students in Wake County. The contest starts Oct 3, 2011, and ends Jan 11, 2012. The short…
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Leesville’s best and brightest prepare for Governor’s School 2012
Governor’s School is a six week residential program where rising high school seniors take a course and live on college campus. The courses vary from core classes like Math and English to electives, such…
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Leesville students are National Merit Scholarship semifinalists
Beyza Batca, Larry Han, Justin B. Palpant, Dominic Sirkin and Jeremy Weiss are named as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists. The five Leesville seniors are among 16,000 other semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program.…
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Nature: grace and freedom
Various studies show the positive effect nature has on humans. A study done by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan from the University of Michigan has shown that nature reduces mental fatigue and stress. Too much…
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Leesville seniors begin application process
Leesville seniors are applying to a variety of colleges and are nervously anticipating a reply. Several schools both out of state and in state have deadlines in October for Early Action/ Early Admission, such…
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JV Volleyball hopes to build strong team
The Leesville JV Volleyball team defeated Durham Jordan 25-4, 25-15 on Sept 27. The Pride rallied hard and had great performances from the entire team. “The team did a lot of things well on…
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Contagion infects theaters
Contagion, a science thriller, was released in theaters September 9, 2011, and has made over 45 million dollars. The film has a famous, well-rounded cast: Matt Damon, Jude Law, Marion Cotilliard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and…
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Yopop; yummy but unimpressive
A new self serve frozen yogurt store, Yopop, just opened in Little Brier Creek, near Pei Wei. Similar to Yogurt Mountain, Yopop has 14 different flavors of frozen yogurt and 38 toppings. The…
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Creative Writing club introduced to Leesville
The Creative Writing Club met on Wednesday, Sept 6, after school in room 240. It is the first time there has ever been a creative writing club at Leesville, and the students who attended…
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Former Leesville athletes play in college
College freshmen have adjusted to playing sports in college after graduating from Leesville. For the athletes it has been tough to not only make the transition to a new school but also have a…