Category: columns
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The book quartet review: The Mirror Visitor series
The books in order: A Winter’s Promise, The Missing of Claridelune, The Memory of Babel, The Storm of Echos.
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Book Column Two: Wrong Place Wrong Time
The front and back of the book are filled with red and brown to symbolize the violence and mystery in the story. Faintly in the background, you can see an analog clock representing how…
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A Saying for the Week
(Photo used with permission of Wikimedia Commons) When people say that “the pen is mightier than the sword,” they are trying to explain that using words to fight against something is better than using…
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A Saying for the Week
(Photo Courtesy of Gretchen Stern) People often hear the saying, “a cat has 9 lives.” This refers to the fact they are usually very agile and noted for their longevity. While this is obviously…
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A Saying for the Week
(Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) You hear the saying “actions speak louder than words” commonly in day-to-day life. If someone wants to apologize to someone else, or is trying to accomplish something — as…
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The Black Lives Matter movement
What it is and why it was started Many of you may have heard the saying, “Black lives matter” or “no justice no peace”, these chants are heard at nearly every BLM protest. Alicia …
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Teen movies are getting worse and worse
Every now and then I like to scroll on Netflix to see what they’ve added to the site. That is how I came across the movie The Perfect Date. I would normally scroll past…
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Lessons from Atticus Finch (Lesson #1)
Atticus Finch may have gone unappreciated as students pretended to read To Kill A Mockingbird in school, but he most definitely should not have. Atticus, as you may remember, is the father of the…
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Teacher “pay raise” not a raise for many
At this point in time, everyone has heard the phrase “Red for Ed,” an educational advocacy group. Leesville’s teachers have been a huge part of this fight, working towards better working conditions for teachers.…
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Screen time vs sleep time
The opportunity of thoughtless entertainment is enticing, especially after a long day’s work. The room is full of easy laughs and tired eyes all pointed towards the television after a tiresome day. “Screen time”…
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When I Grow Up – Exploring Medical Careers
Generally, the first time we’re asked what we want to be when we grow up, we have our futures completely planned out in our heads: “I want to be a Powerpuff Girl and live…
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When I Grow Up – Exploring Accounting Careers
Imagine, it’s another normal day at the office, solving financial discrepancies, when you are sent to a business to conduct interviews of employees in the accounting department. Their numbers aren’t adding up and neither…
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Why my sister is my hero
Caroline Byrne, otherwise known as Bou, Leesville junior, my little sister, my best friend and my inspiration. Bou suffered a traumatic brain injury from medical complications after corrective scoliosis surgery. The injury affected her…
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App of the Month: Temple Run 2
Temple Run has returned, with a new rendition of perhaps the most popular mobile game of all time. Imangi Studios, the creators of the game and a North Carolina-based company, did well to follow…
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Too many tests
The point of school is to learn. Frequent standardized tests in the classroom can take away from learning time without adding anything of real value to students’ high school careers. Often times, students are…
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The Anonymous Collective
Anonymous [uh-non-uh-muhs] n.: of unknown name; whose name is withheld: an anonymous author. Everyone knows what it means to be anonymous. But what does that term mean in today’s day and age? For a…
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A picture is worth a thousand words
A picture is worth a thousand words. Luckily I have that many. Expanding on my last column, I will continue to explore my ability to develop my artistic intelligence as described by Howard Gardner.…
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Intelligence comes in many forms
This column began with a lazy effort attempting to draw a bird, leading to a year of my being poked fun. I will be embarking on a journey to see if I can improve…
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Microsoft: The New Windows 8
The new Microsoft operating system, codename Windows 8, is rumored to be the next big thing to hit the world of electronics. This new build, which was announced to be released in January 2012,…
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“It actually IS rocket science!”
Ever heard the saying: “It’s not rocket science?” In Mr. Kelley’s Aerospace class, it actually is. Michael Kelley is a part-time pilot and is happy to teach his favorite subject. When asked if he…
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Keeping the pet peaceful and protected
Animals have always been important friends to the students at LRHS. The technology that helps us keep them safe and happy is a vital part of our pets’ lives and should be used by…
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Soo’s tips for college preparation
The most daunting challenges of college comes in the first few weeks. This is the period when freshmen discover their new surrounding environment, join clubs and start classes. The initial two weeks of college…
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The Tuba Monkey: Traditions in Leesville Music
All families have traditions — those ways that groups of people take their storied pasts and connect it to their futures. Leesville clubs work similarly, like when Political Club passes the club gavel to…
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Reed experiments with meat cupcakes
When my mom asked me the morning of May 23 if I wanted her to bring me a “peanut butter and bacon cupcake” home that day, part of brain sizzled out and died. I…
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Senioritis: A bittersweet farewell
It is with a (somewhat) heavy heart that I write my final Senioritis column. We seniors have less than two weeks of school left. We have made countdowns, set phone alarms and decorated the…
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Minecraft: the simpler, the better
Many video game designers favor incorporating complex story lines and detailed graphics into their creations. One designer, however, has taken the video game industry down a level with his block-building game called Minecraft. Minecraft…
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Canadian candy – surprisingly not weird
My dad’s job required us to move from Canada, but his job also takes him back to Canada routinely. Upon these visits, he stocks up on the Canadian delicacies that cannot be attained in…
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Leesville’s courtyards: one of the seven wonders of Wake County
Once upon a time, hidden by the walls of Leesville, there lay two solemn courtyards. Inhabited by rambunctious gnomes and overgrown with foliage, these mythical paradises, once the centerpieces of the school, are now…
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Senioritis: month seven
I’ve come to a startling realization, folks; an epiphany, if you will. A school year is nine months long. Nine months is also the duration of a normal pregnancy. Ergo, if senior year were…
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Students can beat Prom shopping wallet anxiety
Prom is a time for celebration, and a senior’s reminder of the freedom coming soon. This year, Prom has been moved up two weeks, occurring prior to Spring Break, and creating a world of…
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My least favorite meal of the year
A few times a year, my mother will insist on preparing a meal that her own mother used to make for her. Unfailingly, every St. Patrick’s Day, my mom spends hours working on my…
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Bennett attempts to understand freshmen once again
When we last met, I informed my loyal readers that I had sworn off writing about freshmen. Their immature antics baffled me, their awkwardness confounded me, and above all else, their innocence infuriated me.…
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Students recommend forensics
Forensics is the science used to solve crimes. Students can enroll in the LRHS forensics class to learn to wield the tools used to solve these cases just like real CSIs. Ms. Collins, biology…
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Photography: Film vs. digital
Since Joseph Nicephore Niepce took the world’s first photograph in 1814, photography has continued to progress and evolve, just as every type of art has. The year of 2011 is a turning point in…
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Vinyl converters bring back oldies
Students throughout Leesville either turn to virtual libraries or CDs to hold their favorite music. The age of vinyl records may have diminished since the 1990’s, but these vinyls have found new ground with…
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I am not an Inuit!
The inspiration for this next column came from a rather abnormal source: Ms. Angela Scioli’s Honors Sociology class. The class has been studying different cultures, in this case, the Inuit– attempting to understand them.…
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Benefit concerts: Music for a cause
It’s one thing when you go to a concert, or a play, even a puppet show, just for your own entertainment. But when you see a performance in order to lend a hand to…
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Catastrophe strikes when parents text
Parents are often slow to learn when it comes to new technology. Whether it be adding new music to iTunes or uploading pictures to a newly-created Facebook, it’s usually the teenagers of the household…
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Facing the music: What’s next for music majors?
Erica Spear is in high demand. Appalachian State and UNC-Chapel Hill both want her for her musical abilities. Not that academics doesn’t play a role, of course, but any school that takes the time…
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Senioritis: month six
Having contracted the Bubonic Plague (or possibly a cold; it’s too soon to tell), I have been quarantined in my house for quite some time now. I have spent a good chunk of that…
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Tablets: the new laptops
I have watched computers shrink in size dramatically in my life time. After Apple released its thinnest laptop ever made, I finally believed designers would stop trying to shrink computers. Somehow, designers ended up…
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Freshmen anger senior staff writer, cause fight, resolution, learning experience, success!
Dear Readers, As many of you may know, I usually write my column about freshmen. That was, of course, until I had to give presentations to their classes. It all started when my newspaper…
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Metamorphic art of paper
There are two typical types of art: additive and subtractive. The process of painting or sculpting involves adding material to the original medium – additive -, and sculpting requires material to be chipped away…
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Super Bowl snacks
On February 6, sports fans alike will gather to watch the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers face off in Super Bowl XLV. Whether you and your friends gather at a sports bar…
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Senioritis: month five
I am halfway through my fourth and final year of high school. Haaaaaaaaaaaaallelujah! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Halleeeeeeeeeeeeeelujah! In celebration of this achievement, I’m going to do things a bit differently this month. Here is…
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Freerice.com – the helpful way to procrastinate
Over the past few weeks, I’ve introduced five websites that allow users to waste countless hours avoiding their homework and watch the minutes pass at work. While entertaining and distracting, these websites don’t accomplish…
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High School Musical: Cliche but valuable
In 2001, teeny boppers everywhere tuned in to the Disney Channel to watch the premiere of High School Musical. The movie quickly became the most popular Disney Channel movie ever produced and completely glamorized…
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State of the Union: Education
In the 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama spoke about education in America and what Americans must do to improve it. Obama convinced the nation that this is “our generation’s Sputnik moment.”…
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Tougher admissions… maybe not
When asked if becoming accepted to college is harder these days, the answer will undoubtedly be a resounding yes. Especially in selective universities, the number of applicants rises each year, and the admissions rates…
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Applications are fun!
By this time of year, most seniors have found out or decided which university to attend. These students have the luxury of finishing their high school years with less anxiety. However, although becoming accepted…