How to Sell Your Soul: A Tutorial

Amanda Howe

            Speaking from personal experience, I know what it’s like to be addicted to a cell phone. I’ll admit it; I have walked into people because I was looking down at my phone. And without looking up from my phone, I just said, “I’m sorry” like a monotone robot, and continued walking. You know you’ve done it too. But have you ever stopped to think about what you did when you signed that little contract that binds you to a device for two years? Kayla Martinez said, “It’s like my little escape from reality.” Except it has become our reality. But if you can’t beat them (and you can’t), join them.

1)      Acquire a cellular device. You can go to Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, etc. As long as the phone has an App Store or Google Play, you’re fine. Make sure you sign the contract for unlimited data so you can continue on to the next step.

2)      Now that you have your device, you must decorate it as if it defines your life. Go all out, but take your time picking out just the right case. If you get the wrong bedazzled pink, the other “individuals” might think less of you. If you’re really into a certain show or band, make sure you get a case that has every nanometer covered in their logo or emblem. Some people go for the flashy 3D cases, but make sure you search the depths of your personality before going for this because it can backfire.

3)      You officially own the device that defines your entire status in high school. Congratulations! You’ve decorated the outside, but you haven’t even started on the inside. Throw all those pointless mandatory apps like Phone and Calculator into a folder and get ready to fill up your storage. Make sure you start by downloading the social media that is so integral to your being, you would die without it. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the musts, but you can branch out and download tumblr or Vine, if you need more updates on your friends eating habits. Warning: downloading MySpace will lead to the removal of your device from your custody by force. Music is another big deal. If you have less than 1,000 songs, you might as well return your phone now.

4)      After you’ve filled up your first page with social media, you get a little free will in the area of entertainment. You can choose to be the gamer, with Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga dominating your screen time. Or maybe you’re the reader, with Kindle and Newstand down in your top four. Movie lovers don’t panic. Fandango and IMDb have apps that can keep you updated on new releases and your favorite actress. Whatever you choose, make sure to get all the free apps in that category so you can keep yourself immersed in the digital world and out of the real one.

5)      Finally, you have your device all set up to your liking. This last step is the most important. Stare at it. The first thing you should do upon waking up is swipe the alarm and put in your pass code. After this, it should be practically impossible to tear your eyes away from its glowing beauty. Don’t worry if you’re clumsy at first. Your thumbs will soon be gliding across your screen protector as if they were created for this purpose alone. Ignore everything when you hear that sweet, pulsating buzz of your notifications. Once you’ve trained yourself well enough, the device will barely leave your palm throughout the day. You have officially succeeded in selling your soul to a mini-computer. Now go forth and avoid verbal communication.

Insight Into The Band Life

Ally Fisher              

                       

     It was Monday night; Kat and I had just finished watching my sisters bagpipe practice. I was walking to the car with my sister. She seemed happy and tired; she looks comfortable in her sweatshirt and leggings with her hair in a braid­ very different from how she usually looks. For the last two years I've grown to see that bagpipes is important to my sister Autumn. She has devoted most of her time trying to grasp perfection.        As we begin to speak to Autumn, her voice seems to be cracking and she speaks slowly when we began to question her. She keeps looking down every time she wants to laugh and pushes the baby hairs out of her face. She sips on fruit punch when she needs time to answer. She seems really enthusiastic about participating in the band. I am hoping in this interview something is revealed about the impact of being in the band had on Autumn. 

Ally Fisher­: So Autumn, What made you want to start playing bagpipes?

Autumn Fennelly [Smiling]­: Well, I was looking at a bulletin board one day and I saw a flier advertising bagpipes. I thought it would be cool to try it.

Ally Fisher­: At what age did you start playing? 

Autumn Fennelly:­ I joined when I was eight, and I was the youngest member at the time. 

Ally Fisher:­ Did you feel intimidated at times, because you were the youngest? 

Autumn Fennelly [Playing with her hands]:­ No not at all, being the youngest made me want to work harder so I would be respected by the older members. In bagpipes we have grade levels and your put into a level by your progress. I ended up skipping a grade level, because I was ahead of my teachers expectations.
Ally Fisher:­ What did you have trouble with when you first started playing?
Autumn Fennelly:­ I had trouble reading the music sheet. Also, it was difficult to focus my fingers 
Ally Fisher:­ Did you have any doubts when you first started playing bagpipes?
Autumn Fennelly [Laughing]:­ I got discouraged when I first started playing, at times I felt like giving up, but I really love playing the bagpipes.
Kat Fuchs­: What makes bagpipes better than other instruments?
Autumn Fennelly:­ Its different, everyone has their own opinions. When I play bagpipes I feel unique, its my talent that nobody can take from me.
Kat Fuchs:­ How well does the band work together?
Autumn Fennelly [looking down]:­ Pretty good, but we have a lot of individual work we have to master before we can put it all together.
Kat Fuchs:­ Does your band do any charity work?
Autumn Fennelly:­ From what I know, we sell tickets for a raffle to support our band. But I don't think hat we do actual charity work.
Kat Fuchs:­ Do you recommend bagpipes to everyone?
Autumn Fennelly:­ It depends on the persons work ethic and how well they can focus.
Kat Fuchs: What do you mean?
Autumn Fennelly:­ It takes time to learn how to play the bagpipes, it is not easy. I practice for many hours throughout the week, because if I don't I fall behind. You have to really want it.
Kat Fuchs:­ Do you plan on playing professionally?
Autumn Fennelly:­ I hope to play at funerals someday and other functions. I plan on playing the bagpipes for the rest of my life.
Ally Fisher:­ Well, thank you for your time it was really interesting to learn about the bagpipes.
Kat Fuchs:­ Thank you Autumn I learned a lot.
Autumn Fennelly­: Anytime, it was a pleasure.

Not So Smooth of an Entrance to Senior Year

Brian Krosky              

                       

                With seniors utilizing their opportunities to full advantage, many of them drive to school so they 
can be more flexible with activities before and after school, not having to rely on the bus schedule. 
However, a common complaint has risen among the seniors about the entrance to the main senior 
parking lot. 

Originally closed off for many years, another entrance was created to ease traffic and create a 
more steady flow. Now people can enter without having to circle around the parking lot completely. 
However, many students who utilize the parking lot on a daily basis have begun to complain about the 
quality of the parking lot entrance, and its need for updated maintenance. 

There has been speculation whether or not the school put a speed bump in that entrance to 
abate speeding, but no one has a sure answer. Senior Principal Thomas Kachadurian doesn’t believe so, 
but senior Akina Ngu does. “ I think it’s a speed bump, I feel like it is. I have to slow down or else it’ll hit 
the bottom of my car.” Whether it is or not, many students have also noted that the entrance has began 
to erode and deteriorate, creating a dip, which is just as harmful. 

Senior Ricky Rovelli weighed in saying; “It’s getting to the point where it can danger your car 
every day.” 

Jack Blanchard went as far to say, “It is needed (on maintenance repair), it would be less 
expensive to fix it than a lawsuit against the school of it causes an accident, it has the potential to.” 

One thing is for sure, students believe adamantly that there needs to be changes. Out of the ten-
plus students interviewed and asked, they unanimously agreed that this entrance was the worst of all 
the other ones in the school.

                                                                                                                                                                

Where does all the Money Go?

Eric Johnson              

                       
                As the school year reaches its mid-point and the seniors at Colonie High School become eager to graduate, the students begin to become frustrated with the rules that they are expected to follow in the prison that they call High School. A common complaint that repeatedly comes up with the senior class is the supposedly unfair requirements that come along with parking at the school. Student’s who own a car and want to drive to school are required to fill out a form and provide the school with their license and other information. Sounds reasonable right? The problem comes to place when the students are told that they must pay a required fee of $20. Many students believe that it is unfair for them to have to pay money to park just a few feet away from the school. Some students even go to major extents to avoid having to pay money by parking at the mall or at a location near the school. As a senior myself, paying my fee to park didn't really faze me until students around me brought to my attention the injustice that came along with paying the school $20. I thought about this for a while and that I kept on asking myself the same question “Where does all of this money go to?”

                I asked around and found that mostly no one including teachers and administrators had any idea what the money went to and why students had to pay money at all. Becoming more curious, I visited the Shaker High School website and found nothing that answered my question except for that Shaker has all of the same regulations as Colonie does with the exception of being assigned to numbered parking spots. After visiting multiple other school websites the question still remained unanswered. I calculated how much the estimated amount of money it would take if about half of the senior class was to pay a fee for parking. The amount of money rounded up to be about $4,000. Now it’s clear that the school could defiantly use that kind of money but for what exactly?

                Still asking myself the same question, I started to remember that there is one person that I see every morning directing traffic outside of the school. Hoping that they might know, I decided to go and ask the one person that might be able to finally answer my question. I quickly went down to the front of the school and found Officer Germaine standing near the main entrance. I took my pencil and paper and asked him if he could finally give me an answer a question. With a slightly sarcastic expression he agreed to answer. I explained to him that I was on a mission to find out why students are required to pay $20 for a parking permit, and how I was curious as to where all of that money went to. “I’m not completely sure how to answer that.” He said at first, but after about a minute of thinking he started to come up with an answer. “You know those beautiful yellow lines that you park in between every morning? [He grinned at me as he talked.] A lot of that money goes to painting those. The money also goes to the signs that I use to direct traffic and to the permit stickers that you put in all of your cars.” He then told me how necessary the payment was because without it seniors and other students would basically have nowhere to park in the morning. I thanked him for finally giving me an answer my question as I left the room.

                I was relieved to know that all of the money that everyone complains about spending actually goes to something that students use as a privilege every day. Students will complain every year about how it is unfair to pay money just to park at school without knowing what it is even used for. Although it sounds like something that is worth complaining about, students don’t realize that what they are paying for is actually the ability to have a place to park in the morning.

                                                                                                                                                                

Thanksgiving Is Not a Holiday Anymore, But a Reason to Shop

David Wang

Feel the savings but regret not celebrating the holiday, since you are not with your family on Thanksgiving but out shopping, just because you see big deals from advertisements. Now days, people are beginning to shop for Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving, which changes the meaning of the holiday. Thanksgiving is a holiday for having family time together, a time to enjoy each other’s company, and a time to remember one’s ancestors from the past. A time for giving thanks for things in life.

Black Friday deals starting on Thanksgiving has helped increase the amount of sales on the Black Friday weekends. According to ShopperTrak, Thanksgiving this year, stand for 11.6% of the total holiday weekend sales, when compared to the 3.6% last year. On Thanksgiving Day, there was a total of $2.583 Billion spent on gifts. $2.583 Billion is about three times the amount spent last year by Americans on Thanksgiving, according to NorthJersey.  Also, Bill Martin, the founder of ShopperTrak, states that Thanksgiving hours helped produce more sales revenue, which leads to the question if shopping on Thanksgiving is helping boost the economy.

Many stores offered big deals, just to lure shoppers, with little profit being made, according to the Huffingtonpost. According to the National Retail Federation, stores are making deals from hot electronic items to cashmere sweaters and toys. But not every store on Thanksgiving was getting a boost in sales. Rahmattullah Kareme, a fellow student, who runs the cash register at the electronics department at Kmart, states that he only saw about 7 customers throughout the day. Kareme states that Thanksgiving last year was busier than the Thanksgiving this year, due to the Kmart closing, and there is less merchandise to offer to customers.

According to the Huffingtonpost, surveys showed that many people complained about the early start, when retailers offered deals on Thanksgiving Day. Many people still went out to shop for the deals. Josh Griffin, a student, who was going out to watch a movie with his cousin on Thanksgiving, described the Colonie Center and Crossgates as a “madhouse”, where people lined up shoulder-to-shoulder and small crowds. Josh states that in some places there were guards, who allowed people into the store after a certain amount of people left the store. He saw many deals, like 50% off the entire store, free item with a certain amount of purchases, and sales on clothing and electronics. But not everything was on sale. Josh states that Thanksgiving should be celebrated for the family time and be able to see relatives that live far away. Also, Josh thinks that shopping on Thanksgiving would help boost the economy because of the amount of spending on Thanksgiving.

An anonymous source states that Thanksgiving should be celebrated, since people can give thanks for all that they have. The source describes Thanksgiving as a “magical holiday”. The source states that shopping on Thanksgiving would not help boost the economy because there are no profits being earned from the great deals that the stores are offering. But the source thinks that there has been an increase in the amount of shoppers this year because of the early start in offering deals than last year.

December 14, 2012

Jayne Kenneally              

                       
                The people of Newtown, Connecticut grieve the loss of twenty children and six adults from the school shooting that occurred a year ago from Saturday, December 14, 2013. In a recent article on cnn.com, it states that on Saturday, the town remembers the tragedy that occurred but more importantly, the lives lost. Newtown’s school shooting is the second deadliest to occur in United States history, following Virginia Tech’s in 2007. As the people of Newtown reminisce on those who died, the United States plans to enforce stricter rules and regulations on guns. Not only does the United States plan for a safer nation, Colonie Central High School makes changes so it can be a safer school.

                According to an article on cnn.com, Sandy Hook Elementary School had a new buzzer and camera system installed in 2012, before the shooting occurred. Adam Lanza, the perpetrator at Sandy Hook Elementary School, was not buzzed into the school. Lanza forced his way into the school by shooting through the front entrance.

                There are many security measures that differ at Colonie Central High School from Sandy Hook Elementary School. At Colonie Central High School, there’s a police officer on duty every day. The police officer at CCHS is Officer Germaine. Officer Germaine is on duty at CCHS every day, eight hours a day. He says that what happened in Connecticut “raised awareness and let us know it could happen.” Although there is a police officer on duty every day, CCHS does not have a buzzer system. Anyone can walk through the doors as they please. “So are we 100% secured?” says Officer Germaine, “No, we’re not” he replies. The school is going to be getting a buzzer system next year to ensure further safety for the students. Overall, Colonie Central High School is the only school in the district that does have a police officer here every day. Officer Germaine does state that if anyone entered the school with a gun, he would shoot them. He is a vital part to Colonie Central High School and by him being here every day, the students feel safe.

                The mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School is something that will go down in history.  The innocent kids and adults that lost their lives on that day are forever remembered by their families. With the implementation of stricter gun laws for the United States and the new buzzer system being installed in CCHS along with Officer Germaine being on duty every day, the country is aimed toward a safer life for everyone.

                                                                                                                                                                

How to Walk In the Hallways

Jien Ogawa


Here at Colonie High School, we have exactly four minutes between classes to
push and shove our ways through the crowded hallways blocked by meandering misfits
and that one girl who simply must reach across the entire hallway to grab her
boyfriend’s hand. Sometimes, if our next class is across the entire school, for example,
going to math or Biology from English class, the traffic in the halls can threaten to make
us late for class. Some don’t care, but for those that do, here is a little tutorial on the
secrets of the hallway. Take it from a speedwalking senior - they work.

● How to exit the classroom:

If your class is in the next wing over, or downstairs from your current
class, you have two options. If you want to get to class quickly, you can leave the
moment the bell rings and speedwalk to your next class, thereby decreasing
hallway traffic by arriving early. If you don’t care, relax, take your time leaving,
and just go with the flow of traffic. You’ll get there on time even with the
obstructions in the hallway.
If your class is across the length of the school (in any direction) and you’re
worried about getting there on time, get out of the classroom as soon as the bell
rings if possible.

● How to navigate hall traffic when you’re in a rush:

If you see any space at all to squeeze in between people in a way that won’t
disturb them, do it. It’s kind of like switching between lanes on a crowded
highway, except less life-threatening and much, much more noisy. Stay as close to
the middle of the hallway as possible without leaving the right side. If you’re close
to the wall, it will be easier for people to cut you off. Don’t hug the inside corner
when you’re making a turn; you might bump into someone, slowing both of you
down.

● How to deal with that one jerk who spontaneously cuts across everyone to talk to
his friend going in the opposite direction:

Don’t. There isn't much you can do about it. But feel free to give him a
dirty look.

● How to react to that one person who decides to reach across the entire hallway to
grab their boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s hand:

Feel free to walk straight into their arms. One of two things will happen.
Either they will both let go, or they won’t. If they let go, problem solved. If they
don’t, feel free to pull them into an incredibly awkward group hug. If they live to
tell the tale, horror stories of your third wheeling will spread like wildfire until
couples tremble in your presence, cowerin-- I mean it will eventually stop.

● How to enter your classroom:

If you’re outside your classroom, the hallways are still crowded, and you
have time before the bell rings, wait until a reasonable space opens between
people; don’t just push your way through. Once such a space appears, you may
charge into your classroom. Congratulations, your adventure is concluded.