“One way to prepare for your SOLs is for students to meet with their teachers during FLEX to review any material that they do not understand and attend the remediation session that will begin in April. These sessions will be held during FLEX and will cover every potential topic on the SOLs,” Spotsylvania High assistant principal, Jonathan Patterson said.

                According to Mr. Patterson, if a student passes their SOL, it will be used as a requirement of graduation and as an added bonus to the exam exemption process. If a student fails the SOL, the student has to retake the test and there are given multiple opportunities to get the passing score. The passing score for an SOL is a 400.

“The remediation schedule is as follows: Senior remediation for any student needing to pass an SOL will be April16-18^th.  Underclassmen needing to retake an SOL will have remediation from April 25-27^th.  From April 30^th – May 4^th remediation is available for students that would like to attend with an additional Saturday session taking place on May 12^th for Math only.  Make sure that you stop by and see Ms. Todd in the library to sign up for remediation.  Like last year there will be a drawing for students that attend remediation and pass the SOL associated with it,” said Mr. Patterson on the remediation schedule.

Other questions student have on SOLs range from “What is the purpose of the SOL” to “How long are the SOLs?” The answer to these questions is very simple. The purpose of the SOL is “to determine if a student has met the minimal requirements for that particular class and graduation.” The length of the SOLs is dependent on the student.

  Students aren’t the only people preparing for the SOL. Teachers also prepare for the SOL by making lesson plans and checking the student’s progress to make sure they reach those goals. Either way, there are a lot of ways to prepare for the SOL.

“The number one tip for preparing for the SOLs is to get a good night’s rest the night before.  The number two tip is to take advantage of FLEX and see your teachers if you need help preparing for the tests. With these tips, I think a student would do well on the SOL as long as they follow these tips…” said Mr. Patterson.

“I joined because I knew it was for a good cause, and a couple of my friends were planning on doing it. But I also wanted to show that sophomores are the best class at everything!” Said sophomore, Dustin Huber.

                Each team had in mind, the championship round. The freshman put in a great effort but came out in fourth place and didn’t make it into the championship round. The freshmen were coached by Caroline Sorrell, Hajr Avant.  The sophomores started out strong, but couldn’t quite make it. They were coached by Miranda Roberts, Mariza Guerrero, and Caroline Crossman. The juniors and seniors faced each other in the championship. The juniors were coached by Cali Stott and Katie Graham. The seniors were coached by Jennifer Bonalewicz and Brandi Lumpkin. The seniors ended out coming in on top for the ultimate win!

“Winning felt great!  I knew we were going to when because class the 2012 is better than every other class,” stated Brannon Burch, a senior.

                After winning the championship round, the seniors got to face the staff volleyball team during flex the next day .The seniors showed the teachers that students are better at volleyball. Both games many students showed up. When each class played against each other the fans were roaring! To cheer them on, the whole crowd was yelling. It ended up being a great hit, for a great cause.

The movie was almost identical to the story line, which is quite unusual because, most movies and books differ greatly. The producer of The Hunger Games managed to include almost every detail in the film that was read in the book. They did manage to leave out the internal conflict consisting of Katniss not feeling the same about Peeta as he did her.

In the movie Katniss Everdeen lives in the country Panem which is ruled by the capitol. Every year the Capitol holds a Hunger Games. Each year the audience watches 2 teenagers from each of the 12 districts, one a boy and one a girl, fight and kill each other to stay alive. This year Katniss has volunteered in place of her 12 year old sister Primrose Everdeen. Peeta Mellark is also chosen to participate in the hunger games.  Katniss and Peeta travel on a journey together in the fight to save each other’s lives.

Their portrayal of the characters from the capitol was done to the up most perfection. They had an unusual look with a slight British-like accent.  They also portrayed the people from the districts as well as the author did in the novel. Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss very well. Josh Hutcherson plays PEeta very well. He definitely grasped the comical charming guy, which everyone likes.

“I loved the movie, it was one of the greatest movies I have seen. I haven’t read the book yet, but I’m hoping that it is even better,” said a fan of the movie Brooke Graves.

                I recommend seeing this move, especially if you have read the book. It will most definitely not be a waste of money.

                “I’ve been playing soccer forever and I don’t know who exactly. But the reason I’ve been playing soccer forever because it is fun, my best friends play it, and you get good exercise. It’s a pretty good experience and it really gets the blood going,” said Dustin on how soccer works.

                “To prepare for soccer, I have to get dressed in appropriate attire like a t-shirt, shorts, and cleats. After that I warm up by doing push-ups, sit-ups, and other stretches. Once I’m done with the warm-up, I start jogging laps and then I play soccer,” said Dustin on how he warms up.

                “Practice usually starts out with an announcement about an upcoming event and what happens next is that we warm-up as I have said earlier. Then we practice kicking drills and a mock game. The practice then concludes with reminders and things that we can improve on. That’s basically how practice is run,” Dustin said on how practice is run.

                Dustin practices often so he can play good in the soccer games on Tuesday and Thursday. During games, Dustin plays defense and is number 22 on the field.

                “For anyone who wants play soccer, you should exercise a lot and practice your kicking skills. Do push-ups and other calisthenics. You should also practice running a lot to get a feel for the actual field and always remember to do your best and have fun at the same time,” said Dustin on how to prepare beginners for soccer.

                Dustin also plans to do soccer for the rest of his high school career and in college. With all of this planned, he hopes get good grades in school so he can continue this. As Dustin said earlier, “always remember to do your best and have fun at the same time.”

                The students start off the week with zumba on Monday. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday they do an activity, such as weight lifting, aerobics, laterals, and ply metrics. On Thursdays, employees from American Family Fitness come teach the students body combat. On Fridays, the students do an assessment where they are weighed.

                Teachers that are participating in the program are Mr. Mathias, Mrs. Stevens, Ms. Chiodo, Mrs. Bird, and Mrs. Cooper.

                “It’s important to teach students to make good choices with eating and exercising,” says Mr. Mathias.

                The program has been going on since January. The school plans on continuing it for the years to come, considering that the program is a success.

Any and all students can participate in the program. It’s a great way to use your flex time wisely, learn how to make better decisions, become healthier, and meet friends.

                Tea is a weak and poor excuse for a drink. How many tea chains do you see on a day to day basis? Next to none, because coffee shops that primarily sell the most incredible caffeinated beverage to ever grace the soil of our planet earth occupy the streets. Successful tea chains are unheard of.

                Locally, we live in an area that is not incredibly urbanized, so the fact that there is less variety in our shopping experience is less than surprising. However, even in large cities, such as nearby D.C., coffee slays tea by sheer quantity.

                Coffee is the fuel that helps to jump-start the day and nights of many working Americans. Tea is frequently used as a sleep aid. When comparing the uses, coffee is far more productive. Tea lags behind by miles, you will never hear of anyone using tea to finish a school project, tea sucks.

                In honesty, I’ve seen coffee used as an incentive to draw people to a number of places. The sweet aroma of fresh roasted espresso beans is used to attract individuals to church, the grocery store, and even the dentist’s office offers coffee for those who are waiting to be cared for.

                Meanwhile, tea is used to draw people absolutely nowhere. Tea has no appeal; it cannot be used in the same ways because it is boring. Targeting people with a sleep aid will never be an effective or economical way to move people towards your interests.

                One of my personal favorite ways to eat coffee is by the bean. Chocolate covered coffee beans are by far one of the most innovative, delicious and above all caffeinated forms of candy ever to be dreamt of. Tea is made of multiple leaves. Tea cannot be covered the same way in chocolate. Tea will forever suck.

                Anyone who can explain to me why tea is better than my favorite cup of joe, is welcome to try. There is no substitute for a good cup of coffee and coffee will continue to beat tea in every possible way.

                Mr. Harrell and the history club set up the library with amazing displays containing information of different wars the United States has been involved in. Mr. Harrell described this year’s celebration as more compact. He stated that this year he wanted each individual student to have the greatest amount of access to the displays and discussion with the veterans that attended. He also handpicked every veteran to be present at this time of honor. Over 20 veterans from different branches of the United States military were available to share their stories and advice with the 11^th grade students.

                Veterans from the Cold War, Vietnam War, Iraq War, World War II, and Korean War were on hand to contribute to the program. The only World War II veteran that was present, Fredrick Harshberger, shared his incredible and inspiring story with the students and faculty. Veterans such as, Alen Cober, a navy veteran who fought in Vietnam, Tara Edelberg, also a navy veteran who fought in the Iraqi War, and Randy Russell, who shared his services in the Vietnam War, were able to talk with the students and share their experiences and struggles they overcame in their lifetimes.

                The displays that were placed around the SHS library enclosed information that was extremely helpful to understand how war life really was. Uniforms and guns were also there for students to look at and veterans talked with the students about the material. Different items such as, diaries, passports, song books, eating utensils, and other war items were accessible for those who attended to look at and hear stories about.

                “The displays were really interesting to look at when you weren’t listening to the veteran’s stories. The other people who were there helped explain what the items were and how they were used in the war” said eleventh grader, Megan Colon.  The students and faculty were eternally grateful that the veterans, Mr. Harrell, and the history club took the time to help share the stories of those who have served our country.

Pig Out- Heather has been obsessed with pigs for a long time and even has a teacup pig named Olive. “It all started when my neighbor had a pig and after seeing that, I wanted to have a pig and now I have Olive,” said Heather on the subject.

Sports R’ Us- Heather’s favorite sport is softball because she played since she was in elementary school and her best friends play softball. Her favorite football team is the Washington Redskins because it’s also her family’s favorite team.

Shopping- In her free time, Heather hangs out with her friends at the mall and shops at every store there because she loves the different merchandise options such as clothes to electronics.

Favorite Food- Heather’s favorite food is green bean casserole. It is her favorite dish on Thanksgiving and other major holidays.

It doesn’t matter where you go. The mall is overcrowded with indecisive obstacles in the way of your ultimate goal and other places aren’t as convenient. Any store that is less crowded than the mall and the employees of the store seem to badger you just for perusing their items. I have never found a happy medium, nor do I think I will.

Unplanned shopping never gets less annoying. Generally, when you leave your house you should have some sort of idea of what you’re looking for, what you need, and what you want to see. Times like Christmas are incredibly stressful when going out for something normal. Suddenly, the objective is to buy presents. What kind of presents? We don’t know, we’re on our phones texting and talking to figure out what needs to be done, all the while obstructing everyone else in range.

In fact, just getting to some places is annoying. Who in the world thought it would be at all logical to make a traffic circle right outside the mall? Throwing this at a plenty of questionably intelligent individuals and young drivers who have never seen such a thing is a good idea, of course it is! I would sincerely like to meet the people who plan such things. Beauty is not efficiency or safety.

Next, everyone who picks out clothes in any large store seems to lose all confidence. I was not aware that looking for clothes that you’ll probably show off to your friends later was so depressing. Although, those who bring their friends are quite fine with picking new clothes, these people are possibly more annoying, simply because their incoherent friend speech is infinitely distracting and usually loud.

Music irritates me. No, I don’t hate music. I hate music played in stores. If all stores made their own track lists, they would all be at least 50% identical to each other. What I mean is, whatever is popular on the radio has been played and overplayed. The necromancy of catchy tunes turns my shopping experience into something darker.

Besides all this, I do shop. I avoid all of the above by shopping online. There’s nothing wrong with online shopping. You get a great selection and no one bugs you, you can do it without any proper planning, traffic isn’t an issue, and you get your own music. The world is at peace. Well, there are always groceries.