Counting Down the Days ’til Summer Break

by Parvin Sahraei

As the school year ends people are already talking about their plans for summer. What will you be doing? Swimming at the pool? Exercising? Going to some camp? Or maybe you have to go to summer school.

If you haven’t been studying much, your goal should be to break out of your bad habits such as listening to you’re ipod instead of doing homework and go to summer school so you don’t have to go the next year because if you keep putting it off you’ll fall behind because it’ll get harder. But at the same try to do things you haven’t done before like maybe you want to show off your talent at the next talent show. Try practicing what you love to do to get ready. Who knows, maybe it could even be your career when you grow up.

Some people will be going on vacations to other countries and islands. If your one of the lucky ones to go, take every opportunity to learn about that place, their culture, life. Get to know the people. It’s always a good idea to know people from around the world. But whatever it is you’ll be doing, remember that its friends and family that make it special

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Sleeping is Bad For You

by Alexander Crowder 

 

Most teenagers tend to stay up all night. They go to parties, they watch movies, they study for tests that are the next morning, or they are forced to spend countless hours doing homework. When asked around the reasons why they were staying up so late, it was found that people in different states tended to have different reasons, as the same went for those in public rather than private schools.

 

“I just don’t go to bed until at least 2, because…Well, anyone who goes to sleep before that has no life,” said Neeshee Pandit, 16, a high school junior who attends Indian Springs School, a private school in Alabama. Most others in this school and age group answered the same way.

“We just have so much homework that it’s impossible to just do it during the day,” said Marcus Peavy, 16, a student at the Alabama School of Fine arts, a public school. Hannah Aizernman nodded in agreement, as well as the others who were standing behind her.  

In California, though, the results were somewhat different. Students there said they stayed up late to go to parties, not to finish homework. “Going to parties is a regular night around here. I mean whether you sneak out or not, everyone is there,” said Daniel, 17, from Malibu High School.

Even in Florida the results were different from the others. High school student, Darren Brewton, Attending a military academy, said that those who go to public schools around there tended to stay up until all hours of the night to hang out at the beach, while the private school kids had their own personal hangout place.

Still, he said teenagers stay up late. “It’s just what we do, because at night is the only time that we don’t have to deal with all of the adults running around and telling us what to do.”

 

 

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After Prom Fever

by Brittany Hamilton

 

Still feeling those after prom jitters? Still talking about your most memorable night in all of your years in high school? Of course, who couldn’t?

South Lakes High School prom night may have not been the best but being with your friends it was a blast. Prom took place at 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Reston Sheraton. There was a long line of limos waiting for groups of South Lakes Seahawks making fashionable entrances. When you arrived at the door you see teachers in their finest threads greeting you with big smiles.

Hearing from others, this prom was a lot better than last’s years. Some groups that arrived were as big as 18 teens. And you could only imagine how beautiful and vibrant the dresses were. Of course the Seahawk fellas knew how to clean themselves up.

You laughed; you danced (appropriately), pigged out at the buffet table and enjoyed your last prom as a senior. Then you head over to IHOP and had a very early breakfast with your friends. Knowing on Monday you’d have to start preparing for SOL’s, finals and oh yea, paying off your senior dues.

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Excitement for Pool Season Maximized

by Kaitlyn Clinage

That eagerly anticipated time has come once again. That’s right, it’s Pool Season!  May is here, and students are counting down the days until they can walk to a pool after school and have fun with their friends while getting a tan at the same time.

Starting this weekend, a few pools in the Reston area are making their opening debut for spring of the 2007 pool season.
Ridge Heights and North Shore are two pools that open before Memorial Day Weekend. They open on Saturday, May 12^th, exactly two weeks before all of the other Reston pools open.

Students here at South Lakes are especially excited about Ridge Heights opening up because they’re within walking distance to our school and many other hangouts and restaurants.  Also, the majority of sports teams end their seasons this week. If they haven’t already finished, and athletes plan to replace their practice times with spending time with their friends at the pools.

Get out this spring and summer as much as possible and have fun!!

Check out this website for full details on the 2007 Spring and Summer Pool Schedule:

http://www.reston.org/parks_rec/p_pools.html#poolschedule

And The Winner is…

by Lisa Andariese 

Drum roll please… Mr. Seahawk 2007 is Trevor Cox. Wednesday May 2, 2007 was our annual Mr. Seahawk competition. Thirteen Seahawk men competed against each other to be crowned Mr. Seahawk 2007. “It was the toughest competition I have ever experienced” Said Junior, Trevor Cox. They started the competition off by introducing all of the contestants in their sub school colors. Mr. Seahawk consisted of three sections, Swimsuit, Talent, and, last but not least, Evening Wear.

The talent competition went very smoothly, the people in the audience were wowed by how much talent these young men have. Jokes were told, songs were sung and lemonade was made. Trevor Cox said “There aint no thing but a chicken wing”.

I had so much fun, was the response from many audience members and the contestants themselves.  It wasn’t only a night of seeing who was worthy of being our 2007 Mr. Seahawk but a night of entertainment and fun.

There were five finalist and they were each asked one question and had to answer it very honestly from the bottom of their heart. Their answers were very unique and pretty good for having only a minute to think them up.

“It went spectacularly” said Junior, Amy Girardi, who helped with the competition. At intermission, when the judges were busy tallying the votes, the very popular Men’s choir sang two of songs, “and were awesome at it too”, said Emma Volpe a freshmen.

College Countdown

By Eliana Diaz 

As the school year is winding down and the unwelcome presence of final exams looms ever closer, there is no doubt that college is what is inside of a senior’s head at this point.

All year long, the seniors of the class of 2007 have been working (or should I say procrastinating) towards their ultimate goal of walking across that stage for graduation.  Now that their goal is almost within reach (only 24 days to go!), the soon-to-be graduating seniors must now begin to think about life after high school. 

Even though the seniors will be out of school, they need to be able to keep up with what’s going on at their future college.  First and foremost, it is crucial (and mandatory) that the seniors register for their college orientation.  Whether the college is 20 minutes away or 500,000 miles away, going to orientation gives the incoming college freshmen a chance to see what college is really about and the opportunity to sign up for classes for the fall semester.  It’s also a great chance to speak to the current students of the college and ask them any questions regarding the college. 

After orientation is done and over with, the newly-graduated seniors have to deal with their most challenging task yet, shopping!  Most colleges send a list of recommended items to bring to the campus, but for some people, it doesn’t hurt bring some extra items.  This is also the chance for the freshmen to completely revamp their wardrobe and beg their parents for a new computer or laptop. 

More importantly, the incoming freshmen will be receiving their college email and financial aid awards through the mail, so it’s essential to keep up with this in order for them to be kept in the loop of their college.  It is also the way their college will inform them about important events and announcements.  Some colleges also have WebChats, where they and prospective students enter a chat room (in AIM style) and answer any remaining questions and concerns that the student/parent might have. 

So for the class of 2007, as one chapter in their lives ends, another is sure to begin.  Even though some people might be nervous and scared about going to college, it critical that they be informed about happens in their college of choice.  After all, the best way to start off your first year is by staying in the know. 

College Board Off-to-College Checklist

Exams, Prom, and Graduation

by Ashley Armitage

Well it’s getting closer to the end of the school year and this is when all the fun stuff starts happening and  every one gets excited and ready to get the heck out of school. So of course adrenaline is pumping and every bodies temper is becoming short.

Just because people might be getting on your nerves that doesn’t mean that you can just fight them. Key Word here is that it’s the end of the school year and seniors that means that if you get in trouble now you might not graduate. Really, for some people the only thing there is to worry about is if their going to pass the SOLs and if they passed their classes.

 Well you can’t stress out now because then the pressure will increase and you’ll probably panic. In the upcoming week, next Friday is Junior and Senior Prom of 2007!!! So girls get your dresses and guys get your tuxes and just have one heck of a time. This year the Prom is going to be held at the Reston Sheraton.

Forget the prom for a minute and think about exams coming up at the end of May. Are you prepared for them? The only thing you can do is maybe study with some friends or take some time out and go over the material everyday or every other day. Hopefully you do well on the exams and have a great time at the prom. And seniors, 28 days till you graduate 07!!!

The Weather Changes Affect Everyone

by Blanca Portillo 

Just a week ago, the weather was surprisingly cold, when we’re supposed to be enjoying the wonderful nice weather of spring. All the heaters were back on in the school and everyone was carrying around sweaters.  By this time most people thought the cold weather was gone by now, but we were all wrong. The constant changes in our weather, allows it to go from 50 degrees one day, to 80 the next.  Crazy or what???

 

Well, we’re all hoping that spring will be like this for the rest of the season. One of the things that this weather affects us in a big way is the allergies. Pollen is so high right now and it’s driving everyone insane.  I think everyone is ready for the warm weather to come around and for the cold weather to go away.

 

“The weather is insane.  One day I have to be wearing jeans and a sweater and the next I can wear a skirt or shorts, a cute top and some flip-flops” says a student at South Lakes.  People are wondering what’s going on, and some are even saying it’s the end of the world, which is typical for someone to say, but isn’t true. Overall, everyone hopes for the summer to come quickly and for it to be a hot summer with hardly any crazy cold weather.

Students Take On Shadowing Projects

by Anthony Srebnick 

A shadowing project is a project often required of high school students which allows them to spend time with someone in their career of interest. This project is a great experience that gives students a chance to learn about an occupation they are interested in pursuing in the future. It also gives students hands on experience that may decipher if they even want the job. You may be interested in a certain job, but once you find out what you actually have to do, you may no longer be interested. You could have wasted years of your life going to college for a specific career only to discover that it’s not the best for you. While compiling this project, you are totally responsible for. You decide which career you want to learn more about, and schedule a date and time in which to “shadow” an adult engaged in that career. It’s wise to do a lot of background research because you normally have to write a paper about why you chose that career, and what you still want to learn about it. Once you have arranged to shadow someone, you should think of things you want to know about the job and ask them about it. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able follow them around and see what a typical day is on the job. With current confidentiality laws however, that may not be possible. In that case you may have to simply interview them. Think of many good questions to ask because without being able to follow them around, you’ll just be sitting there twiddling your thumbs during those awkward silences. This project is what you make of it. If you think of it as just another aggravating project with a butt load of work to do, then it is just going to be like any other project. But if you put a lot of work and effort into it, then it could have a lot of potential and be a very rewarding and useful one.

Re-Elections Needed in Close Outcome

by James Armstrong, III 

Speeches were heard by all South Lakes students and the votes were in.  On Friday, April 27^th it was announced “The SGA President for the 2007-2008 school year is Amy Girardi.”

Then Coach Trout, SGA sponsor, double checked the voting tickets on Friday afternoon and she noticed an oversight in the very close race.  One machine’s voting numbers were calculated twice.  Once the correction was made, Warren Grabenstetter was announced with more votes then the other candidates.

All the rumors accumulated are false.  Mr. Butler did not sway the results based on personal opinion, and no body called for a recount.  It was merely an oversight identified by Coach Trout.

But in fact the SGA by-laws of the SGA Constitution Article II, Section 2, Point 3, states:

“In order to be elected, a candidate must receive more than 50% of all votes.  In the event of a candidate receiving 50% or less of the votes, a run-off election will occur between the two leading candidates.”

 

Because of this, neither candidate actually won the first election.  So on Friday, May 4 a re-election will take place for SGA President as Amy Girardi and Warren Grabenstetter are the candidates for the run-off.

 

Another run-off is taking place for the Class of 2009 Vice Presidential race as both Sarah Binger and Noor Hachwi’s vote total were very close.  The by-laws applied for this race too.  This is true democracy at work, as the people decide.

 

All candidates hope that everyone votes on Friday, May 4^th during lunches.  What ‘G’ will you vote for?  All votes are needed to clearly project the winners.  The SGA depends on you!