Plastic bags or bottles are thrown into the recycling bin every now and again, but usually they get thrown into the garbage, and people never give a second thought to it. However, recycling is a bigger deal than most people think– it’s more important to recycle and reuse plastic and paper than one might have thought.

Recycling should be thought as a much greater deal than it is. In some parts of the country recycling bins are seen just as often as trash bins. They are at every house and are used as often as the trash bins. For those who aren’t in the habit already you should be more aware of recycling and how it helps the environment and our future generations.

The future of the environment should not be punished for the mistakes that we are making currently. Recycling is a way to save the future and we do not take the little time that is needed to make a difference. Recycling is not a difficult thing to do; it takes just a little thought and a little amount of time to make a huge difference.

The world that we are living in today is not environmentally aware of their actions. Learning to make the small tasks a habit can make the difference from a healthy and good future and from a disastrous future. There is  no way to bring back the healthy environment once it is gone; there is no way to replace what we have now. Recycling is a step towards protecting what we have now.

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Morgan Fredricks

It’s hard not to find someone who modified their body in some way, there are not many girls who do not have piercings on their bodies and fewer who do not have their ears pierced.

Extremes such as splitting tongues, having metal implants put underneath the skin, gauging ears to their limits, tattooing as much of the body as possible and filing teeth are some things that society sees as scary, taboo and even amazing. Is there a limit to the extremes? Or will the extremes be pushed further and further until what seems to be extreme today becomes a minor thing to do in the future?

I personally do not have a problem when people get tattoos or gauge their ears, but there is such a thing as too far. When people decide to do the extremes to their body, such as tattooing every inch of their body, having metal implants put under their skin to make “cool” designs, split their tongues and file their teeth, it is not for the faint of heart.

In my opinion, it is your body ultimately, do with it what you want. However, I do not want to see you make a big deal when people stare or make comments about the taboo things that you have done to yourself. Do not just do it to get attention or make a scene, because you are going to have to live with the modifications for the rest of your life.

In all reality, I do not care if people modify their bodies to the extremes; but someday are the “strange” modifications today going to be a normal thing to see on the streets? Are there going to be things even more drastic that will be the new rage? Only time can answer those questions.

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Morgan Fredricks

But then again, last time I checked they did not have the same rights. because America has turned to yet another form of segregation and if it is not evident now, it soon will be because at the rate we, as Americans are going, I would not be surprised if we started having “Homosexual Only” and “Heterosexual Only” restrooms tomorrow, and quite frankly…I am utterly disgusted. But which side does one sit on, when debating the topic? The side that looks down upon our very own country, by saying Americans are just a bunch of hypocritical, judgmental morons? Or the side that says, our Declaration of Independence is a load of crap and questions the intelligence of some of America’s finest men? A question that has been left unanswered for some time now.

I plead neither Agnosticism, nor Atheism. I am simply not religious. Marriage, if desired is a right that every American should be able to have and the government is in no place to take that right away. The decision to let homosexuals marry should have nothing to do with the Bible or the debate over whether the United States is a Christian nation or not, and anyone who pleads those cases is simply doing so because they are uneducated followers. Sorry if I offend you, but that is what you are.  I thought America took pride in being a melting pot full of different values and beliefs. It seems we are being immensely hypocritical. A person’s sexuality should not be an obstacle as to whether he or she wants to be married to someone of the same sex or whether or not they want to serve in the Army, proudly representing our country and putting their life on the line. Who are we, or anyone to tell a homosexual person they cannot serve the United States Army, but keep the potential to draft someone unwillingly? A homosexual person has the same needs and desires as a heterosexual individual, and if America refuses to meet those needs due to sexuality, then America has failed and will go nowhere on the international ladder of superiority.

Marriage is a legal commitment between two consenting adults. It is about sharing love, trust and legal status. Two adults who make this private, personal choice to form a life-long commitment should not be denied the right to marry just because they are gay or lesbian. It is illegal to discriminate against homosexuals seeking employment, education or housing (but in all reality, we all know it still happens), so why is marriage any different? Did we vote on your marriage? Your relationship? Here is a better question, how the hell does a gay or lesbian couple being married, or simply together romantically at all, affect your (any ignorant, close-minded, homophobic person reading) relationship or your lifestyle? Because if it does, it is a personal issue with your very own self-esteem and pride, and you should get some serious counseling, to put it bluntly.

I never fully understood why foreigners wanted so badly to come to America. Do they not see that America is a joke? Why would anyone want to sacrifice good judgment, ethics and morals for mere opportunity? The American society denies the right to marriage of homosexuals, but it glorifies heterosexuals who make a mockery out of marriage by marrying and divorcing a succession of partners. It is sickening and very hypocritical of American society to stand judgment on homosexuals for their lifestyles, but sanction heterosexuals who do not have the good judgment or morals that we try and portray to everyone in our own country and around the world.

I hate learning about slavery, and the Civil Rights Movement, and as a very proud black woman, you would think I would be excited, but I am not whatsoever. As of now, I honestly hate it. This may seem very off topic, but it is not. Mostly because, I look around and I see the same thing happening all over again, just modified. We deny a certain set of people equality and in doing so we lower their self worth and attempt to inscribe in their minds that they, as homosexuals, are below heterosexuals in every aspect humanly possible. Homosexuals are just like anyone else and deserve every single right that any heterosexual person has, and until we do so, I do not believe we as Americans can ever say we are better than anyone that has ever segregated. America, as a whole, is not better than any southern slave owner or slave-breaker in the 1800s and we are not better than Adolf Hitler who committed genocide to six million Jewish people in World War Two. We may not be as extreme or severe, but we are certainly not better than and in reference to my question “On which side does one sit?” I think I have made inevitably clear which side I choose to sit my gay-loving behind on.

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Danon Taylor

However, the freshmen and sophomore are wondering what happened to their invitation to prom. Is it really fair to exclude the under classmen from this high school event?

I personally believe that if there is going be a formal dance taking place on school grounds, all  students should have the ability to attend. It really should be something that is considered open to the whole school.

Now I understand that the after party could be exclusive only to the upperclassmen of the school. That is different than just a dance, and it is understandably something that is considered a privilege for seniors and juniors only; as it is celebrates their last two years of high school.

If there are kids causing problems, then take care of them personally. Do not take it out on the whole class because of a few bad influences. If this is the main reason that keeps under classmen out of prom, it is not a very good reason. The problem is a very easy fix: keep a list of all ineligible students and do not allow them in.

Some large schools allow only juniors and seniors, but that is because one class has more students in it than that of this school. There is just not enough room to host that many students at one event. However, in Ottawa, there is enough space to have the smaller amount of students allowed into prom.

Many other schools have an all school open prom, why not Ottawa?

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Morgan Fredricks

However, I have thought quite a bit about after graduation, and I have made a few decisions about returning to Ottawa. I encourage my fellow seniors to make, and stick to, a set of rules for yourselves as well.

Rule one: It really is OK to come back.

I know that I will miss my mom’s delicious meals, so it will only make sense for me to occasionally come back to enjoy one. And because I am close to my family, it will be challenging to stay away. No, I will not be the person to move back a week after school starts, but my family and I are close, and occasionally coming back to spend time with them is no crime.

Rule two: If you have to come back to the high school, do not do it during school hours – unless under special circumstances.

Let’s face it. We do not like when previous students come back to spend their days disrupting our classrooms and acting like the big bad college students they now are. Congratulations! You have graduated from high school! So why don’t you spend your time doing something worthwhile? Because, as much as we wish it were not true, we are still in high school, and by coming back to our school you are merely a bigger distraction than we need. Sure, younger students, teachers and coaches develop a great bond in the four years that they spend together, and that friendship is something we hope will stay with us. If this is the case, however, schedule a time to catch up when they are not busy, not when it is convenient for you. Coming to games and school activities is great, as long as you decide to do this while school is not in session.

Rule three: Do what you want!

How awesome is it that, finally, we will have freedom! No more asking mom and dad to go to the store or spend time with friends. The ball will finally be in our court, and it is up to us what we do with it. With graduating will come more responsibility, and it is up to us to decide what we want to do with that. Speaking for myself, I am ready to be an independent adult, making my own decisions. I feel that my family has prepared me enough to be on my own, and with my strong values and morals, I have no doubt that I will make it. That being said, I am not going to rely on other people’s opinions to dictate my life. If I want to come back, I will, and I will enjoy and cherish all the time that I spend here. Ottawa has been my home for 18 years, so letting go will not be as easy as some of us may think.

Regardless of if I am going to the best college in the world or not, I will be happy to return to my childhood town on occasion, and I see nothing wrong with that. I will visit my family and friends on school breaks. I will come back to watch a few sporting events. Even if I am coming by myself, I will be thankful that I am able to come back in the first place.

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Angela Geist

Something about watching a thrilling horse race sends chills down your spine and creates goose bumps on your arms. Sometimes it is the horses that you least expect that beat the odds and surpass all the competition, these magnificant strides of great agility and speed enter the hearts and minds of people. These inspiring ledgendary horses and races will never be forgotten because they are embeded in the minds of our country.

The Triple Crown races include the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes; they determine the best of the best race horses.  Throughout history only a handful of horses have won all three. One of these horses was a thoroughbred named Secretariut. His amazing story caught the attention of the movie producers at Disney and they decided a movie should be made to tell his story.

Secretariut won the Triple Crown in 1973, contrary to the belief of everyone besides his owners that he would not have enough stamina to withstand the length of the last Triple Crown racetrack, the Belmont Stakes. But Secretariat did not just prove them wrong by winning by a neck and neck race, he won by an astounding 32 lengths of the track; he began this race by starting at the very last of the pack, as usual.

Secretariat’s number-one fan and owner, Penny Chenery, is played by actress Diane Lane and his famous trainer Lucien Laurin is played by John Malkovich. The story line is closely acurate on what actually happened with this historic horse. This movie is heart-warming and a great family movie. It is a movie about beating the odds and overcoming the obstacles that are set in front of you. Secretariat was an inspiration to his owners and all of the horse racing spectators.  He was the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years, and was, and, is still considered the greatest racehorse ever.

This movie is inspirational, thrilling and definitely worth seeing, I enjoyed this movie. You do not have to be an animal lover to appreciate the horse and his story in this movie, Secretariat has a message for everyone.

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Haley Butler

For me, being involved in all that I am, it comes easy. It being, involvement in SAY WHAT and the simple knowing of SAY WHAT. I used to think that SAY WHAT competitions were events that everyone, and every grade knew about, but as the year progresses I realize some people do not know what it means, do not know about the events, do not know the point standings and worst of all many of them do not care to know.

As bad as it is, how can I blame them? I mean, everyone’s blood is rushing at the beginning of the year, especially the seniors, but as the year goes on, everyone’s flame starts to burn out. The competitions start out heated like a Jersey Shore tanning bed, but the stress begins to rise and that causes the students to not give a rip about any ‘non-important’ Canned Food Drive. By this time, the competitions are about as hot as the Jersey Shore boy themselves, and if you do not know, that is so not hot.

Although such competitions are important and benefit our community in spectacular ways, I think we should let other clubs such as Key Club or NHS sponsor them. If our school wants student involvement later in the year, we have to have the competitions as exciting as they were at the very beginning of the year. Maybe host a rematch boy’s volleyball game between the first and second place winners for a stellar point stealing? We need things that are going to ruffle the grades feathers, because quite frankly no one cares about who has more cans at home, but we do care about who can spike the ball harder in whose face. Make sense?

Another point that OHS has failed to try and resolve is the lack of attendance to girl’s basketball games, or girl’s athletics period. Many of our students fail to realize that the females are just as talented, and their games and tournaments represent our school name just as much as the male games and tournaments. We want our teams to win because it makes our school look better and makes our students feel superior, but a lot of our teams success is due to all of the support they have behind them. All of the chanting from cheerleaders, dance team, student sections and parents play a major part in each athletes determination to represent. If we supported the females equally as much as the males, we would have that many more records broken, that many more wins under our belt and that many more schools idolizing us.

We all get into the games free with our student ID so maybe, the price should be set on what time you attend. Free if you show up at the time of the girls games, but the price increases if you show up later. Though it is terrible to have to go to the lengths of bribing our students and community, it is what it is and it is something that I feel must be done if we ever want all members of Ottawa to recognize the unbelievable female talent we have out on the court, field, track or whatever the case may be.

I would like to believe that the words ‘Stand and yell, we have amazing talent’ are forever engraved into the memory of every OHS student, now, then and forever to come, but I certainly know that is not the case. There is a lot of work that needs to be put forth, but if there is one thing that Ottawa citizens can do, it is rally together to get ‘er done!

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By Danon Taylor

I feel as if it is the reason, timing and situation that often leads us down the wrong path. Living in the moment is one example. You may feel at the time that you are thinking quickly on your feet, but without truly looking the situation over, you could wind up being that old grumpy man or woman who blames all the wrong things in their life on other people. Do not let the circumstance make your mind up for you.

Although as young adults, we feel as though we are ready and able to make our own decisions, sometimes we still may need that friendly reminder to think everything through, because our decisions will stay with us forever. By making choices and accepting the results of those choices, suddenly we have control over our own lives, and that is a new and exciting thing for us. However, we have to remember the morals and values that we have grown up with and realize that in the end those are the most important thing.

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Angela Geist

The movie followed closely to the storyline of the book, with some minor parts skipped over in the middle of the book for the sake of keeping the time limit to just two hours. The movie incorporated the overall plot of the book into the movie and I think I and every other Harry Potter fan and I can appreciate that. It so exciting to see the books that you have grown up with come to life on the big screen.

The movie pulls at all of your emotions and makes you feel what the characters are going through.  You will laugh, shed a few tears and feel the romantic tension of potential love in the air. In some ways the movie was better than the book about laying out and explaining scenes that were previously difficult to understand in the book.

In my opinion, no movie could ever try to keep up with the masterful craft of these books, but the “Deathly Hallows” movie has definitely shown its worth.

Show Times: At The Crystal Plaza Theater in Ottawa Kansas
December 3 – December 9
Fri ~ 7:00 p.m.
Sat – Sun ~ 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m
Mon – Thurs ~ 7:00 p.m.

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Haley Butler

World Vision a non-profit charity organization has an online donations website—http://donate.worldvision.org—where you can simply click what you want to donate and pay online, then your donation is sent a needy child’s way.

There is something satisfactory about donating money to something or someone that you know is going to use it properly to buy something vital for someone’s survival and well being. Let’s do the world a favor and not buy another useless light-up reindeer Christmas sweater for someone who does not want it, and instead, give that money to a unique and successful charity like World Vision.

World Vision has many different gifts that you can choose from that would impact a child or family living in poverty in a foreign third- world country.  From goats, chickens, cows and even five ducks, there are many different livestock animals you could donate that would provide a family with food, eggs and dairy products.

World Visions is unique because you can donate $32 and put a child through school, or $25 can save a young girl from being sexually exploited. You can help dig a well to provide a small village with clean drinking water or you can donate money for sports equipment to be given to children. These remarkable feats seem expensive, but they are surprisingly cheap! Ranging from $20- 500, you can choose whatever category your donation will go under.

The categories include animals to medical care to the Haiti Earthquake relief. It is a smart, easy and inexpensive way to make a difference for a child and that child’s village or family for the holiday season.

So this holiday season if someone asks what you want for Christmas, consider giving a goat to someone in need.

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Haley Butler