Recyling February 9, 2010

     In today’s world recycling is very important, for both the general public and the economy. Recycling is one of the best ways for people to have a positive impact on the world, because it helps preserve the natural environment, and natural resources.  The importance of recycling is more vital now, than ever before because the amount of waste is increasing and resources are decreasing at alarming rates.

     Recycling may seem like a hassle or too much extra work, but it isn’t very complicated at all, if done properly. Many products can be recycled, including aluminum, glass, plastic, batteries, paper, cell phones, printer cartridges, metal, rubber and many others. With the right knowledge and attitude, recycling can become easy and help you make a difference.

     The best place to begin recycling is in the home. The easiest way to get into the habit of recycling is to start small. Begin with an extra trash can or other large container, and recycle all aluminum cans. It is just as simple as throwing the cans in the trash, except you are helping the environment. Most cities and towns have a place where you can take products to be recycled. Make a habit of stopping by the recycling center every two weeks, to get rid of your cans. Every few weeks add another bin or trash can to recycle something else, such as paper or plastic bottles, soon recycling will become part of your daily routine.

   Once you have become accustomed to recycling at home, bring your new found skill to school or work. Talk to a boss or teacher about setting up recycling bins for employees, costumers, teachers and students. According to National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), if every school recycled ½ of their paper, waste would be reduced by as much as 14%. Now imagine if every school, business and home recycled all of their paper.

     Recycling is important and it can help make for a better tomorrow. So take the steps to make recycling a part of your everyday life. 

Social Networking: Proceed with Caution January 14, 2010

In today’s technologically advanced society, social networking has become a part of everyday life for teens, as well as adults. There are many social network sites, including facebook, myspace, myyearbook and twitter. While social networking sites have many benefits, such as keeping in touch with friends, meeting new people with similar interests, learning more about the people you know and plus, they are just entertaining. Many people know that social networking can be a very negative thing, if not used properly, however that majority does not take proper precaution.

Many dangers lurk on social networking sites; some of these dangers are minimal, while others can be very severe. Social networking sites provide opportunities for people to become anyone they want. This can be dangerous because anyone you “meet” online may not be who they say they are. Anyone can access these sites, so be careful who you add as a friend and who you talk to. The best way to avoid this is to only add and talk to people you have met in person.

Recently, companies, law firms and colleges have been checking social networking sites for people who are applying for jobs, schools or are involved in court cases. Many of these establishments have complete access to social sites and can see anything posted, including pictures. A recent study by Harris interactive states that 45% of jobs look at social networking sites for applicants pages. Even more astounding, 35% of those applicants who have some sort of social network account do not get the job. The best way to avoid this is to think about everything before you post it. Imagine that your boss or future boss is seeing every update, picture and blog posted to your profile.

The worst danger of social networking, however, is identity theft. People post tons of personal information on their accounts, name, address, cell number, school name, names of family and friends, and even worse internet predators can often take information from someone’s page and identify personal account passwords. Identity theft is becoming more and more popular every year in the US, and it has a great deal to do with social networking sites. When posting information on the internet, and social sites, do not post anything that would lead someone to your physical address, and do not post pictures that can identify where you live. Think twice before posting anything that could lead to identity theft.

Social networking sites are a great way of communication, and they are the technology of the modern world. They can be great tools, if used properly. Just be smart about how you use them.

Senioritis December 1, 2009

Surviving All Nighters

All nighters are a trademark of college life—there’s just no getting around it. At some point in every student’s career they will pull an all-nighter. Whether it is because a student is a procrastinator, messed around playing video games, spent a night out with friends or just simply forgot an assignment, all-nighters are bound to happen. There is no simple solution, however, because every student is different and has a different method of studying or completing assignments. The best thing to do is figure out what works best for you.

Some students prefer to work late into the night; others would rather study during the day. Many students find that cramming work in is more effective than spreading it out or getting it done. No matter what your personal preference is when it comes to studying, you more than likely will have to pull an all nighter at some point, so here are some suggestions and tips for surviving the dreaded all-nighters.

If you are a student who likes to work during the day and get things done quickly, you may not need to worry about too many late nights, however if for some reason you need to stay up late and work, the best thing to do is motivate and energize yourself. As a person who is not used to studying at night, you will find that you will feel unmotivated to work, and begin feeling sleepy. A cup of coffee or caffeinated drink along with a set work ethic can help you get through. Plan out exactly what you need to do, and set yourself a goal for when you would like to be done. Set a reward for yourself and strive hard to meet your goal. Another thing to remember is that some sleep is better than none at all. By using these strategies you can get through an all-nighter and hopefully realize that doing your work sooner than later is the best way to go.

Now, if you are the type of student who always waits until the last minute to get things done, or you enjoy working late into the night, all-nighters and late nights become familiar friends during college years. The one thing to keep in mind is that falling behind is an easy task, if you procrastinate too much. If you are this type of student the best thing you can do it work on your more challenging assignments first. This way the harder stuff gets done before you get into the early morning hours. Even if you are a late night studier, all-nighters can be killer. Stay motivated and don’t give up, find a well lit area to work, this way you will be less tempted by sleep.

If you are a student who is in the middle of these two extremes, as most students are, finding what is right for you can be the easiest way to survive an all-nighter. Use tips and strategies from both areas to assure yourself the most success in surviving every college student’s nightmare.

More Than Meets the Eye: Marguerite Yowell September 28, 2009

Mrs. Yowell in action teaching at GHS.

                It is no accident that Marguerite Yowell has been teaching science at Genoa-Hugo for 20 years.

                Mrs. Yowell was an excellent high school student; she was also a student-athlete.  She was a part of her high school swim team, and she loved every second of it.   Not only did she excel, she loved school, which is part of the reason she is still in school today.  During high school, Biology II was her favorite class, partially due to her teacher, the reason she decided to teach high school science.

                She not only enjoyed high school, but college as well.  And her excellence continued there as well.  Mrs. Yowell loved science all through high school and college, and one of her favorite classes she took in college was Ornithology, the study of birds. During her college years, her chemistry teacher, who spent hours helping her with her homework, confirmed her previous thoughts about wanting to become a science teacher.  

                Mrs. Yowell has many hobbies, however, most of her time is consumed with her two children.  This summer was spent chasing Katelyn around as she performed her Lincoln County Fair Queen responsibilities.  Upon asking her what her favorite experience was throughout the summer, her response was simple, “I loved watching Katelyn grow and better herself.”  When she is not busy with Katelyn and Grant, she loves to read, ride horses, take walks and go swimming.  She also loves to travel and hopes to someday visit Ireland where her ancestors are from.

                After teaching at Genoa-Hugo for so many years, it is obvious that Mrs. Yowell really loves what she is doing.  When asked what her favorite thing about teaching at Genoa-Hugo, she paused for a slight second and said, “the students”.  It is very clear that she is passionate about helping each student to succeed, and she has a personal goal to get to know each and every one of her unique students.

Scholarship Money, Honey September 11, 2009

Every year in the United States over 2 billion dollars in scholarship money goes unclaimed.  Many students don’t go to college because they think they can’t afford it.  Once you do the math it is easy to see that college can be affordable if a student is willing to work hard and search for scholarships.

Searching for scholarships isn’t as hard as it seems.  There are so many options out there.  Did you know there are scholarships for being left-handed?  There are also scholarships for being short, tall, blue-eyed and much more. Some scholarships are based toward an individual major or hobby. For instance, there is a scholarship for students interested in confectionary technology, and another one for students who are vegetarians. There are scholarships for student athletes, scholarships for students who are involved in their church, scholarships for students who want to go into nursing, culinary, business, marketing, mechanics, communications, engineering and just about anything else you can think of.  The options are endless when it comes to scholarships; the key is to keep searching for the scholarships that fit an individual student.

The first way a student can find scholarships is by evaluating what they have done in high school.  To do this, simply make a list of all the activities, athletics, hobbies, and volunteer work that a student has been involved with.  Don’t forget to include any musical or artistic involvement and any after-school jobs during high school years. Using a search engine such as Google or ask.com can be a great way to find the scholarships that meet an individual student’s needs. For example if a student plays baseball, search scholarships for baseball players, if a student plays the trumpet, type in scholarships for trumpet players, the possibilities are endless.

The next way to find scholarships is through the intended career.  Once a student has decided their general course of study or exact major(s), scholarship hunting is relatively easy.  Use a website, such as fastweb.com or collegeboard.com to explore scholarships that coincide with your intended major. There are scholarships out there that for every major possible.

Ethnicity, race social status, religion and orientation are all factors in searching for scholarships.  Many scholarships today are as simple as filling out a form that indicates a student is, in any way, a minority.  These scholarships are not based on athleticism, artistic ability, grades or community involvement. 

And last but not least don’t forget to check out the scholarship section on your college’s website.  It is surprising how many scholarships are available through the college for first time freshman.

There is no reason that any student should pay full tuition for college. It just takes time and work to find ways to pay up. Happy scholarship hunting.

What’s a Vermillion? September 11, 2009

Rachel Vermillion is the Business teacher, English teacher and Publications Queen.

It’s not every day students meet a teacher who owns more than 80 pairs of shoes, drives a tractor every weekend and was a terrible high school student.

The new business and English teacher, Rachel Vermillion, grew up in Castle Rock and now lives south of Limon. Her husband, Jason, farms and works for the county.  They have one son, Caden, a third grader here at GHS.  She has been teaching for seven years and is now proud to be a pirate.

She is an avid shopper and could survive happily shopping at Target, Nordstrom, Big R and Old Navy alone. Mrs. V. also taught herself how to make jewelry since she loves bling, and knew a teaching career wouldn’t be able to support her expensive habits. 

Mrs. V. and her family live on her husband’s family farm, which has been in operation for over 100 years.  After school she usually goes home and has to help with the family chores, sometimes it is farrowing baby pigs other times it is driving a tractor.  She and Jason are building up a club calf and club pig operation, in addition to the commercial animals, grain and hay. She loves driving her tractor and can usually be found doing so, while jamming out to her Ipod and wearing one of her many pairs of shoes.

Vermillion didn’t like high school; actually she was quite a menace, finding herself in the principal’s office on a regular occasion.  Part troublemaker, part dork was the label she was christened with; not to mention her lack of enthusiasm for learning. This, however, does give her a better perspective of the life of an average high school student.  

“Not again!” “What??” “Another business teacher?” “Oh great, this one teaches English, too!” These were probably some of the questions running through the heads of GHS students when they found out that another new business teacher would join the staff.  As it turns out, there’s more to Mrs. Vermillion than many students thought.