For most students high school represents a time in their lives that will go down in their minds as “the good ol’ days,” their various escapades will earn their rightful places in history as they gain the ears of acquaintances to come and friends yet to be made.

For me, high school has meant gaining the friendship of some of the most amazingly fascinating people I will ever meet. We could fill volumes with the sheer quantity of inside jokes and double entendres in our arsenal.

It is both a gift and a curse, cliché fully intended, being surrounded by the same 40 or so students every day for two years. It has meant unwavering friendships and a constant support system through the treacherous journey that is the International Baccalaureate Program, but it has also meant being trapped by what is accurately referred to as the “IB bubble.” Without the occasional AP class thrown in, a student in the IB program can go through their junior and senior years knowing only fellow IB students, virtually caged off from the general high school population.

None the less, I owe a lot to the journalism program for forcing me to mix with the student body and keeping me from being a total recluse. Apart from the number of commitments that go hand in hand with IB, I have really only invested my time in one other pursuit: journalism.

For me, writing for The Roar has been a life changing experience. I started high school with no expectations, an unassuming freshman with little to go on but the iconic films of the eighties. Needless to say The Breakfast Club does not quite prepare one for all that a secondary education entails. Journalism became my port in a squall. When my heavy course load became unbearable I could rely on the newspaper to be the one place I didn’t have to try. Not that it isn’t hard, just that it’s natural. The Roar feels right; it feels like a home; it is a family. I have seen this family soar to new heights under the protective wing of a remarkable teacher and I have been privileged to tag along for this amazing ride.

I would be lying if I claimed to be deeply saddened to be saying goodbye, due in part to the fact that it simply has yet to sink in, but due primarily to my knowledge that this is anything but an ending. I am moving forward to the promise of an incredible future and The Roar will continue on its journey to becoming an even more incredible student publication. With such happy sights ahead, being sad makes no sense. This is not goodbye, this is a glimpse at a vibrant future and an excess of opportunity.

   May is just around the corner, and for Advanced Placement (AP) students, so are exams.

   A year spent under the pressure of a college level course all boils down to a single test that will decide whether or not the student obtains college credit in the field. For some, it’s a chance to save money; for others, it’s a chance to prepare for college, but for all, it’s a chance to get ahead.

   There are currently over thirty AP courses offered nationwide, and each is a rigorous commitment. But the intimidation of such a reputation isn’t keeping students away. According to the College Board’s AP Report to the Nation, more students than ever are tackling the challenge and it’s easy to see why.

   Statistics say that AP students are much more likely to graduate from college within four years, and that those who take the time to study for the end-of-the-year exam are better equipped to retain information in future classes. At the same time, students that score a three or higher are shown to typically experience a more successful college career, complete with a higher graduation rate, than a student that has not taken an AP course.

   Even those students that do not score high enough to obtain college credit have only pushed forward. Undertaking an AP course and exam shows academic ambition and dedication, both of which are traits that colleges across the country desire in potential students.

   What’s more, by doing well enough on an exam, a student can bypass entrance level college courses and become that much more likely to study abroad or double major, making it an endeavor well worth undertaking.

   In order to help prepare this year’s students, AP World History is offering review sessions every Saturday from April 17^th to May 8^th in the Little Theater, similar to AP Chemistry which is also offering weekend review sessions and a chance to come in after school until five. Meanwhile, AP Calculus students have been given not only a multitude of review packets, but also a practice test.

   These are just a few examples of all that LHS’s AP teachers are doing to support their students, and in turn, AP students themselves are encouraged to take advantage of such opportunities as well as anything else that will help them succeed.

   The plight, the journey, the voyage, the metaphorical mountain that is high school comes with its own unique set of de-motivational twists and turns complicating the forever naïve expectations and resulting in the plague known only as senioritis.

   Originating in 1957, courtesy of the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term “senioritis” simply put a name to a psychological disease which has undoubtedly ailed seniors dating back to the beginnings of the public school system.

                Main Entry: se·nior·i·tis

 Pronunciation: \’sē-nyər-‘ī-təs\

Function: noun

Date: 1957

: an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades

   But senioritis is just that, psychological, self-induced and self-perpetuated. Senioritis is not a disease it is nothing more than an excuse to slack-off and the ultimate place to lay blame for the consequences of procrastination and skipping classes.

   Senioritis can be a good thing, at least for those who have managed to elude its grasp during their climb up the mountain. While the majority of students tend to start slacking and quit caring, these conquerors of procrastination claim their spots on the top of the class ranks and enjoy the admiration of tired teachers.

   The key to reaching this pinnacle without unwittingly falling victim to clutches of senioritis is simple. Keep caring. It is easy to stop trying and hope the consequences aren’t too devastating, it takes pure determination and will-power to keep caring.

  Texas conservatives have seemingly won out in a battle, which has lasted a number of years, regarding the contents of Social Studies textbooks for grade levels spanning from elementary through high school.

   As the leading buyer of textbooks, these decisions will prove to have a reach which spreads much further than just Texas schools, affecting students across the country. As the true recipients of this revised history, it is important to understand exactly what changes have been proposed, especially considering the controversy surrounding some of the decisions.

   While changes to textbooks are a continuous occurrence, this particular set of amendments has gained national interest due to the uncharacteristically conservative slant that has evolved.

   An amendment which specifically caught the attention of a few major media outlets involved the Late Oscar Romero. Romero, murdered 30 years ago this month, is being considered for sainthood in Rome and is undeniably a central figure in Latin American history.

    A panel of experts proposed that Romero’s story be added, alongside that of people such as Mohandas Gandhi, to World History textbooks. This proposal was unfortunately shot down in an amendment proposed by conservative Patricia Hardy to exclude Romero on March 10, 2010. The clip of Hardy’s proposal shows her arguing against including Romero because “I guarantee you most of you did not know who Oscar Romero was” and “I just happen to think it’s not [important].”

   When the new season of American Idol premiered, it was expected that there would be some memorable auditions and some impressive talent. What the world didn’t see coming, however, was the internet sensation that became of the song “Pants on the Ground” by ‘General’ Larry Platt.

   Platt’s original song has spawned numerous covers and remixes, bonafing its place in internet history. The song has been covered by celebrities including Late Night host Jimmy Fallon, Viking’s quarterback Brett Favre, and the Today Show hosts Meredith Viera, Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Ann Curry who also organized a performance of the song.

   What often doesn’t get taken into consideration though is meaning that can be derived from the song. The lyrics, at face value, seem to stress a negative opinion on the fashion trends of certain young men in today’s society. Young men who put “gold in [their] mouth,” wear their “hat turned sideways,” and wear their pants loose enough to “hit the ground” seem to be the targets of the song.

   The episode featuring Platt aired Jan. 13, only five days before the aniversary of Martain Luther King Jr.’s birthday. King made the ultimate sacrifice for the rights of minorities not only America but also in the world.

   Taking into consideration the fact that Platt earned the nickname “General” from Hosea Williams because of his heroic efforts on behalf of the civil rights movement, and the fact that the Georgia General Assembly designated September 4, 2001, as, “Larry Platt Day”, for his, “priceless and immeasurable contributions to society”, as well as, “his great energy and commitment to equality and the protection of the innocent and for his outstanding service to the Atlanta community and the citizens of Georgia,” leads to the possiblity that this song has a greater meaning.

   When men, like King, have died for such nobel causes it begs the question, what is the younger generation living up to? Men walking down the street with their pants around their ankles do not exactly provide much confidence in our generation. The meaning that song can provide goes much deeper than a fashion statement if truly evaluated.

   A majestic mountainside floats mightily behind the bright and beautiful foreground of changing colors and breathtaking jungles. Juxtaposed beside the cold steel and lumbering machines of destruction, this James Cameron film starts with a wonderful idea of the spectacular special effects that lie ahead.

   How, one is led to wonder, can critics pick apart such an incredible film? The fact of the matter is that it simply can’t be done. One major controversy surrounding this film suggests that the plot has been stolen from films such as Delgo and FernGully: The Last Rainforest.

   While these plots may all focus on an environmentally friendly message, a message common to any number of films, and some may then further employ the aspect of an alien race, the similarities all seem to stop here. The fact being that while environmental awareness may seem like an important aim of Avatar, it can easily be counted among the many other messages found in twists and turns of this ever thickening plot.

   Another, more superficial, issue surrounding this film is the negative implications of having one of the main characters, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver, smoke periodically throughout the film. Many critics are upset because they feel that this paints smoking in a positive light by having one the movie’s heroes smoke.

   “We were showing that Grace doesn’t care about her human body, only her avatar body,” Cameron said. “[The smoking] is a negative comment about people in our real world live too much in their avatars, meaning online and in video games.”

   Many times, when a movie is released, critics often feel it is their sacred duty to pick apart every symbol and every motif until they can find something wrong. Whether or not the plot is too cliché or the smoking is too repulsive, the groundbreaking, eye-popping, heart-stopping effects will always outweigh the negatives when viewing this film.

   Every little girl dreams about meeting her Prince Charming. The man who will bring her flowers for no reason, dance with her in the rain, kiss her before she’s brushed her teeth, love her when she’s bratty, and see her as beautiful after she’s grown old and gray.

   But as little girls grow into young women in this society, they are inadvertently taught that such expectations and dreams are unreasonable and unrealistic. They learn from the media, marriages they observe, and relationships they experience that finding Prince Charming is like meeting the Tooth Fairy. So, in response to this discovery, they compensate by building walls around their hearts that keep love at a distance, instead of waiting for someone worth waiting for.

   Stephenie Meyer conveys this message of “true love waits” to her readers by painting a picture of what love looks like when it’s sincere. Through her character, Edward Cullen, she portrays a man whose love for his girl is fierce and unending; Edward and Bella play out a relationship that is loyal and unconditional. Edward fights for Bella with the fury of a lioness protecting her cub (“…and the lion fell in love with the lamb…”) and loves her “as Christ loves the Church.” Meyer hyperbolically gives girls a standard to compare to and suggests that happily ever after does indeed exist.

   However, some find Twilight’s ideology too extreme and overbearing. Edward and Bella exemplify a relationship perpetuated to the point of obsession, and, while faithfulness is a relational characteristic to be heralded,  their lack of ability to cope without the other can quite easily send impressionable young girls the wrong message.

   Balance is important when it comes to the world of romance. While one must remember that no earthly love, however deep and great, should be what gives life purpose, genuine love is indeed a joy worth pursuing. For girls that have settled for less than the best because they have been led to believe that the best doesn’t really exist: Twilight is the story they need to hear!

   Over time, history has been conveniently divided into groups of people known as “generations,” used most often for mass marketing but also as a clear divide between age groups.

   The Lost Generation refers to people who came of age during and shortly after World War I. The Greatest Generation refers to the generation that served in World War II. The Silent Generation refers to people born between the two World Wars. The Baby Boomers were the generation born just after World War II.  Generation Jones, is the generation born between the Baby Boomers and Generation X. Generation X is the generation born between approximately 1964 to 1981. Generation Y, born 1980-2001, and Generation I, born after 1993, both refer to the generation which grew up with the internet and various other major world events such as the Sept. 11 attacks of 2001.

   The most recent generation to come into existence is most commonly referred to as The Green Generation. This generation transcends the usual barriers such as class, race, creed, country, religion, political ideology and, most importantly, age.

   Becoming a member of The Green Generation is easier than one might think. Provided bellow is a list of simple steps to help any willing participant become an environmentally conscious member of society.

Greening your diet:

• Drink more water and less soda. High sugar content is much less beneficial than high water and nutrient content.
• Real fruit juice is much healthier than the common three percent juice drinks, simply reading labels can ensure that you are actually improving your diet as opposed to loading your body with additional sugar.
• When buying fruits and vegetables try to by not only organic foods, but also locally grown foods. Transporting grapefruit from California to Texas uses tremendous amounts of gas compared to the energy used transporting grapefruit from just a few miles away. Local foods are going to be the freshest and the money supports the local farmers. Austin alone has eight farmers markets.

Living green:

• Conserve water:

1.    Conserve water when possible. In the bathroom, turning off the sink while brushing teeth can save 200 gallons a month.
2. ­   Don’t wait for water to warm when washing the face and the hands, water only kills germs if it is scorching hot.
3. ­   Letting the kitchen sink fill in order to wash dishes is an effective method in water conservation.
4. ­   When washing vegetables use a bowl, and dump the excess water in the yard as opposed to down the drain.
5. ­   When taking a shower, save your marvelous singing voice for something other than the gallons of water that pour down the drain. Cutting shower times can save a lot of water.

• Save energy:

1. ­   Switching from incandescent light bulbs to compact florescent light bulbs can save a lot of energy and emit a considerably higher amount of light.
2. ­   Using rechargeable batteries is a healthier alternative to the 15 billion batteries which end up in landfills every year.

• Recycle:

1. ­   Check with you local recycling center and find out what they are able to process. Recycling is a common and simple way to become more environmentally minded.
2. ­   Another way to recycle is to donate and shop at places like Goodwill. These places accept only materials in good quality and they are made  available at convenient prices.

   A case concerning the fate of a cross erected on Mojave National Preserve as a memorial to fallen war WWI heroes is now before the Supreme Court.

   Seventy-five years ago, veterans of WWI set up a memorial in honor of their fallen brothers and sisters in the form of an 8-foot, metal cross. Now covered by plywood, that cross has become the center of a political argument dating back to 1947, when in Everson v. Board of Education; religious dominance in the United States was first openly challenged. The case arose from the complaint of Frank Buono, a former National Park Service employee, who claimed offense at the presence of the monument and recruited the services of the ACLU to have the cross taken down. Now the courts will determine if leaving the cross in its current setting is constitutionally acceptable or not.

   Across the nation, war memorials are dotted with crosses representing the lives that have been lost for the United States. “The cross is the most profound symbol of the most humble act of service — to lay down one’s life for another. It was veterans who chose the cross to symbolize the service of their brothers and sisters in the military who laid down their lives to keep our country free,” said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America. An ex-employee’s offense at a grandfathered memorial located on a remote hill in a 1.4 million acre preserve is irrelevant to a case at this level; offense is a matter of semantics.

   On the other hand, one could argue that the separation of church and state is in direct violation due to the fact that Mojave National Preserve is indeed federally owned. Although approximately 30 years ago, when the ACLU first protested against this monument, the courts suggested that the acre on which the cross sits be sold to the VFW, the suggestion was turned down. Many are offended by the Christian symbol standing in honor of all fallen veterans when, obviously, not all fallen heroes are Christian.

   Ultimately this case reveals that the courts have not yet come to an agreement concerning religious displays on public land.

   Imagine a world where the skies are stained orange, the air is so thick that it almost hurts to inhale, the summers start fires where the winters freeze the ground and radioactive cockroaches roam the earth. Maybe it isn’t the fault of this generation, but that doesn’t matter, because this is the first generation that can actually do something to reverse the trend.

   The previous generation is impeded by the chains of habit, after decades of thinking global warming is a hoax, a large number of adults are inclined to still preach their ‘facts,’ no matter how misguided they may be. Two of the main debates in society today are over two questions,” is the climate warming,” and “are humans causing climate warming?”

   The general retreat of mountain glaciers during the past century is one example of evidence that the climate change is happening. A second point of discussion is the rate of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. There is a natural readjustment process which works very slowly, but pales in comparison to the rapid rate at which we move CO₂ into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. Natural carbon removal can’t keep pace, so the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere increases.

    This brings us to the third topic, the greenhouse effect, a natural warming process. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) and certain other gases are always present in the atmosphere. These gases create a warming effect that has some similarity to the warming inside a greenhouse, hence the name “greenhouse effect.” The increased gases trapped in the atmosphere enhance the green house effect and additional heat further warms the atmosphere and Earth’s surface.

   This brings us to the question, “are humans causing the climate change?” While the Earth maintains a natural carbon balance, allowing upset concentrations of CO₂ to gradually return to their natural state, the rapid production of CO₂ makes this impossible. There is growing evidence which indicates that humans now have a noteworthy impact on climate. Even so, it is difficult to identify humans as the only cause of case by case events or local climate changes.

   As a generation we can do our part, no matter how small, to ensure a healthier planet for future generations. The future where the skies are stained orange, the air is so thick that it almost hurts to inhale and the summers start fires where the winters freeze the ground doesn’t have to be a reality if everyone does their part. Turn the lights off when you leave a room, unplug your phone charger when it isn’t in use, recycle, and consider joining the school environmental group, Green Paws. Together we can save the planet.