Every year, our juniors come together for a special ring ceremony that signals the close of their junior year and the beginning of their senior year.  The tradition of ring ceremonies was originally started by West Point in 1835, and since then, such celebrations have spread to schools all over the country.

Kearney has a lot of special traditions that add to the ring ceremony as a whole.  One of those traditions is the turning of the ring according to the year you are graduating.  For instance, this year the students had to find thirteen other students to turn their ring thirteen times around their finger.  This has been one of the main traditions of the Kearney ring ceremony since they first began.  Another tradition is the prayer service surrounding the ring ceremony.  This tradition stems of the idea that the community should bless these rings and the students who wear them as they move forward in their lives.

The ring includes some very special symbols on it as well. The symbols seen on the ring include a crown that means Christ the King, as well as lamp that means wisdom, and a quill that represents knowledge.  The crescent moon on the ring stands for kings and their descendents, and the stars symbolize the faculty and staff here at Kearney.  The other major symbols on the ring are the J and M intertwined, which stands for Sisters of Notre Dame, and the Celtic cross, which stands for the Irish Christian Powers our founders. The most recognizable symbol on the ring , of course, is the founding year accompanied by the students’ graduating year.

The rings are each identical so that the students are forever tied to Kearney and their classmates.  The sameness also helps other Kearney alums identify each other.  This ring is a significant tradition that every junior should participate in. Every ring holder should also be proud to wear their ring in the years to come.

The album, though technically the official album for the movie, is not used in the movie at all. But don’t let this fact deter you from buying the album.  Each song from the album was written and produced specifically for the movie.  Each song has its own feel, purpose, and each is completely unique.  The album is filled with a variety of artists including Kid Cudi, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert and Maroon 5.

Each of the songs are so different that they are almost incomparable.

“Ruler and a Killer”, Kid Cudi’s song on the album, is an amazing song with a heavy beat accompanied by harsh words describing the mentality of both President Snow and the Careers within The Hunger Games.

The most well known songs from the album are the two Taylor Swift songs, “Safe and Sound” and “Eyes Open”.  Both of these songs are amazing, with their insight into both the story and the character of Katniss. Both songs also have a great sound, and feel as a sort of theme songs for the movie.

The song “Just a Game” by Birdy is another song with significant meaning on the CD.  It’s about Katniss going through the parade and her emotions as she encounters the beginning ceremonies, Peeta, the crowd, and the games themselves.

All of the songs on the album are significant and add to the story as a whole.  All those who have read the books or seen the movie will be able to understand the significance of each of the songs.  Those who haven’t seen the movie, or read the book, will enjoy the intense lyrics and variety of music found in the soundtrack.

If you think about it, this feeling is inevitable. After four years of research papers, essays, projects, and homework, the monotony of school work can make students feel unmotivated. To combat these feelings, there are many events that seniors can look forward to.

Upcoming events in May include the PACE party and the senior trip. The parents association has put together a great night of events for PACE, full of fun and surprises for all. When the PACE party ends, at around 3 o’clock in the morning, seniors that chose to go on the New York City trip will depart from school and head to the big apple!

June is the biggest month for seniors. With senior ball and graduation, it will certainly be an emotional time. The ball is June 1^st, and it will be the last high school dance that seniors will attend. The last and final event for seniors is graduation. On June 9^th, the class of 2012 will end their high school careers and part ways.

Amid all of the stress and senioritis experienced at the end of the year, seniors should remember to cherish these last moments together. Make them count.

47-year-old Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp has angered parents, along with school staff, ever since photos of her odd discipline surfaced on Facebook.

In a letter to Bailey-Cutkomp, district superintendent Heather Fiorentino was furious, stating: “I am stunned that you would put dog collars on students for any reason, [and] I am very concerned that you used this collar to punish and embarrass students in front of their peers.”

Reuters’ legal reporter Stephanie Rabiner even went as far as to say that students can sue their teacher for emotional distress: “The student-teacher relationship generally does not permit such demeaning and highly embarrassing conduct. Bailey-Cutkomp effectively equated these children to dogs in front of their peers.”

But despite all of the outrage from people who were not involved, the students seemed to have no problem with their teacher. Ninth-grader Tanisha Medina told WCSH local news that “Everybody was just joking around with it [the cone]. She [Bailey-Cutkomp] came up behind me and she said, ‘Is it fine?’ I said, ‘Yeah, sure, it’s fine.”

It seems that the student, who posted pictures of the humorous incident online, is the only person to blame for the ballooning of this story. In regard this student, Medina said, “Some kid, I don’t know what he did. He ruined it for all of us.”
In a statement to the media, Lynne Webb, president of the United School Employees of Pasco, established that she believes firing Bailey-Cutkomp to be unreasonable. Webb stated, “We believe it’s an overreaction to the situation. Termination is really not appropriate. We should be able to find something short of firing the teacher.”

Adults sometimes tell of how their teachers used ‘dunce’ caps as punishment back in the day. If that is so, then why is this ‘cone’ punishment so controversial? No students appear to be suffering dramatic emotional distress over the incident, so why is all of this commotion taking place? Should Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp be terminated?

For the entire story, follow this link: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/teacher-puts-cone-shame-dog-collar-students-everyone-210600289.html

The NorthPark Center, which boasts an exceptional 26 million visitors per year, has announced that it will begin to enforce a new policy intended to promote a family atmosphere at its facility.

The policy, which is included in the mall’s “code of conduct”, states that anyone 17 years of age or younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian after the hour of 6PM. Mall security will enforce the measure by performing random I.D. checks. Any unaccompanied teens discovered during these checks will be asked to call their parent to either join them or pick them up.

Parents, who were interviewed by a CBS affiliate in Dallas, had mixed emotions on the new rule. One parent believed that it was a good idea, for parents and children should be encouraged to spend more time with each other. Another parent understood the motive behind the rule, but questioned whether 6PM was a bit too early.

Teens who work night shifts at the mall are obviously exempt from the new rule.

Could policies such as this possibly be coming to a shopping center near you?

What do you think of this new rule? Do you believe that it effectively encourages family bonding? Or is it simply lame?

For the entire story, follow this link: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/05/09/teens-must-be-with-parents-at-night-at-northpark/

Staying on task will keep you on your feet and your head above water. This is a good position to be in while dealing with college. I also do not want you stop your scheduling at just the homework level. Your classes are scheduled, so go ahead and schedule the rest of your days. Prepare a time for taking your showers, and mark the times when the washing and drying rooms are empty so that you know when the perfect time to wash your clothes is. Go to the dining halls and notice when the right time to buy your food is so that you can plan your entrances and your exits from the place. Timing is everything when it comes to doing things in college and throughout the world beyond it.

Start scheduling now, and you will be able to roll with the punches.