The cleanliness of the school and the surrounding campus is the responsibility of the students. The disrespect our buildings are shown have a negative impact not only on current students and faculty, but on every person to walk the halls of Canyon High School.

 The building itself aside, students should respect their learning environment for themselves, their peers and the school faculty. There is simply no reason to scribble one’s name on the wall, or leave lipstick kisses on mirrors, or ‘forget’ to pick up one’s trash after lunch. It only leaves an unnecessary mess for someone else. We, as humans reaching adulthood, should have the common sense and ability to do what we can to tidy up after ourselves. Our actions now do not only affect current students; the consequences of tearing the school apart will echo through classes for years to come.

 On a broader scale, the ecological impact we have on our campus is something to consider. The infamous Texas Panhandle wind carries trash far and wide, meaning that anything left outdoors is liable to end up strewn about campus, or in the surrounding neighborhoods. Not only does our campus look unappealing, but these items can pose a hazard to the nearby livestock, to the soil, which has difficult decomposing most trash, and to the general cleanliness of our town. As humans in an eco-savvy generation, it is our duty to minimize our carbon footprint, and to minimize danger the items we use pose to our environment.

 In our recent online poll, 7% of readers said the cleanliness of our campus was the job of the custodial staff. While they may receive a paycheck for their work, they also do a largely thankless job that could be made simpler by the courtesy, by the respect, of the students. Leaving a mess with the mentality that it’s someone else’s job to take care of it is juvenile and rude. Even if it is their job to clean, it is not fair to create extra work for the custodians, out of respect for them as our elders, and as fellow human beings.

 A change of mentality is needed from students. The current state of our campus is unacceptable, which is the result of our carelessness. We must take action to clean up our act and clean up our school, if not for ourselves, for the future of Canyon and Canyon High School.

First of all let me explain how my blended family came to exist. Shortly after my first birthday and my older brother’s third birthday my parents divorced. When I turned four, my mom married my step-dad who had two daughters and a son. One second I was living with one older brother and the next, I had a grand total of four siblings.

I have very few memories of not being part of a blended family, so my take on that family dynamic differs from many. Because I have been with my family for so long the word “step” isn’t used. However labels become important when you make the transition into a blended family. The question of what to call your step-relatives is something that every member of a blended family must come to terms with. It took a few years of confusion and awkward moments to reach a place where they stopped being “step-family” and started being my family.

Along with labels, the simple act of acknowledgement is an issue that must be dealt with. Since my last name is different from my siblings the opportunity to not publicly acknowledge them was always present. The big difference between a biological family and a blended one is that things as simple as acknowledgment and labels don’t come naturally but are something you have to learn to do.

In blended families the term ‘sibling rivalry’ takes on a whole new meaning. At least it did in my family. Jealousy and competition is a huge aspect of everyday life. The biological division creates “teams” that are both determined to beat the other in anything. It doesn’t matter what it is. It could be family arguments, where that unspoken loyalty and bond between members of each part of a blended family comes out. My brother and I would stick together with our mom before we would stand by our step-dad and siblings which created frustration and unfairness. Fights don’t occur very often now because we’re older, somewhat more mature and the two oldest are either living on their own or married. But it’s taken a lot of arguments and compromise to get to a place where we all get along.

All the trials my family has gone through to become the close family we are now haven’t been nearly as hard as losing a core member. My step dad passed away in a fire at my house June 26, 2011. Loss in any family is difficult but with mine it seemed intensified because the one person who brought us all together and connected us was the one we lost. In some ways it has made us stronger while in others it inevitably has broken us. From the government’s perspective, my siblings are no longer legally my siblings, so we had to band together as a family by making a conscious decision to continue to be a family without any requirements or unspoken rule to accept and be together.

My step-dad always strove to achieve, along with the rest of my family, a way to become a true family despite our differences and issues. He believed that no matter what type of family you are, family is family. Families stick together and love one another, despite not always liking each other. A blended family is dysfunctional. No matter who it is or how well they get along there is no avoiding it. I have come to the realization that the dysfunctional aspects of my family is what makes them the people I love most in this world.

Growing up, I always thought that the contrasting opinion of each individual was beautiful. I loved hearing other people’s opinions and was always fascinated by the fact that each and every person had something he or she believed in and would fight for if it came down to it. A defining feature in the human essence is passion: emotion and opinion. Inevitably, one person’s opinion will differ from another’s, but it is up to the person to decide how he or she reacts.

I adore discussing with others. I loathe arguing. Yes, I believe that these two desires can be satisfied simultaneously. This is achieved by having something I like to call an “open mind.” One can accept that someone believes differently without arguing about it. Whereas discussing can be interesting and help open your mind and help you learn why people think as they do, arguing isn’t going to solve anything. One side is not going to prove anything to the other.

Arguing usually provokes anger and frustration and it rarely resolves the issue. It’s not going to change someone’s views. It will probably divert them from the opposing view even farther and then serve to evoke the ongoing stereotype for both sides that the people of the opposite stance are hardheaded, stubborn and fail to see the basis of the others’ argument.  An argument is what you make it. If the person decides to rebut everything by becoming angry and defensive, it only projects an illustration of immaturity. One part of sophisticated and interesting discussion is to take someone’s view, consider it, analyze it and accept or refute it, and if the latter, find other ways to conclude it. A disagreement of opinions does not have to be frustrating—it can be enlightening.

So, what I’m trying to request is to respect other people’s opinions, for goodness sake. Who cares if someone believes differently than you? Personally, I’m glad that we all see the world differently. If we all believed the exact same thing, this world would be a pretty boring place to live. Live and let live. Accepting that someone else does not believe strictly the same as you is not that hard to do.

It is a legitimate question. Many of the types of art that our culture enjoyed in past generations are either losing popularity or gone. It can be argued that art forms should die if they are no longer relevant, and I would agree. Still, the painters’ and the sculptors’ creations are consistent with the modern era and its values but we pay almost no attention to them.  Not only are some art forms suffering, but talented artists in popular genres such as music and books aren’t getting much recognition.

It seems that art is being replaced by entertainment. These two words are by no means interchangeable.  Art and entertainment almost never walk in lockstep. The next time you go to a movie, ask yourself whether what you watched created an emotional response and maybe even changed your world view a little, or if it just distracted and entertained you for its duration. Watching a movie for entertainment or listening to music just because you like to dance to it is just fine. It’s just noticeable that what is being recycled through our culture is of less substance and more distraction. 

So the solution would be to recognize and view the art forms we enjoy. They may be harder to find, but they tend to be more enjoyable. Just listen to a song that triggers an emotional response, watch a movie that makes you think “wow,” or enjoy a painting or book that captures you inside its world.  If these actions don’t happen, then it is likely art would recede even farther and maybe even dry up. 

I’m concerned for the future of art. Pop culture is pushing it out of the way to make room for its own agenda instead of adopting it and realizing its importance. It is still being held together by the minority of individuals who create art and those who immerse themselves in it.

Is art dying? The answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t expect or push towards a revival of it.

When expressing kindness to someone, it is important to mean it. Otherwise, it’s better to say nothing.  Saying you like someone’s t-shirt when you don’t is not benefiting anyone. It isn’t fooling anyone either; no one is going to be impressed by a few half-hearted compliments or generalized notes plastered around the school.  Rachel’s message wasn’t about spreading kindness for the sake of being kind, but to be kind in instances where you would otherwise not have been kind. 

If students turn Rachel’s Challenge into something that insincere, then the challenge itself fails. If the challenge is filled with people who act to impress others, or just to appease the challenge, then the message that Rachel’s Challenge is trying to convey didn’t succeed. 

Rachel’s Challenge is meant to spread kindness and compassion throughout the community. Reaching out to a student who is sitting alone, telling a parent you love them, or helping someone who is just struggling in life are a few instances where Rachel’s Challenge can benefit people. 

It may be argued that being kind on a dishonest level can still be beneficial by instilling a sense of kindness throughout the community and creating a starting point for real kindness. However, when that is allowed, it just creates a culture with a veil of deception. It widens the gap between sincere and insincere and makes it that much harder to distinguish whether or not someone means what they say.

To keep Rachel’s Challenge from being something that is insignificant or mocked, the standard of genuine kindness should be reinforced.  To take on the challenge is to embrace the full meaning of it as well.

I couldn’t see anything and only thought to keep everything tight. The only true sense I had at that moment was my hearing, all the people laughing and the shutters of their cameras. A voice rang out from the crowd saying, “This is going on Facebook!” When that single photo hit the web, my notification box was dinging every other second. I knew I had truly accomplished the plank when the twins from Utah commented on it saying, “nice plank.”

I was motivated. I was going to plank anywhere I went. Now that I look back on my prime time planking, I realize that was what I turned to so I could cope with not being where I wanted to be, with my best friends in Utah. When I hear people talking about how stupid planking is, I cannot help but to stand up to them and defend it. It has kept me from doing stupid things that could harm me. I decided to lay down face first in places, stiff as a board, instead of going out partying, and breaking the law, or doing some that is truly stupid. Planking has become something I do ever so often because I want to. Not for attention and getting the praise of others. I do it because I have fun looking weird. I have fun being me in my own way.

 The film industry needs to realize that a storyline, not an illusion, is what makes a movie great. I am looking forward to the day that a classic film that is untouched by a Hollywood trend is released, but until then I can only hope that this current trend will die down soon.  

During my recent trip to San Antonio for the Texas Association of Journalism Educators State Convention, I met Mr. John Isaac. He was born in Madras, India and came to America in 1968, arriving with 75 cents in his pocket. After moving up through a series of jobs, Isaac started working as a photographer for the United Nations. During his career he became the Chief of the Photography Unit for the U.N. This profession gave him the opportunity to travel to more than 100 countries and capture some of history’s remarkable moments.

Isaac has taken not only magnificent pictures throughout various countries, but he has also published books, including his recent one titled “The Vale of Kashmir.”

Throughout his career, Isaac has befriended many different types of people, ranging from those he photographed during the Ethiopian famine and the genocide in Rwanda to actress Audrey Hepburn and Michael Jackson.

Generally when you read about famous people, or people who have become important in the world, you might think they are arrogant or that they wouldn’t waste their time talking to someone who they might see as beneath them.

This was not the case with Isaac. Spending time with him in a photography class on the streets of San Antonio and hearing him speak about the people he has known showed me that he accepted everyone.

He took the time to hear a homeless man’s story and share it with the students at TAJE, when most people would have shied away from a man on the streets. When he spoke of his work, he told us that he always talked with the people in his pictures before he took the photograph. He said he did not want to photograph a stranger.

I learned from Isaac, not only tips on photography, but that I should be accepting of everyone, regardless of how “different” they might seem. His photographs from around the world remind me that I should be thankful for what I have, because others are not as fortunate as we are in America.

I’ve been a cheerleader at Cheer Texas for ten years. Cheer Texas is a gym where competitors try out and are placed on squads based on skill level, with Senior Co-ed being the most advance. Each year squads compete in about ten contests that occur in locations ranging from Dallas to Orlando, Florida.

Routines are two minutes and thirty seconds of non-stop action. Cheerleaders practice two or three times a week, and the practices are not always easy. The routines consist of stunts, tumbling, and choreography. I am a flyer, which means I trust three people with my life as they hold me up in the air, while I do my “tricks”. When I come out of a stunt, the bases toss me as high as they can, I twist once or twice around and the bases catch me on my back. I’ve been both a flyer and a base and neither are easy positions.

If the stunt doesn’t go perfectly, a cheerleader could land a skill with a broken ankle or even a broken neck. If a cheerleader loses concentration, someone could get hurt. I’ve witnessed many severe injuries in cheerleading, and according to abcnews.go.com, about 16,000 cheerleaders are severely injured each year.

I have run track, and I have played volleyball. I’m not saying those sports are easy, because they are difficult; but because I’ve played other sports and cheered, I can make a fair comparison.

Whenever people ask me if I play sports, I say proudly, “Yes. I am a cheerleader at Cheer Texas.”

As we walk down the halls, we notice how individuals dress. As we sit in class, we notice how individuals behave. As we socialize in the commons, we notice individuals’ interests. The walls of this school constantly bleed whispers of individuals. “Did you see how low cut her top is? I’m pretty sure he’s in the closet. Don’t they know you have to be thin to pull off those jeans? “

Teachers can stop a fight or an argument, but teachers can’t stop the whispers. Friends can protect us from harassment or embarrassment, but friends can’t protect us from people’s opinions. Students are told all the time, “if you see somebody being bullied, tell a teacher. If someone in school is picking on you, tell a teacher. If you know that somebody is having a hard time with rumors or drama, tell a teacher. Let a teacher take care of the problem.”

One thing students are not asked very often is, “Have you ever stopped to think that the more negatively you act out, the more negative attention you draw to yourself?”

My friend once told me, “It’s not like I’m walking around school searching for drama; drama finds me.”

I immediately replied, “Well, you do stick out.”

That’s when I truly realized that a person’s interests, behavior and appeal can offend others on various levels. It may not be on purpose, but personal mannerisms, personalities and ideals invite argument and judgment into daily life.

There is a fine line between personal expression and “acting out.” When someone acts out, they express beyond average measures. They try to mold their appearance into something they are not, something superficial.

When people wake up in the morning, they hardly ever stop, take a moment and look in the mirror to ask themselves if being who they are affects anyone in a negative way. They do not ask themselves if there is any way they can express their true feelings without drawing so much harmful attention, and if there is not, is acting a certain way worth all the dramatic feedback.

A handful of people cannot stand attention. Some can handle attention if necessary. Several enjoy a healthy dose of attention, while others seek it and even crave it.

We all know someone who may not enjoy attention, but who enjoys being unique, being someone who has a distinct aspect about them that not many others have. There is nothing wrong with being distinctive. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be different. Society would be boring if people didn’t express individuality, but when they do, they should do it with caution.

If we were born to be shining stars in a dull night sky, we should be proud. We live our lives by being ourselves.

But by developing an awareness of how we affect the people around us, we develop a new perspective of who we appear to be.