Jingle bells, shotgun shells: Senior, family moves to military bases worldwide

While everyone else was sleeping she crawled out of bed and stealthily tip toed to the Christmas tree as the excitement of what to come bubbled up in her. The tree was made of tarps the shade of green associated with the military and shot gun shells hung from it like ornaments. She smiled up at it not knowing that to a civilian this type of tree would be perceived as different, and waited for the rest of the people on the army base and her family to wake up so that she could start opening her plethora of presents.

Senior Susan Yanacsek spent her holidays and life on army bases around the world following her dad, first class sergeant in the military, to wherever he was stationed. Instead of having a typical stable civilian life her life was spent waiting for her dad to either be deployed, come back, or be transferred.

“We moved about five or six times,” Yanacsek said. “I’ve lived in places like New York, Korea, Germany, Japan, Berlin, and Austria. It was hard sometimes with making new friends but I got to meet so many people with different cultures and nationalities that I wouldn’t have gotten to if I stayed in one place.”

Yanacsek and her family would spend just a few months in each place and have to go through difficulties in each place based on the culture and language.

“We went to public schools that only taught in the native language,” Yanesek said. “So we had to learn each language to understand the teachers. We also had to wear uniforms and the rules were a lot stricter there then they are here.”

Yanacsek said having a parent who is actively serving in the army meant watching a loved one get deployed over and over again and not knowing if or when they would come back.

“The hardest part was not knowing when my dad would leave or come home,” Yanacsek said, “We didn’t get any real warning of when he would be deployed and we never knew for how long. We were always told he would be gone indefinitely until further notice so sometimes he would be gone days, weeks, or months.”

Yanacsek and her family lived on army bases which helped her family deal with all the hardships of having a loved one in the service.

 “The army base was a big family filled with people who knew what you were going through,” Yanacsek said. “So I basically had 10 or 12 dads.”

Yanacsek didn’t know anything other than army life until her father retired and she started living a civilian life.

 “The impact and the people you’re surrounded with make the biggest difference in army life,” Yanasek said. Army life meant expecting and understanding you would be moving constantly and civilian life meant a permanent residence and no longer moving with the people you grew up with on the army base. It was like losing a family.”

Yanacsek said that being a part of army life is something she wouldn’t want to change.

“Most of the people here haven’t ever left Canyon or Amarillo while I’ve gotten to go around the world,” Yanesek said. “I got to experience so much more than most because I was an army brat.”

Rising from the ashes

 When I was younger my definition of a normal family was a biological mom, dad, daughter/sister and son/brother. Now that I’m older I’ve learned there really isn’t such a thing as a normal family. Every family has its own unique issues. But growing up explaining exactly how many issues my family had was not what anyone would call easy.

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.

Students granted membership into National Honor Society

The National Honor Society welcomed 70 new members into the organization Thursday Nov. 10 at the induction ceremony.

Fifty-seven returning members attended the banquet and presented a slide show showing their individual high school accomplishments.

All NHS members must meet the following requirements:
• Must be a junior or senior
• Have a GPA of 91.5 or higher,
• Completed at least two Pre-AP, AP or Duel Credit courses prior to induction year
• Be enrolled in at least one of those courses every year of membership
• Must meet high standards of leadership service and character.

All members are analyzed and voted upon by the NHS faculty council, consisting of five teachers that change annually, based on how each student fits and executes the requirements.

“Membership in NHS is a reflection of a well-rounded person,” NHS advisor Cheryl Freeman said. “It’s not just about academic success. It’s also about character traits, such as honesty and dependability, and how one relates to others through leadership and service. Membership, although a privilege, carries with it an obligation to continue to be an excellent role model at all times.”

Returning and new members include

Second Year Members:
Mica Alex
Sara Bednar
Abby Behrens
Sally Bell
David Bishop
Katie Brigance
Kendra Burger
Dakota Celey
Chelsea Ducheneaux
Tyler Emmert
Trey Glenn
Mark Griffin
Ashleigh Grizzle
Lauren Hahn
Kelli Hallmark
Madison Hernandez
Candace Herrera
Katelyn Huckaby
Sammy Huseman
McKenzie Jackson
Charity Johnson
Janie Lynn Johnson
Destry Lancaster
Connor Lawrence
Rebeca Lawson
Ephraim Lorenz
Britt Lowry
Taylor Macklin
Haley Matlack
Sam McConnell
Alex Pistocco
Ara Potestas
Chad Reinart
Janae Robinson
Kevin Ruiz
Tresa Scheller
Chandler Shaw
Lindsay Shuman
Rhailee Sides
Cody Slater
Julia Sparks
Cailee Stark
Abigail Strickland
Darby Sullivan
Avery Taylor
Tristen Tellman
Kassandra Thetford
MorgAnne Thompson
Matthew Villegas
Jordan Vogel
Chance Walton
Austin Weaver
Jackson Wells
John Wiggains
Tori Wright
Dylan Young
Tyler Young

*seniors
New Members:
Nick Ahring
Andrew Alexander
Mesa Allison
Tasneem Alvi
Collin Backus
Caitlin Bartz
Jayden Beatty
Melanie Blakeman
Chase Browne
Brooke Buchanan
Averi Bulla
Brook Castleberry
Dee Church
Keevan Coffman
Graeson Cook
Reese Cross
Codi Demere
Rachael Dyer
Cali Erwin
Clay Erwin
Trevor Ferril
Kristen Giles*
Miranda Goss
Lindsey Greer
Clint Hanes
Hailey Harris
Kyleigh Head
Chesley Hedger
Marissa Hernandez
Morgan Hicks
Lexi Hill
Zachary Howell
Kierstyn Huseman*
Aubrey Ibarra*
Miranda Ithaca
Cody Johnson
James Johnson*
Madison Jones
Kati Krause
Brooke Leazenby
Angela Lorkowski*
Alex Mayhew
Emily McCay
Molly Meyer
Sierra Miller
Dylan Odell
Katherine Pagitt
Connor Parker
Alyzza Potestas
Sayre Precure
Taylor Relyea
Sydney Robinson
Alyssa Rodriguez
Bryson Shaw
Sarah Skarke
Rachel Smith
Reggie Storer
Allison Strebeck
Meagan Taylor
Phillip Tijerina
Hannah Tomlinson*
Josiah Tull
Abagayle Velasquez
April Wall
Andrew Walker*
Abigail Walsh
Evan Westermann
Hayden Williams*
Marisa Ybarra
Chandess Yerby*

Time to take a Chill Pill: District controls thermostat, cuts utilities

Those with complaints about temperatures in the school will just have put on (or take off) their big kid jackets and deal with it, as CISD now sets air conditioning and heating levels within the school.
State-mandated budget cuts resulted in the district reducing the percentage of funds being spent on utilities such as air conditioning and heating by taking control of building air conditioning and setting a certain temperature to be maintained throughout every room.
A state law that took effect this school year requires all Texas schools to reduce electrical consumption by five percent as a result of the $4 billion budget cut in education funds for the state. For CISD, that meant $3.3 million had to be cut from the 2011-2012 budget. That cut required Assistant Superintendent Randy McDowell to create a new energy management system.
“We had to update and establish guidelines that created a system that we could afford,” McDowell said.
With air conditioning and heating, less energy use equals a cheaper bill. The school board approved the recommendation of regulating a set temperature for every classroom in school buildings. Superintendent Mike Wartes and McDowell collected data from other school districts statewide that aided them in determining the most reasonable and effective temperature for CISD buildings to use.
“Seventy-three degrees is our set temperature based on temperatures and systems used by other schools in the state,” Wartes said. “Sixty-eight degrees will be the set temp for the winter months.”
Experts say that every degree represents a five percent savings, which for CISD, means that every two degrees saved shaves $60,000 off of the annual $2 million spent on utilities. Regulating and reducing heating and cooling costs brings the district closer to achieving its goal of reducing that annual amount by $200,000.
“Our goal is to be as efficient, when it comes to savings, as we can while still keeping everything reasonable,” Wartes said.
Wartes advises students to come prepared.
“I would tell students to watch the weather report and dress accordingly,” Wartes said. “If it’s going to be a really hot day, dress in lighter and cooler clothing, and if it’s a cold day dress warmly.”
Wartes said that despite struggles with the budget, the district continues to provide a quality educational environment.
“Even though we have had to make cuts, our goal has always been to protect the classroom, Wartes said. “We feel that with our new savings policies we have achieved that.”

Re-release of The Lion King brings back memories, teaches new lessons

Disney movies, in my childhood, gave me daydreams, taught me valuable lessons and later brought me laughter when I understood the hidden innuendos. My favorite Disney movie by far is “The Lion King.” This cinematic adventure from my childhood was re-released into theaters in advance of the release of the Blu-Ray DVD set. The success of the film, which grossed over $61 million since its release, has caused Disney to extend its time in theaters.
I am happy to say that my generation, at least in Canyon, appreciates the genius of Disney. So I felt no shame or embarrassment in going to view “The Lion King” in 3D. Adults joined with teens to fill the theatre.
A timeless movie stands the test of time by inspiring a person from childhood through adulthood. Children understand the innocence and fun of “The Lion King.” They laugh at the crazy baboon, cackle at the mentally unstable hyena, and are terrified by Scar and his villainous ways.
Watching it this time around, the first things I noticed were the witty comments and hidden meanings. Childish scenes I used to love, like watching Timon dance and sing in a hula skirt, had me laughing and Mufasa’s death never fails to bring tears to my eyes. Every time I watch this movie, I discover different elements to the movie that keep me just as entertained as when I was younger.
Aside from the laughter, deeper lessons come through when looking at the movie with matured eyes—lessons such as accepting responsibility, knowing those who are gone are still with us, the stages of grief, the true meaning of friendship, finding yourself, holding on to who you truly are and of course, the circle of life. I wish I could have a crazy and all-knowing baboon guide me toward my destiny and challenge me by saying things like “The question is not who am I; the question is, who are YOU?” in a African accent, which for some reason makes him that much wiser. I wish cloud apparitions of our loved ones appeared to remind us of who we really are and our true purpose in life. Unfortunately, life is not this way, but “The Lion King” is a great opportunity to escape into a world where these amazing things can happen.
“The Lion King” made me laugh, cry and think. It inspires, introduces unforgettable songs and features the voice of James Earl Jones.
What more could a person want from a movie?
Return to your childhood and feed your soul with this classic that I am sure will be a hit until the end of time.

National Merit Scholarship Competition commends seniors

The 2012 National Merit Scholarship program has named seniors Tyler Young and Janae Robinson commended students for their performance on the PSAT administered their junior year.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation uses the screen index or the sum of all scores within each section of the test, from 1.5 million test takers a year to choose the students who meets the program requirements.

Young and Robinson were two of approximately 34,000 students selected from the 50,000 high scorers to receive letters of commendation for their outstanding academic promise.

“We are very proud of both students for their dedication and hard work,” Principal Tim Gilliland said.

Voice of Democracy contest deadline Oct. 28

Librarian Tammy Scarbrough will accept Voice of Democracy essay entries until the Oct. 28 deadline.

The essay competition is open to all high school students and must include a typed essay with a 3-5 minute recording of the essay. The topic for this year’s competition is “Is there pride in serving in our military?”

All taped recordings must be on either a CD or cassette tape in the writers own voice without the disclosure of his or her identity. Scarbrough will provide a space with a recorder and cassette tapes for anyone who needs to record an essay but does not have equipment. See her for further information.

The competition is hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and is judged on originality, content and delivery. Cash prizes are awarded to winners as well a chance to advance to the next stage of competition.

“This is a great opportunity to get some cash,” Scarbrough said. “It also raises student awareness of the past and present actions of the military. This is a good way for students to share their opinions on what is going on in the world around them.”

Senior permits still on schedule for class of 2013

The latest classroom gossip that is putting students, especially juniors, into a tizzy is the rumor that senior permits will no longer be available at Canyon High next year. Superintendent Wartes and Principal Gilliland have confirmed that this rumor is false.
”Without hiring several extra non-core teachers we don’t have enough sections for all of the students without the use of free periods,” Gilliland said.
Full time students are required to attend at least five class periods and receive 240 minutes of instruction per day. If free periods do not infringe on those state requirements then they will not be removed, but will continue to be restricted.
“We do limit seniors to one of these periods, unless circumstances dictate otherwise,” Gilliland said.
Approval to distribute free periods must be given by Principal Gilliland.
“The campus administration will have to determine whether or not to allow an individual these types of permits based on a student’s schedule,” Superintendent Wartes said.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of the courses Canyon High has to offer in order to adhere to state requirements.
“As always we encourage our students to be involved in clubs, organizations, and classes that will develop them for college or a career,” Superintendent Wartes said.

Debate duo to compete at state meet

As he stood at the podium he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. His rock solid argument bounced off his lips and hit the opposing team like a brick wall. By the time he finished speaking he glanced at the triumphant smile on his partner’s face and knew that this debate round had just been dominated.

Senior Colten Cowart and junior Brett Howard qualified to attend the CX Debate state meet March 15-18. Juniors Connor Lawrence and Ephraim Lorenz have qualified as the alternate team and will be joining Cowart and Howard to state.

“I didn’t think we were going to make it but I’m excited,” Cowart said. “If we really work hard then we can do really well.”

The meet will be held in Austin where more than 60 different teams will compete for the top three places.

“I’m kind of nervous,” Howard said.” It’s going to be hard”

In preparation for the competition, both debaters are putting in several hours of work each week.

“We work at least 2 or 3 hours a day or up to 15 hours a week,” both Cowart and Howard said.

Howard said both debate partners bring individual advantages that aid in their success as a team.

“Brett is really good at research, he knows what he is talking about and I make strong arguments to go with that,” Cowart said.

Team members said they appreciate the practical experience that debate has given them.

“It gives you life skills that you can’t get anywhere else in high school,” Cowart said. “It teaches you that keeping up with current events is beneficial to your life.”

Today’s students not with the times

Young people in today’s society are the least informed citizens of the United States when it comes to current events. This is a detrimental quality that exhibits arrogance and ignorance as the face of high school/college students. This must change in some form or fashion.

Students have come to view current events as unimportant and pointless when in reality this is completely untrue. Students must realize that they have a personal stake in the history that is being made around them. What is happening now builds the future.

Ignorance is equal to irresponsibility. As a citizen of this country, young or old, it is one’s responsibility to know and be a part of their country’s actions. Obliviousness aids in the degradation of a society that was built upon the idea that every citizen in the nation should be involved in its proceedings. When the general public forgets that, one of the concrete foundations of everything we know today will crumble.

An advantage that knowledge brings is that it aids people in future careers, classes, and life in general. What is happening and what has happened in this world exemplifies a cause and effect facet of life that is present in any work field. A well-rounded education is not just built upon skills within core classes; it also includes knowledge on politics, worldly events, and basic understanding of the world. This education is unfortunately not very common amongst adolescent Americans today.

There is also a social benefit that comes from awareness on current events. Studies show that the ability to hold a conversation on current events such as politics is a quality that is seen as very attractive, which results in more self-confidence. A brain is needed for any relationship: knowing about current events shows intelligence.

Knowledge is power in all areas of life; socially, academically, and mentally. It is a necessity that cannot just come from classes in school; it comes from what’s happening in the world today.

For current events updated daily, please visit:

http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/

http://current-events.nettop20.com/

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