Image by twitter.com By Sofia Mier Galindo
Staff Writer How exciting! You just got a compliment! Except, it says “ You seem nice”. Let’s just focus on the “seem” part.... Once you have really processed it, you realize that it’s not from one of your peers, it’s from an unknown student. You see, LJH makes sure that EVERYONE gets a compliment: a fake and forced compliment. Compliments are supposed to help you feel better and do better. Not just at home, but academically too. The LJH leadership class was trying to encourage students to higher their self esteem. Compliments are supposed to be natural. It has to be something the students want to say, not something they have to say. As Hara Estoff Marano says “ Of course, there is a way to give compliments. And, just as important, a way to receive them. And everyone needs to know how to do both.” Here are some students that say their opinions on compliment week. “I hate it, because the popular kids are the only ones getting the compliments, and kids that don’t, feel worthless.” says Brianna Anderson a 7th grader in LJH. Brianna got a pre-printed “compliment” that said, “If you were in a movie, you wouldn’t get killed off “ Sorah Park, another 7th grader, said “I don’t know...I didn’t get any compliments that were from my peers, I just thought that it was a waste of time.” Not many students felt great after compliment week started. Although to some people, compliment week was a success. “ I liked it very much. It made me feel better and I thought it was really nice.” says Kiki Chiang. That’s how compliments are supposed to work. According to the Nagoya Institute of Technology, and the University of Tokyo, “ Compliments activate the same region of the brain, the Striatum, as cash does, and both encourage people to perform better.” LJH made a glorious effort to make students happy, especially all the leadership students. They worked really hard on compliment week. They surely had great intentions, but it should have been executed in a more authentic way. Photo via yelp.com By Lucy Kay
Staff Writer It's better to try to increase responsibility and freedom in middle schoolers than to decrease the same for high schoolers. Junior high students are captured in this halfway point to prepare them for the springboard of life, known as high school. These four years are when adolescent’s see their adulthood closer and more immediate, while middle schoolers feel their youth is right at their side. The leap of realizing that finding a life on your own is nearer than one thinks is one of the main differences of middle and high school. But are these pre-teens ready to make that commitment? For three years, pre-teens have roamed the same halls, lived by the same rules, with the same kids, the same teachers and have walked through the same doors every day. They were the ‘big kids’ and didn’t seem to be afraid of anything. But then comes the first day of high school, where all the sophomore pray they were not that annoying. With their terrified faces and new backpacks, it's as if the new high schoolers are right back on their first day of middle school. The attendance numbers and grades, decrease on the first month of high school for all freshman. Actions to prevent this matter are not being put into motion. The big question is, are 8th graders ready for high school? 14 and 15 year olds are put in the same building and being educated with 18-year old ‘adults’. These pree-teens, not even able to drive, are expected to prepare the knowledge they will use to propel their whole life. Does that make sense? All in all, 8th graders are still kids, and matters need to be taken to prevent certain decreases in their school performance. These young adults have so much on their minds, it’s hard to focus on what's right. With guidance from upper-classmen and being able to make purposeful decisions, high school can be the place where one makes loads of memories. Image by thebluebook.com By Brianna Anderson
Staff Writer Having the rival schools combine next school year can solve certain problems, but what problems will it open up? If you haven’t heard it in the local news, since early January The LOSD has been discussing whether or not to combine the high schools. How the kids and parents feel on this issue is the actually the same, so why is this even a discussion? A student at Lakeridge Junior High school, Sofia Mier, says, “It might temporarily solve the problems discussed, but create new ones in the future.” This is entirely true. The two schools are rivals, number one. And number two how do they know that more problems won’t come up? If that happens are they going to have us embark in another big change? Other people are taking this side in a more serious-standing up kind of form. As said in a Local Oregon News article, “Lake Oswego parents Maya and David Barba, whose four children range in age from 11 to 19, said they led the rally to show their displeasure with a concept mentioned in the plan.” If this is causing such displeasure with residents of people all over Lake Oswego why is this even a question? There are some benefits for the district though. They wouldn't have to spend as much money on keeping up the other two schools if it was all combined. The money that is saved could be used on remodeling the schools to make them safer and bigger. But the downfalls seem to come rapidly. A lot of staff members that work at either high school face the threat of possibly losing their jobs. Another problem is having very crowded classrooms. For parents and students this is a huge factor. One parent drives from Newberg for her kids to attend the high school. Why would she want to do that anymore? The education wouldn’t be as good with the huge classes, and education is a huge deal in this district. This is a very opinion-oriented subject. You probably already had your opinion before reading this. This article is here to present you with the facts. Let’s just all hope LOSD makes the right decision. By Allie Coder
Staff Writer Studies have shown that students whose school starts early are not getting enough sleep, so they are tired and struggle more in classes. The school day at Lakeridge Junior high should start at a later time next year. “I think it is an excellent idea because I am not a morning person, and I think that we need more sleep than the elementary kids whose school starts at 9:10, because we have more homework and after school activities,” said Laura Erikstrup. I agree with Erikstrup because junior high and high school students have more homework and activities than the elementary school students, but their school starts a lot earlier. “I think that when we come to school in the morning we are tired so it is hard to focus, so if school started later we would pay more attention and school would be easier,” Cleo Silvestre explained. In my opinion, I think that school should start around 8:30 so that we have more time to sleep, but it is not too late. I think it would have a positive effect on the students because they could focus more in school and be more happy because they have enough sleep. By Cora McKay
Staff Writer Did you know that gymnastics benefits how active you are or that it improves your coordination or even helps you overcome fears? For the 2015-2016 school year, Lakeridge Junior High should consider adding a gymnastics unit to the PE curriculum. The unit can be provide an option between non-contact football and gymnastics, but students should be required to at least watch each activity and not participate on the first day. Students can then choose from there. The classes would be split into different groups: those with experience and those new to the sport. Those who have experience can help teach others. So, should we add a gymnastics unit? “Yeah, so that people who do sports can be more flexible,” said Audrey Kirkpatrick, who has never done gymnastics. Emma Honberger, a former gymnast, commented, “Yes, because it was really fun and you could learn new tricks. And people who are new to the unit could learn that they were missing out on something fun.” Gymnastics benefits your body in an all-around manner. It makes you stronger and more flexible, and it even builds friendships. If a gymnastics unit sounds appealing, talk to the student council representative in your advisory. By Solomon Gordon
Opinion Editor For lots of students, school can be BORING, right? Some students would much rather be at home playing Call of Duty or FIFA 2015. Even during lunch, the staff doesn't let students play games. Well what if school work became fun? “Impossible,” one might scoff, “school can never be fun!” But...it can, and all we have to do is turn it into a video game (that works for most people). In the past, playing games on the computer wasn't allowed, even during lunch and break. Teachers, picture this: your students have been working all period, then suddenly you say that they can play "cool math games" for the rest of the period. It’s the same type of work, but the kids are actually willing to do it! “I think it’s great when students get to play games for school,” claimed Ian Campbell, a fellow student at Lakeridge Junior High School. If students got to play educational games in class and received credit for it, I think that they would be right on board. Teachers, don’t you want kids to have fun learning? Well I think video games are fun, and so do a lot of my friends. And for all those teachers out there, I can give you a ninety percent guarantee that your class will complain a lot less about work if they enjoy it. In conclusion, I think that Lakeridge Junior High School could use a little bit more fun involved with assignments and work. Because of that, we should allow students to play educational games during break and lunch, and we should also involve games in classes. By Laura Erikstrup
Staff Writer I’m positive that many of you students at Lakeridge Junior High are eagerly waiting for the three week trial. Exactly what trial? The ability to have your phones on and out at lunch time in the cafeteria. However, this is a test that will require some changes in the future. During this trial period students will have to prove that they can have their phones on them but turned off and not activated. In my opinion, it would be phenomenal to have your phone on you at lunch because otherwise, you can get in trouble during the classes you have. This allows the students to have an ability to check their phones while not learning at lunch. Because of this policy, students won't disrupt classes by being inconsiderate and using their phones while still being able to enjoy today’s most-used handheld technology. “I think we should still have them off, but having them with us would be better because if you’re in a core class you could use like a calculator for instance.If you don't have one,” explained Cleo Silvestre. Silvestre is very considerate because she understands the obligations that come along with phone privileges. “I think that it would be good for students to have their phones in school because they can use them for things like research in class,” said Alie Coder. If students would have the ability to use their phones, the teachers wouldn’t have to stress about the dates when they can get iPad carts. As one can see, there are many beneficial aspects to this new trial period. For many who struggle to keep their locker a secure place to store things, having their phones on them will be beneficial. Additionally, some research shows that in emergencies it is better for students to have their phones on them to get immediate help. In this way, the new cell phone policy will support the LJHS mission to create a safe and welcoming learning environment. |
LJHSLakeridge Junior High School is an award- winning academic institution located in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Archives
March 2016
Categories |