Twitter was created in March of 2006 and put online in July of that year; the site was originally created as a messenger for smalls groups of people but has since morphed into the next big social networking site. There are many reasons for its growing popularity, one of which is the appreciation for freedom of speech.

Junior @BlissMcCathern said, “I love twitter because it is a place where I can express my feelings towards the government and how much I miss my ex girlfriends.”

With two popular but very different websites, Twitter and Facebook, most students prefer one to the other. Junior @paige_weiss chooses Twitter.

“I like Twitter more than Facebook because it is a lot more secluded and people express all of their feelings without even thinking about it before they tweet it.”

While some prefer the openness of twitter, other students, like senior Colton Beasley, base their preference on ease of use.

“I don’t like twitter because it takes too long to do simple tasks that you can do more easily on Facebook,” Beasley said.

Students who don’t like the website also argue that Twitter is nothing more than a place for users to talk about themselves.

“Everyone feels the need to say where they are and what they’re doing. It’s like Facebook but worse,” senior Mitchell Cornett said.

Students that enjoy twitter disagree and claim that there is more to twitter than that. Senior @Elle_Bow uses it to communicate and joke with friends.  

“I tweet about the back urn and being country strong with @addyschelble and @j_barnicle.”

While the majority of students at CHS enjoy Twitter and what it has to offer, it is a matter of personal preference. The few students that dislike Twitter may not understand what other students get from using Twitter, or they may just dislike social networking.

Most teens do not realize the risk they are taking when taking their eyes off of the road.  It has been proven in previous car wrecks that five seconds before a teen crashed, they were texting.  Just talking on the phone increases a driver’s chance of crashing.  Driving and typing a text message takes more attention away from the road than talking on the phone.  This proves how little attention drivers pay to the road while texting.  In theory, drivers have more risk of an accident while texting than they do driving drunk.   Some states have already passed a law making texting while driving illegal such asGeorgia,Iowa,California,Colorado, andMinnesota.  The South Carolina Senate Bill 225 was previously considered and would have banned drivers from texting while operating a vehicle.  This law would not have constricted drivers of using hand-free devices or using their cell phone while parked or stopped. South Carolinais now trying to pass this bill in the 2012 election. If the bill is passed this go round, the penalty if caught will be more severe than originally planned.  The fine would be one hundred dollars plus a twenty-five dollar surcharge and two points added to the driver’s record.  If caught after the first offense, the driver will be penalized with up to ten years in prison and a fine of $10,000.  Being currently thirty-five other states with laws banning texting and driving, willSouth Carolinapass the bill in 2012?

Sure, Valentine’s Day is great for couples to celebrate their joy over being together, but from the perspective of a single person, it is only a harsh reminder that they are single and have no one to share such a day with. Seeing all the couples exchanging gifts and talking about how much they “love” one another, a single person can’t help but feel left out and lonely.

Some people celebrate Singles Awareness Day by gathering together and celebrating the fact that they are single, while some come together and commiserate.  Green clothing is commonly worn and is the usual color for S.A.D because it is considered to be the “opposite” of red, the traditional color associated with Valentine’s Day.

A lot of people look down upon Singles Awareness Day and have the idea that single people all come together and whine and complain about their lives, and how terrible it is to be single.  But many who celebrate the holiday get together with their friends and celebrate the fact that they are single and do not need a man or woman to define their life. Some people could care less whether they have a boyfriend or girlfriend.  For them, it just means they won’t have to worry about what gift they’re going to give, where they will make reservations for dinner, etc. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a stay-at-home pity party. It can very easily be a night of joy and fun. It just depends on how one looks at it.

Overall, the main idea of Valentine’s Day is to celebrate relationships, whether they are romantic or just friend-relations.

Fried Butter is a stick of household butter rolled in dough and fried until golden brown. Each stick contains 810 calories and just the fried Butter Balls contain 198 Calories and 4.56 grams of fat. Fairs have a tendency to take something that’s already sweet, deep-fry it and add sugar to it. Does a Snickers bar with nearly 29 grams of sugar really need more sugar sprinkled on top? And that doesn’t even add up to the whole “deep-fried” issue. According to The Consumerist, one of these has around 700 calories.

There were sixty-six college representatives that conversed with the students about their plans for the future. Students looked at colleges such as College of Charleston, Wofford, Furman University, Winthrop, USC, The Citadel, and Midlands Tech. The Army and the National Guard also came for people interested in the military.

Head guidance counselor Annette Moore said, “It benefits the students that are on the fence on what college to go to. We want to provide as many avenues to college as possible to help the students. We also want to be a resource to them, but it is up to the students to take advantage of it.”

 Senior Ryan Moore said, ” My friend Devin Lawrence and I had a splendid afternoon as we were enriched with knowledge concerning various universities and colleges.”

Most of the students found the college fair found the event very helpful and that it helped inform them as to what colleges they were interested in and could apply for.

Although many students agree with Ross’s mission, others question whether the school has an actual drug problem.

“I think Mr. Ross is overreacting. If the school were doing that bad with drugs, then the test scores would be bad and we would not be one of the best schools in the nation,” junior Matthew Duggan said.

Ross believes that makes the problem even more significant.

“Here, we have maybe one fourth of the drugs that other schools have. And yet, it’s an epidemic because we are supposed to be better than those schools,” Ross said.

Some students feel that the school is too worried about their reputation.

“The problem isn’t the drugs. The problem is that our school is supposed to be perfect. When everyone believes we’re potheads, we don’t look so perfect anymore,” junior Zack Moorer said.

Junior Jack Hubbs thinks the school is overstepping their role.

“What we do with our time isn’t their business. They shouldn’t be allowed to control us,” Hubbs said.

Senior Shawna Blankenship disagrees.

“Drugs are bad no matter where they are, but when kids bring them to school it’s the schools responsibility to get rid of them,” Blankenship said.

Ross’s goal is to win more support from students.

“People know who is doing it. They’re just afraid to tell. I need to get information flowing,” he said.

Most students say they keep tight lips not because of fear but out of loyalty to friends.

“I wouldn’t tell on one of my friends. I would try to help them but I wouldn’t risk ruining their life by telling on them,” junior Grant Vincent said.

The staff of CHS insist they are not out to ruin lives.

“We’ve seen a growing increase in drug use and how it can have negative effects on your potential and future. We’re trying to help students because we care about them, not because we want to hurt them,” librarian Lisa Wilkins said.

Ross hopes that soon this will not be his mission but the community’s mission.

“I cannot rid Chapin High School of any drugs until we rid the community of drugs. If it’s in this community it’s going to be in our school. Our motto is ‘We aRe Chapin.’ I’m using that to address the issue,” Ross said.

He aims to make parents more involved and to create an environment where students are not scared to get help. There will be more dog searches than ever before and several new policies and strategies that will soon be announced.

“Any drugs are a problem.  It doesn’t matter how much. Students should want to help each other, and that doesn’t mean ignoring it when you see it. If we don’t help now some people will never get help,” freshman Michael McVey said.

Ross knows he will not eradicate drugs completely, but he still feels it is a battle worth fighting.

“You can’t beat drugs, but you can run them out. That’s only going to happen through a team effort.”

Many students have heard about this new class and think the idea of it sounds interesting.

“I think that Horticulture is going to get more students involved in the environment,” said junior Ashley Bauer.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Forty two students are currently enrolled in the two classes offered this year, and Chapin is the only high school in the district to offer this class. In this class, the students will have lots to learn because the class consists of a year packed full with material.  A few things the curriculum deals with are learning about plant anatomy and physiology, plant propagation, fertilizers, hydroponics and greenhouse production.

“I like the plant identification and the application to landscaping,” says John Michael Morris, a senior.                                                                                                                                                                          

The class is also in the process of getting a greenhouse so they can further their education outside of the classroom. The greenhouse is being built in the Palmetto Woods parking lot and should be completed this fall. Once completed, the students will grow a variety of plants that eventually will be sold to raise money for the program.  The students will be able to learn in a more hands on way with the greenhouse and they will be able to grow the plants that they are learning about in class.  

“I am excited about the greenhouse; I think it will be awesome,” says Junior Carli Sims.                                                                  Other students are more interested in the useful skills they are being taught in the class.  For example, Broadway starts every class with a problem of the day.  She finds a common plant disease or lawn pest and students have to find the proper way to deal with it.

“I have an insect, disease, or a plant that will be passed and their trying to figure it out. They’re looking at it; they smell it. Some of them will even taste it- writing down some information about a particular plant.  It’s kind of fun to see what they come up with it,” said Broadway.

The students are learning so much they will be able to use in everyday life. This teaches them to use critical reasoning to distinguish between weeds, regular plants, and certain types of insects and it broadens their knowledge about plants and the environment. 

Many students are looking forward to being able to take the class next year.

“I think Horticulture sounds like a useful class and I want to try to take it,” says junior Caroline Amick.                                                                                         

Mrs. Broadway has lots of experience in the Horticulture.  She graduated with a degree in agriculture fromClemsonUniversity, and even helped to start her own landscaping company that is still functioning today.  She is helping her students not only learn about plants, but she is teaching skills that will be helpful in the landscape industry and other fields, giving the students a big advantage by taking this class.

“This class will help students be ahead of others that have never had formal horticulture experience or any class experience,” says Broadway.

The students will be able to take what they learn inside the classroom and be able to apply it to their life

Freshman Sidney Scheper said, “I love the new cell phone policy. It’s so much easier than having to hide my phone all the time. I think it’s really helpful if I need to make plans after school or if I forget something at home.”

Bowing to student pressure and the realization that the new technology of smart phones can be used in a productive matter, the district decided to amend the previously existing policy.

The new policy states,

“Students may use wireless communication devices such as cellular phones, electronic pagers or any other communications devices before and after school, during their lunch break, within “Free Zones” (as determined by the principal) and as deemed appropriate by the teacher and approved by the principal educational and/or instructional purposes ONLY. Any other use of wireless communications is considered misuse and violations may result in disciplinary action.”

Students may ask why the cell phone policy has been changed in the first place. Principal Akil Ross said,

“It all started with the superintendent, Dr. Hefner, to view cell phones in a less negative way. We realized that we were running away from this technology, when we needed to embrace it. I think that it’s a direction to grow. The amount of time of students use cell phones during the day is tremendous. If a student wants to check email, text, or talk to their parents during their lunch we should let them do it.”

Most students welcome the compromise.

“I think the cell phone policy has benefited the students by making it easier to contact others and makes using cell phones less stressful,” added Junior Bailey Gowans.

Students are not the only ones enthusiastic about cell phones in the classroom.  Teachers like Mrs. Jane Rangel see the practical applications.

Mrs. Rangel said, “I like the new policy, I like being able to use cell phones as a resource or as a tool in the class room.”

Some students would like to see the policy go one step further with the addition of more cell phone usage areas.

Senior Stephen Hutto said,

“Maybe being able to use it in the halls during class change would make it better.”

That being said there are some students who believe that the new cell phone policy is perfect as it is.

“I don’t think they could make it any better without saying that you can just text in class. I think it is pretty lenient the way it is,” said Scheper.

As for the majority of the students at Chapin High School, the new cell phone policy has definitely been a change for the better.