Snow days are a surprise to get-a-way from school; not planned out, not expected, just a random day off of school. But no one really looks around the snow day situation; John Levy, senior at Brunswick High School thinks otherwise, “It stinks to not have any snow days but I am definitely not complaining if it’s like spring in January.”

The upside to Ohio weather is that in the winter, there is a possibility for snow days, but the downside is that these snow days can potentially take out time from summer vacation. “Having snow days gives everyone something to actually look forward to in the winter,” says Daly, “Not having snow days only causes everyone to long for spring and summer vacation which makes the school year drag.”

“Newscasters are always wrong,” says Levy, “I am actually happy with the way this winter has gone because the weather has been so nice.” Snow days mean more to some students than others. This year, Brunswick high school has not received any snow days. While many students like Daly are longing for one, some students like Levy prefer the lack of snow.

Senior UGG-wearers Brittany Toth, Kaitlyn Pesci, and Cali Gore were among the large percent (over half) of the population who wear sheepskin boots but do not know what they are really made of, before being told of the inhumane torture the sheep undergo for the production of the boots.  Questions such as, “Aren’t the sheep just shaved?  Aren’t the boots made of their fur?” are asked with confusion.  The answer is no.  Many are fooled by the marketing technique of labeling UGGs and the like ‘shearling boots,’ but shearling actually means lambskin, sheepskin of a baby lamb, and the term sheepskin leaves nothing to the imagination; “sheep are castrated without painkillers, have part of their tails cut off, and then have their throats slit just so that we can use their skin, which is what UGG boots are made of,” (www.peta2.com).

Within the percent of girls and boys who are aware that sheep are killed to become footwear, there are mixed opinions.  Sophomore Alyssa Emery, who can be seen wearing a pair of off-brand sheepskin boots which were a gift from her grandmother, states, “I knew that there would be suffering sheep, I don’t know about tortured… I don’t like buying them, I only get them as gifts, and I don’t ask for them.”  As Emery is educated about the methods most commonly used to skin the sheep, she exclaims with a concerned and compassionate face, “I did not know this!”  Emery concludes, “I would never buy my own pair of UGG boots!”

Not all who own and wear sheepskin boots are in Emery’s situation, and freshman Camille Simonitis feels sympathy but not shame in regards to the torture and slaughter of sheep and other animals.  “I love my UGGs,” she states.  They cost her about $120 out of pocket, and she doesn’t think that is too steep a price for a simple pair of boots.  “They’re really comfy and [easy] to walk in, they’re really soft… And really cute!”  When asked if she was aware of the torture and death of sheep for their skins to make the boots, Simonitis answers without hesitation, “Yes.”  However, when learning of the fact that often more than just sheep skin and fur is used to make the boots, she states, “I did not know that, that’s kind of disgusting.”  About the specificities of the methods of torture the sheep are put through to create the boots, Simonitis says, “I would be a little disturbed to see that happen… but I get really good boots out of it!”  Simonitis owns two pairs of UGG boots and states, after learning about the torture and death of sheep and other animals, she still would not think twice before splurging for a third.

One might initially think that UGGs and other sheepskin boots and shoes are only so popular due to the ignorance of the girls and boys who buy and wear them, but that apparently might not be so.  Of course, the majority of people who own sheepskin boots are ignorant to the fact that animals had to die to donate their skin to the footwear.  However, after education on the subject, how many would be moved to a point which changes one’s mind about sheepskin boots and other products?  Unfortunately, a large amount of effort must be dedicated to trying to stop the inhumane torture of innocent animals, dying in the name of fashion against their unspoken will, and the refusal of sheepskin boot-wearers to understand and feel sympathy towards said tortured animals shows that the effort is simply not being put forth.

Learn more about the torture and slaughter of sheep and other animals and what you can do to stop it at:

http://blog.peta2.com/2011/10/is-there-blood-in-your-boots.html (peta2’s effort to educate people about what really goes into sheepskin boots in hopes the reader will vow to never buy or wear fur and animal skin)

http://www.peta2.com/takecharge/t-chinafur.asp?c=11 (The inside scoop on the production and manufacturing of sheepskin boots and other fur and animal skin products in China, where UGGs, BEARPAWs, EMUs, and many more brands manufacture their products; “There are no regulations governing fur farms in China—farmers can house and slaughter animals however they see fit—meaning miserable lives and painful deaths for countless animals every year.”)

https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3472 (Pledge to never wear UGGs or other sheepskin boots!)

http://blog.peta2.com/2010/12/but-whats-wrong-with-uggs.html (Cruelty-free alternatives!)

Students go to school through three seasons each school year. The first few weeks of school seem to fly by quick. On the other hand once second semester begins, everything seems to slow down and be more stressful. Some students say that the weather takes a large toll on their attitude towards school. With all the rain and eventually snow storms students’ grades tend to drop. “Sunshine makes people feel good so they don’t mind working as much and snow or rain is a mood killer and people don’t want to do anything,” states Joey Nescola, Junior at BHS. During second semester the days are also shorter; possibly making students feel like they can’t get everything done in time. Once it’s dark outside people see that as the end of the day, even though it could be 6:00 pm.

The weather is said to have an effect on people’s moods. Winter brings snow and with snow comes shoveling, freezing temperatures, slower driving, etc. All these factors could end up bringing a person’s mood down. “The snow makes me late to work and school and I feel flustered and rushed I hate bad weather,” shares Nescola. Starting off the day wrong usually doesn’t put students in the mood to work all day.

Once school lets out, students are expected to go home to do homework, go to after school activities, or go to work. “But, when it’s rainy I don’t want to do homework, I just like to watch movies,” says junior, Elise O’Dougherty.

While the weather is no excuse for students to not do their assignments it is definitely a factor that can affect the mood and outcome of people’s days.

Senior Post-Secondary Option (PSO) student, Mallory Glenske says, “I am nervous for my tri-c classes to start. I probably won’t know anyone. It is a completely new environment, like starting school on the first day. […] It’s easier when you know you have friends in your class.” Glenske has three new PSO classes this semester. She is expecting not to know anyone, but she said she would like to have at least one friend in a class on the first day. Junior, Brittney Kline, shares the same feelings with Glenske. She said she was asking her friends what they had during 7-8 block. She didn’t know anyone in her class and wished she had a friend to walk to class with.

Eleventh grade Language Arts and speech teacher, Todd Winston explains his thoughts on semester courses. “I like teaching both semester and yearlong courses. Speech should only be first and second or third and fourth quarter. It is refined for a purpose, but language arts needs to be a full year to cover all of the material.” Winston said the students are usually nervous the first couple of days in class, and often nervous to speak in front of their peers. He hopes that this course teaches students with stage freight to calm their nerves when they have to speak publically. Winston says, “It is lifelong skill, and very important. [The mood of the classes] starts off with apprehension early on with ease of success as the course evolves.”

As the third quarter has begun, so have the new semester courses. Students like Glenske and Kline were worried about not knowing their classmates. Senior, Jackie Nash was not worried, but rather disappointed. Nash says, “All of my classmates are younger than me and it’s awkward, but I am not nervous about that class. It’s getting better though. We worked in groups yesterday so I met new people.”

Students are adjusting to their new schedules as their nerves settle; making new friends or reuniting with old ones. Teachers like Winston are pushing their students to speak in front of their peers or in groups, helping them meet new people.

BHS took a nontraditional route, with the Career Center taking exams directly after break and Medina High School taking their exams next week. While our exams being scheduled so early caused chaos for some students, others loved the change. I know that in some classes I felt rushed, with teachers attempting to cram in study guides, final units, and review packets. Other students, though, like BHS junior Elexa Petrovic, enjoyed “…getting everything done before break and having shorter days right before winter break.” Coming back from break and midterms, the classroom environment was much more relaxed. Teachers had the ability to move directly into new units without worrying about midterms. This new midterm schedule will most likely become a permanent fixture in years to come.

When driving around Brunswick one may lay their eyes on a Papa John’s delivery truck blasting some Jay-Z or Bruce Springsteen. That truck belongs to Brunswick’s very own Colin Valencic. He said he loves being a delivery boy because he gets to listen to music while making money. He is quite the fan of his music. “My top two favorite musicians are Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen. I love Jay-Z, he’s not just an artist, he is a poet. I think my favorite, absolute favorite song by Jay-Z is heart of the city. Also I think Springsteen’s Jungle land is the best song ever recorded, because the lyrics have so much heart and soul in them. There is not a song that I don’t like from Springsteen. He always tells stories in his songs. I also like listening to Blink 182 and Kanye West.” Besides listening to music Valencic also likes spending his time hanging out, taking life as it comes, and looking into tomorrow, not next year.

Valencic may be Brunswick’s biggest Cleveland Indians fan; “The Indians are my favorite team by far. I have been a fan ever since 1993 when I came into the world. I was born October 9^th, and October 9^th was the last game played at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.” For being an Indians fan for so long Valencic has had many favorite Indians players but he says, “My favorite player is Jack Hannahan and he is my Manahan. Every time I go to the ballpark I fall in love with baseball all over again”.

Looking back on the four years he has spent at Brunswick High School, Valencic says, “My high school experience is everything anybody could ever want, I have. I have lots of good friends, lots of good times. Also I faced a lot of different struggles that have made me who I am. I certainly hope this is not the best four years of my life. But it is a very memorable time in my life and it taught me a lot. I came into high school as a kid, and I am leaving as a well grown man.” As for the number one lesson high school, he says, “Honestly as much as a cliché as it is, I definitely realized don’t judge a book by a cover. The first couple years of high school, I judged and I never got to know some people as I would have liked.”

“I plan on going to the University of Akron to major in communications/mass media and radio. My ultimate goal is to be a sports radio host announcing the Indians. I have a great voice, very good people skills, and I know what I’m talking about when it comes to baseball. I want to be the next Kenny Roda.”

Senior, Colin Valencic, states, “I think we need more clubs, and I don’t think that we have more than other schools.” However, senior, Maggie Kuharcik, says “I know our yearbook program is a lot better than some schools. Ours is a class and some schools, like Strongsville, just have it as a club so their yearbook doesn’t even compare to ours in my opinion.”

Over the past few years Brunswick hasn’t cut any programs. “Over the past several years the district has eliminated more than $4 million from the district’s operating budget resulting in the loss of many teachers and educational opportunities for students. These cuts have had a devastating effect on the education of our students,” says Linda Reid, superintendent of Garfield Heights.

Medina is right down the street from Brunswick. The superintendent, Randy Stepp, of Medina city schools stated, “We have made reductions to programs and services over the course of the last few years due to an inability to gain additional funding locally and due to reductions in funding from the state of Ohio.” Another advantage Brunswick schools have is the lower pay to play fee. It’s $120 per sport, but there is also a $360 family cap. The most a family could spend on playing sports at Brunswick for a year is $360. Some schools around the area charge almost that much just for one sport.

”Our high school students pay $350 for the first sport and an additional $100 if they play a second sport. We have lost several sports because they did not have enough players to participate,” says Reid. The Brunswick community is also privileged with the schools and materials provided at an early age; shaping the community. In elementary and middle school, students are required to take areas of gym, art and music. This introduces children to a variety of interests. Schools around the area have had to cut programs like these in the elementary and middle schools due to funding. ”With no new funding in sight, we were forced to make some drastic changes in the school day structure to address the current academic needs of our students. In order to focus more time and teachers on teaching reading and mathematics, we eliminated our elementary music, art, physical education, and library classes in kindergarten through grade five and greatly reduced those same programs in our middle school” says Reid.

School districts all around the area are struggling, causing students to lose opportunities. Compared to these schools, Brunswick has so much to offer for their students. Brunswick has multiple clubs ranging from photography club to key club. Brunswick also has a lot of athletic opportunities, and added lacrosse as a sport this school year. Students like Valencic may think Brunswick needs more clubs, but they haven’t compared the opportunities with those students who go to other schools.

Brunswick sophomore Zach Parker scored the most points during the game with 17 total points. Following Parker, sophomore Ryan Badowski scored 15 points, and junior Kyle Wheeler scored 11.

During the game some players from the junior varsity team went in to help revive some of the starters on varsity. These players were juniors Rob Hale, Billy Applebee and Brandon Zaccardelli. Zaccardelli scored a total of 4 points. Sophomore Corey Welsh also went into the game.

Parker explains, “As a team we played hard, but not hard enough in my eyes. We didn’t shoot the ball as well as we could have, and had too many turnovers. Our defense wasn’t doing so well either, we gave them too many wide open shots.” Parker also says, “We knew that Mentor was going to be hard to beat, but we looked at it just like we would any other game, hoping to pull off another upset for the second time this year.”

Brunswick’s next game is at home on Friday, Jan. 27, at 7:30pm, against North Royalton. Following that game Brunswick will travel to Twinsburg on Saturday, Jan. 28, and the game will start at 7:30pm.

Michael Douglas, the executive director, says “The play is by high school students, four of them, from Spotlight On Youth.” He tells that they are part of a group from various school districts from Stark County. The students will be performing a play about the issue of bullying. Douglas says that they perform at different schools around North East Ohio. “The play is written by a local playwright,” says Douglas, “He was a very gifted writer who dealt with bullying; it inspired him to put together the play.”

It is hard to guess how many people will be attending the event on February 2^nd, explains Douglas. But after talking to the administration, he says they are estimating between 300 and 500 people will be attending.

“It’s really for everybody,” says Douglas, “it is directed toward middle school and high school students. It is an awareness piece about bullying.” We are trying to raise awareness within the community, he says, bullying is a problem that everybody needs to talk about and participate in discussing; it’s not only the students, the community needs to be involved as well.

After the play, there will be a panel discussion that will involve an attorney, the Chief of Police of Brunswick, along with a magistrate of the Medina County Common Police Court. Douglas tells that he will be asking the panel questions after the play and they will answer, talking to the audience. This is an opportunity for the community to get involved, and see what others have to think about bullying. Douglas says, “I’m excited, I think it should be quite an informative evening.”

Make no mistake: May is prom season, and prom remains an adolescent dream of fun filled events as a big last goodbye to high school. But, like people who dream of turkey sandwiches even as they consume a 7,000 calorie Thanksgiving dinner, students at some schools now see after-prom as a tastier, and richer, offering than the main course. That’s largely thanks to industrious parent-teacher organizations that have upped the level of bribes meant to lure promgoers back to the school grounds and — with a strict no re-entry policy.

What does it take to make a teen stay put until 4:30 a.m.? At Brunswick, it takes an expensive production with larger-than-life set pieces, games and lots of expensive prizes, such as iPods. “It is over the top,” acknowledged parent of BHS student Emily Henry, Patricia Henry, “But as parents, we want them to have something safe and fun, and some of the parents really get into this.”  Henry and many other parents would much rather their children participate in school sponsored activities versus going to cabins. “I trust my daughter, but I don’t trust everyone else, whether it be on the road or if she were to go to cabins, so I much appreciate the school putting on something for all the students to do for the night.” Acknowledged parent Margaret Gerlach.