Windsock

Ask Angie

Dear Angie,

Okay so my sister is having some hard times with people around her and I have advised her to tell my mother about the problem but she is scared that my mom and dad will get her in trouble instead. How do I make my sis understand that my parents will help her if she just tells the truth?
            -sis who needs help!

 

Dear Sis who needs help,

It seems to me like your sister has some trust issues. If you feel like your sister is in any type of situation that she can’t seem to handle herself then you should go to your parents directly. It’s not fair to you for her to tell you about these things and expect you to know what to do. Try explaining to her that she should tell your parents and that you know your parents will love her no matter what the situation is. It may also be a good idea to tell her that you will stick by her when she tells your parents. Knowing someone is going to be there for you is a wonderful thing when dealing with trust issues. I wish you the best!

Love,

Angie

To Dance Or Not To Dance

When I think “Mennonite,” I imagine folks who accentuate family tradition and good food. One can also argue that many Mennonites tend to lean toward more conservative beliefs. For example, Mennonite traditions assert dancing to be “worldly”, and it was frowned upon by the community. Most Mennonites certainly aren’t vibrant dancers, prancing and flinging their arms about in a hysterical manner. The portrayal of Mennonites is more like that of serious-minded men and women, staying true to their customs. 

EMHS holds the annual Junior/Senior Banquet, similar to prom night in public high schools. As a Christian school, it seems reasonable to censor anything that crosses the line of modesty, but why exactly are students refrained from dancing? 12th grader Samantha Rimer voices her opinion on why the school should have dances. “I feel like I’m missing out on crucial high school experiences that I would have if I went to public school.” 11th grader Caleb Townsend adds, “I think that not having dancing makes some events boring and awkward. Not everyone is Mennonite; we shouldn’t have to follow the strict Mennonite rules.” Many students seem perplexed as to why such a rule exists. Sherman Eberly answers, “Well technically, we do allow dancing. Although the school doesn’t host dances, the SCO parents provide an After Banquet at JMU where students are permitted to dance.” Mr. Eberly further clarified the school guidelines which state that “students are encouraged to follow parental and congregational guidelines on the matters of on-campus or off-campus dancing.” He explains that the school itself has no specific regulations restricting students from dancing. Rather, the matter is dependent on both the individual’s choice and consent from parent and church.

Times are changing, and it has certainly opened up different mindsets regarding dancing. Not all Mennonites are die-hard conservatives, and many Mennonite families today are becoming more liberal. In fact, some families permit and even encourage certain kinds of dancing. As family members become more involved in one another’s lives, parents are becoming more involved in what their kids are doing. Dancing at EMHS is still somewhat an issue to be debated, and it could garner major support as a lot of people would be in favor of it.

 

~Minji Chung

 

Ask Angie

Hello readers! Once you reach middle school, your life seems to get really complicated. In high school, it's even worse! Do you have questions about friends, relationships, school, stress, or just life in general? That's what I'm here for. My upcoming articles will be advice columns. If anyone has any questions they'd like to ask- about anything- that's what I'm here for. Plenty of my friends have told me that I give good advice, and I'm always the one they go to for advice. I've decided to share that with the rest of you. Feel free to write in your questions, and if no one writes in, I'll do an article called “Advice for Life.”

Lots of Love,
Angela

Paranormal Activity 3 Movie Review

Let me start off this review by saying that I hated Paranormal Activity. I had heard so much hype about the first one, how it is the scariest movie of all time, and how people had heart attacks in the theater, that when I finally got around to watching it, I was disappointed to see two hours of what I can only describe as a 2 hour long youtube video blog, with bad actors trying to act like they aren't acting, and furniture flying across the screen. As I saw the second one, not much improved for me, as it was basically a carbon copy of the first one. But surprisingly enough, I loved this movie. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Paranormal series, these films are known for being shot like it was a documentary, therefore trying to make the movie look more realistic. It's like if The Office were a horror movie. And in all of the movies, the main character will set up cameras in his house to try and record footage over night of what he might think to be a ghost. Some weird things start to happen, and what starts off as weird shadows and bed sheets moving around quickly turns into something very dangerous. In the third installment, which is a prequel to the first and second movies, The two sisters who are adults in the first two movies are kids in this one. Katie (Katie Featherston) and Kristi Ray (Spargue Grayden) share a two level home with their mother Julie (Lauren Bittner) her boyfriend Dennis (Chris Smith). The girl know something is in the house, perhaps an Imaginary friend or perhaps a not so imaginary friend.

When it comes to movies, it takes a lot to scare me. A general thing that keeps me from being scared in movies is a lack of realism or relevance to me. When I see Alien, or Jaws, or The Ring, I think, when am I ever going to be in space, or the ocean, or a well? It doesn't get to me. But Paranormal Activity takes the safest place I can think of, my house and my bed, and makes it incredibly scary. That's why I wanted to like the first one so much and was so disappointed with it. But this movie took everything wrong with the first two, and improved on it. It had more cameras in more places, including a panning camera, so I didn't have to sit through two hours of the same room. It added humor into the dialogue and had better acting than the first two, which made the scene's that weren't scary a lot more entertaining to watch. It's just an all around better movie than the first two. 

Just a note, this kind of movie is best seen with a huge audience that screams at every turn and laughs loudly at every joke. This is NOT a movie so watch alone, not because it's to scary, but because it's just a fun movie to watch with a lot of other people.

 

Caleb Townsend

 

Jake Lind, Daniel Martin, and Mark Mast

Jake Lind

1. I have attended EMHS since 7th grade

2. Playing soccer

3. Plans for next year: work.

Daniel Martin

1. Since 9th grade

2. Discovery trip

3. Going to EMU, undecided, possibly education

Mark Mast

1. Have attended EMHS since his freshman year

2. Winning the state tournament in soccer

3. Going to EMU next year to study Biology

Joseph Nam, Parker Leap, and Christopher Lehman

Joseph Nam

 

 

Parker Leap

1. Attended EMHS for 4 years

2. Puerto Rico!

3. Going to VCU, majoring in Psychology

Christopher Lehman

1. I have attended EMHS for two years.

2. My favorite memory was going to Europe with the touring choir

3. I will be attending EMU next year

Robert McConnel, Steven Mattichak, and Victoria Clymer

Robert McConnel

1. I've been here since 6^th

 2. I will never forget biology class with Mr. Blosser and the awesome corny jokes he says. Or sports teams, like bus trips and all the laughs, but especially golf.

3. I will be going to The United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut where I will be majoring in marine and environmental sciences and hopefully be training for the search and rescue profession

Steven Mattichak

1. Ive been here since 6th grade.

2. Probably the E-term I went on last year to New York City and going to watch a play on Broadway while we were there and just touring the city.

3. I plan on taking the year off to work and think everything over and maybe take a few classes at Blue Ridge in the meantime.

Victoria Clymer

1. I have attended for 4 years

2. I remember all the "days out", school day out etc., Touring Choir definitely, music in the hallways, setting up Banquet that one night during the torrential storm :), phone-a-thon, lots of stuff.

3.  Next year, I'm going to EMU and majoring in Elementary Education.

Ryan Kline, Christophe Langouet, and Kevin Leaman

Ryan Kline

1. He has attended since sophomore year.

2. His  favorite memory is Senior Trip.

3. He will attend Blue Ridge to study nursing and then plans to transfer to JMU for his BSN.

Christophe Langouet

1. Christophe has attended EMHS since 6th grade.

2. His favorite memory is touring choir.

3. Next year, he plans to attend JMU and major in biotechnology with a pre-med program and minor in statistics.

Kevin Leaman

1. Since 6th grade

2. Discovery/ Touring Choir trip to Puerto Rico

3. Going to EMU and majoring in biology, with a minor in Spanish

Leah Jacobs, Edward Wang, and Al Vanegas

Leah Jacobs

1. Has attended EMHS for 7 years

2. The E-term to Trinidad and Tobago, andthe myriad of friendships created here

3. Attending Emory, majoring in Economics and Math, and playing volleyball

Edward Wang

1. I have attended EMHS from 2008-2011

2. Chapel, God, Bible

3. College in Canada.

Al Vanegas

1. I've gone to EMHS since 6th grade.

2. My favorite memory here is being with my friends.

3. I'm going to EMU next year.

 

Patrick Scruggs, Dylan Crider, Neil Gunden, and Nathaniel Beiler

Patrick Scruggs

1. At EMS for 5 years. Since 8th grade

2. My favorite memory is the New York E-Term during my Junior year.

3. I plan to go to JMU and study Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Dylan Crider

1. I have attended EMHS since the 9th grade

2. My favorite memories are the times at the lunch table with Angie, leah, and Kaitlyn

3. Im going to Blueridge for a year and then transferring to Liberty University

Neil Gunden

1)    At EMS for 5 years

2)    touring choir is the best memory

3)    Going to EMU, and am undeclared.

 

Nathaniel Beiler

1. 6 years

2. Basketball with Coach Bechler and Coach Bixler.

3. Attending Waynesburg University, hopefully playing basketball