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Just go with it

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 By Anna Boone

Throughout my life, I have developed one motto that seems to work for me best: Do not over-think it.

I can completely overanalyze my situations until it causes me physical and mental anguish happened not too long ago. Just like any other morning, I was up before the sun and contentedly munching away on my Bite-Sized Frosted Wheaties when I heard a cat yowl outside the window. I put down my spoon and began to think.

I cannot remember adults saying in grade school that I had an overactive imagination, because I was never too good at imagining different worlds or making up strange creatures in my head. I was, however, amazing at making up possibilities that could actually happen. These possibilities can occasionally help me because they give me a very insightful look on what I believe the outcomes of my choices will be. Usually, however, I just begin picturing the very worst thing that could happen. So although I wasn’t scared when I first heard the cat, I soon was frightened after I convinced myself an ex-convict was outside slowly cutting off its tail.

I jumped back from the table, let out a huge, ear-splitting shriek, and ran, sobbing uncontrollably, down the hallway. I busted down my parents’ doorway and on my way in slammed my hip into their dresser. I collapsed on the floor and just bawled. While my parents tried to make sense of the overly-emotional mess in their room, the rational part of my brain tried to make sense of how I could completely overreact to something that hadn’t even scared me originally.

Just like the huge purple bruise on my side, the lesson I learned from that particular incident didn’t fade for some time. Whenever I found it difficult to believe that I managed to convince myself of those crazy delusions all I had to do was poke my right hip and the throbbing would remind me that I certainly did believe it a little too well.

This is not the only incident where I have over-thought the situation, although, thankfully, it is the most extreme case. I am a very talkative person and this caused quite a few notes to be sent home with me in grade school. If I was lucky the note would come at the end of the day so I couldn’t sit in my seat and picture the reactions of my parents. If I wasn’t so lucky, then I would spend the whole day wondering how much time they would give me to pack before they kicked me out the door. Of course this never happened, but no matter how unreasonable my scenarios became I still would spend my schoolday bent over with the heavy feeling of guilt in my stomach.

Eventually I realized no matter what I did, things had a way of working themselves out. There was no point in imagining tons of different realities when none of them would even matter or could have affected my breakfast that fateful morning. Even if I had talked all the time the teacher was talking, there was nothing I could now do that would change the piece of paper demanding my parents’ signature I was now carrying in my bookbag.

Sometimes I still get caught up in the moment and begin thinking way too hard. I have to remind myself just to take a deep breath and slow down. Whenever my mind starts racing ahead thinking of the worst, I just close my eyes and force myself to think of the good too. I cannot change the outcomes. I can only forgive myself, remember the lesson that life has given me, and keep on moving forward with a positive outlook and bruise-free body.

Dazzlers, Sports

Dazzlers achieve 9-peat

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by Eric Ordonez

On Feb. 5, the Dazzlers woke up knowing they would be competing for the most
prestigious prize in high school dancing: the national championship, held in Orlando, Florida.
The Dazzlers seem to never disappoint every year, at least for the last nine. And, no, that
is not a misprint; it has been the previous nine years the Dazzlers have taken their talents to the
national stage and won. And they excelled again on Feb. 5 to win their ninth consecuative
national championship.

Along the way, they have made memories, created friendships with competing dancers
across the country, and put together resumes for future potential colleges.

“To everybody we just say ‘everybody that hates just motivates’,” said junior Jenna Bain.
Bain said she believes that people can say what they want but after all the talk is done, the
Dazzlers can show people they have proved them wrong.

Team members say that their championship success has sometimes led critics and even
peers to use social media like Facebook to criticize the team. However, this has simply fueled the
dancers to grow as a team and work even harder. The harsh words have built tough skins on the
girls, and senior Caitlin Naugle turns the negativity into positivity in the best way possible.

“It just means we overcame what people said we couldn’t do over and over again,” said
Naugle. “We worked our butts off and now we can finally look back at every hater and say, ‘look
at us now’.”

Hard work, commitment, and the determination have taken the team to the point of
repeated championship success, and head coach Todd Sharp said the team is a model for other
teams.

“As far as the team goes, they are the hardest working team I’ve ever been a part of. This
is really a great team, a great honor to be a part of. I’ll have other dancers, even principals that
are at other schools call me at tell me how amazing our program is. They thank us for setting a
model of what a dance team should be and it’s really a great honor,” said Sharp.

Sharp has been a dance coach for 17 years and is very proud of the reputation his girls
create behind his name and the program’s. One thing most people may not know is that Sharp
combines the responsibilities of being the head coach of the Dazzlers and University of
Louisville’s dance team spirit leader. Nevertheless, he brings the same intensity and morale with
him and he thinks that sometimes with winning comes great determination and drive.

“He sees the potential in all of us. If we are not performing in practice he will tell us that
we aren’t doing our best or we could give a better effort and it really motivates us. Without the
push he gives us we wouldn’t all be as strong as we are,” said Bain.

Sharp said the Dazzlers exemplify hard work.

“Absolutely nobody works harder, nobody. Maybe because of the fact that the sport
doesn’t have a ball people don’t get it. They don’t get how much goes into the practices and hard
work in those gymnasiums. You can’t name another sport that works as much as we do. We do

12 months a year, five days a week,” said Sharp.

For the seniors, each class of every year goes through the same emotions. However many
there are, they are certainly comparable. Naugle agreed that the entire experience of being a
Dazzler has been a “really good experience.”

“It’s all been like a journey. We first learned our routine in April and ever since then
we’ve worked so hard to this point. It’s basically just been a lot of repetition. When you’re
performing you can’t and don’t think about anything else. It’s just something that gets instilled in
your mind,” said Naugle.

The final year of the senior Dazzlers’ high school career will be extremely emotional.
Naugle joked and said, “I think at the end the whole world is just going to come to an end and
stop.”

Bain said that being on the Dazzlers’ dance team gives provides advantages beyond high school.

“I know that at Hawaii University they give a lot of full ride dance scholarships. So if
they see you were on the Dazzlers team they will probably consider you heavily to coming to
their school. It’s a great thing to be on this team; it gives us a lot of opportunities after we’re
done with high school.”

The Dazzlers have built a reputation for excellence and attract new talent every year. The
continuing cycle of graduating seniors means they must keep mentoring new members to ensure
continued success and future championships.

Forum

Ask Alexandra: Scarves

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Dear Mrs.Curry,
            A scarf is the perfect accessory for cooler days. Not only are they a warm alternative to a necklace, they look great too! There are many different ways to tie a scarf, so I am going to address the 4 most popular ways to wear one step-by-step.
 
1.)    The Knot- This style is a popular ‘preppy’ way to tie your scarf. Bring the ends of your scarf together, folding it in half. Drape the folded scarf around the back of your neck and let each end hang in front. Find the loop of the fold and pull the other end through it.

2.)    The Bandanna- Probably the most common style seen, The Bandanna is reminiscent of the Old West and early 1900s bank robberies. To pull this style off you need a square scarf. To be sure, open up the scarf all the way to make sure it is in the shape of a square. Simply fold the square in half to form a triangle. Stretch the triangle in front of your neck (upside down, with the triangle pointing downward). Then wrap the ends around the back of your neck and let each end hang in front.
 
3.)    The Circle- My personal favorite, The Circle scarf looks chic AND warm. To wear this style, make sure you purchase a circle scarf. A circle scarf is a scarf that is connected at both ends so that you can wrap it around your neck to create an effortless, go-to look perfect for enhancing everyday outfits. To wear this style, simply wrap the scarf around and around your neck until you get the desired look. Think of using an elastic to tie a ponytail.
 
4.)    The Grab-and-Go- The Grab-and-Go is probably the cutest way to incorporate a scarf into one’s outfit. Vintage or Thrift shops usually have neat scarves that are perfect for tying onto the side of a purse or bag. They’re inexpensive, and add sophistication. All you need to know is how to tie a knot, and voila! You have now successfully added personality and pizzazz to your outfit.
 
Fashionably Yours,
Alexandra

News

From India with love

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Story, photos and captions by Darian Eswine, News co-editor.

The story of Thomas Kunnath

I was born in the backward districts of Kerala. My parents were poor farmers and I was one of six children. Because we were poor, I would work from 7 or 8 in the morning to very late at night; out in the farm mainly plowing oxen. I would work in the field from8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then quickly bathe in the river, then go to school. When I got home from school I would go back to work. I was an ordinary boy with average intelligence. Somehow I got a promotion to the next grade and the next. One day an American missionary was in the neighborhood and he stayed for a while. He used to give milk to poor children living near. I received some one day. After that I would wait in half clad dress with a pot, waiting fro his milk. From then on whenever I found a white-skinned person, it would remind me of milk. Still even after 50 years, milk is the most delicious ting. Then I started dreaming. I kept a dream in my heart that one day I would go to the U.S. It was an impossible dream. Time went on. I had a desire to learn English. In my high school education I passed with the lowest grade, My dream haunted me. From high school, I went on to college study and I miserably failed. I received a zero percent math. I passed with minimum marks for higher studies. And I studied for my bachelor’s degree in Physics. The moment I joined for higher studies I made the decision that I would pass with a high mark. All of my fellow students were superior in every way. I was the most unnoticed and insignificant guy in the class. I worked hard and tried my best to improve my English. I completed my bachelor’s degree in three years and I passed my exam with the highest mark in Physics; a 100 percent in math. I was the first student in the history of the school to receive that mark. I worked at a government job for four years and I did not enjoy it. I was bored. I came back home after leaving my job and met my wife. We had an arranged marriage. Lizzie is my wife. We had three daughters; Nitza, Dawna, and Janeana. One day, American missionaries cam to visit Kerala. I met two of them, Tom Franklin and Amy Ruff. They let me travel with them. I interpreted their talks to their satisfaction. These were the most joyous days of my life, to be with Americans. Every year they came to Kerala. In 2005, Tom and Amy asked me to visit the U.S. There are no words to describe how I felt. I didn’t know how to respond. I thought it was a practical joke, but they meant it. Everything went smoothly with my passport and visa. I sat in the airplane with tears in my eyes. It was the unbelievable fulfillment of my impossible dream. One morning I landed in New York, confounded. Tom, Amy, Donna; all of my American friends were there to welcome me to America. Each moment in the U.S. was considered a fulfillment of my long desired wild dream. The moral of my life story is if you keep a dream alive in your heart and for the fulfillment of it, you can fulfill it no matter how big that dream is.[slideshow]