All posts by jlang@nafcs.k12.in.us

Bryce Romig

Columnist provides winter skin care advice

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By Bryce Romig

Dry air and frigid temperatures: The perfect recipe for sore, cracked skin. The winter season is notorious when it comes to skin problems. From bright red hands to chapped lips, the cold air affects everyone’s skin.

Here are some skincare steps you can take to help combat the cold the rest of the winter season:

Tip #1: Hydrate

There’s nothing complicated behind staying hydrated.  When the body is dehydrated, skin loses vital moisture that is essential to keeping your skin healthy. Although it may sound gross, drink enough water so that your urine is a yellowish to clear color. This means that you are well hydrated and are drinking enough. If you find it difficult drinking water, try making some green or peppermint tea. These teas are known to help keep your skin looking its best thanks to the natural antioxidants they posses. Although you may not notice immediate results, in about a week you’ll be glad you chugged tons of water.

Fact: Not only does water help combat dry skin and chapped lips, it also helps aid in ridding acne and keeping your skin clear. Drink up!

Tip #2: Lock in Moisture

When you take a step outside and a blast of cold air attacks your skin, it depletes the natural moisture your skin has produced. Sometimes your skin needs a little help, and it is important that you notice when it does. To create a guard against the cold, try an extra moisturizing lotion. This will help create a barrier between your skin and the air, locking moisture into your skin.  Avoid using lotions with fragrances when trying to fix dry skin, as these are known to aggravate already dry skin. Before going to bed, try filling a glove with your favorite lotion and leaving it on until you wake up. You will be amazed at how much softer your hands will feel, and will smile when you notice the redness has disappeared.

“I found a recipe on pinterest for grapefruit lotion. It contained sea salt, sugar, olive oil, and grapefruit. It worked really well,” said junior Emily Shumate.

Fact: Your skin has a natural barrier consisting of cells and protein fibers. Lotion can help repair and strengthen this barrier, resulting in stronger skin.

Tip #3 Save those lips

It’s no surprise that no one likes kissing dry, chapped lips. When the temperatures drop, our lips sometimes need an extra boost of moisture to keep them looking and feeling their best. When in the shower, try using a lip exfoliation scrub to help rid of the dead skin cells sitting on your lips. This creates a smooth and even base for your favorite chap stick, allowing it to retain moisturize better and keep your lips looking their best.  Apply chap stick no more than twice a day, because your lips may become worse if overused.

Fact: If you want to avoid spending money on a lip scrub, try using a toothbrush to lightly scrub your lips while brushing your teeth. This is a quick home remedy to help rid of dead skin cells that pile up on your lips.

Tip #4: Avoid the extremely hot showers

Hot showers are relaxing and can make you feel as though you are at a spa; however they aren’t so great for your skin. Although it may seem counterproductive taking cold showers, the heat in the water can actually break down the lipid barriers in your skin, causing your skin to dry and peel. Instead of taking extremely hot showers, try gradually lowering the temperature each time you take a shower. This does not mean you have to take cold showers, although it is recommended by many dermatologists due to cold water’s ability to close your pores and soothe redness. Try making the water’s temperature as close to room temperature as possible, neither extremely hot nor extremely cold. Your skin will thank you.

Fact: Cold showers help aid in reducing the appearance of acne scars and can even prevent future breakouts. When washing your face, try splashing your face with chilly water after you have wiped off the cleanser. This closes your pores, and reduces bags under your eyes.

Tip #5: Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate!

Full body exfoliation is important all times of the year, especially in winter. When you exfoliate, you are gently removing any build up of dead skin cells. Although most dead skin cells fall off thanks to your skins natural shedding cycle, some stick to the skin and build up over time. These clumps of dead skin cells dry skin out even further, and give your skin a scaly appearance. Use a loofah or exfoliating body wash to gently rub all over your body one to two times a week. Avoid over exfoliation by picking one day of the week to exfoliate your full body and stick to it. Over exfoliating can cause your skin to become weak, red, and unbelievably sore.

“I also created a grapefruit sugar scrub. It worked so well and made my skin really soft afterwards,” said Shumate.

Fact: When you exfoliate, you are removing parts of the skins outer layer. Put on your favorite lotion as soon as you are done exfoliating to obtain gleaming, soft skin.

Following these tips can help get you on the path to great looking skin in the winter months. Although it may seem like a lot of work at first, you will be glad when your skin is healthier than it has ever been before.

Columns, Forum

15 ways to survive college

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by Melanie Parrish

In light of the multitude of recent school shootings, many people are wondering how they can keep themselves safe in college. While you can not exactly stop a crazed gunman from bursting into your classroom, there are plenty of fairly basic things that you can do to keep yourself and your friends out of potentially dangerous situations. After asking several college students and graduates, I came up with a list of the top 15 things that you can do:

  1. Stay alert. Keep your head up and know what is going on around you. Do not walk around completely absorbed in your phone or iPod.

  2. Know your limits. If you find yourself in a situation that feels unsafe or makes you uncomfortable, do not hang around.

  3. Do not let strangers into the dorm. If your door does not have a peephole, consider getting one installed.

  4. Be indoors when you are supposed to be. Do not go sneaking out at two in the morning. If you have to sneak around, that’s typically a sign that you should not be doing it (unless it is April Fool’s Day. Then it’s just fun).

  5. Let a friend or roommate know where you’re going to be and when you expect to return if you are going out. Do not, however, post notes on your door, on their car, or in other public places.

  6. There is safety in numbers. Everyone has heard this before, but it’s true. You have a smaller chance of something happening to you if you are surrounded by friends than if you are alone.

  7. Stay sober, or have a designated driver and be aware of how much you are drinking. And hey, make sure you are 21 first.

  8. Watch your stuff. Don’t run the risk of taking a bathroom break and returning to find your phone or laptop gone.

  9. Lock the door and windows of your dorm room at night. Don’t prop open doors or put tape over locks.

  10. Choose your school wisely. A school with a reputation as a “party school” is likely to have more problems than a quiet campus will.

  11. Know how to defend yourself. Consider taking a self-defense course. If you don’t have the time for this, carry pepper spray or something similar. There are also products that combine the spray with an air horn. Don’t feel silly or paranoid for carrying it! Check to make sure that it is allowed on your campus first.

  12. Know what safety offerings your school has. If there is an emergency notification system (email/text alerts), use it! Some schools will also have an escort system or shuttles if you need to get home late.

  13. Put all emergency numbers in your phone.

  14. Stay in areas with a lot of people. A crime is less likely to happen in an area with a bunch of people around.

  15. Have enough money for a taxi and a phone call if needed. Don’t end up stranded somewhere. Keep your cell phone charged.

So there you have it. 15 pretty simple ways to take precautions against dangerous situations. Most of these won’t even involve a significant change in your day-to-day life, so there’s really not much reason not to do them! Like I said: you can’t stop some things from happening, but you can do something to prepare for if it does.

Columns

Popularity issues plague teens

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by Sydney Sears

As a fifth grade girl it was all I had ever wanted. The illusion of popularity basked in my vision, taunting me. I moved here when I was 11 and my ultimate goal was to be popular. I had no desire to be the awkward new kid with no friends and her head hanging low. I wanted popularity and I was willing to change myself to do so. I started to obsess over what I wore. I was constantly worrying about my appearance. I even started hanging out with people who were not the best influence for me. None of these changes made me happier or a better person, yet that was the price I was willing to pay for a taste of the popular life.

 

Popularity is this misconfigured concept that teenagers are taught to believe is something important. Movies, books, and media seem to show us that being in the “popular crowd” is essential and one of the most successful things one can accomplish in high school. This could not be farther from the truth.

 

These days being popular seems to consist of partying, defying parents, and not caring what happens. This is not always the case, but it is what society has generalized popularity to be. This should not be something that anyone strives for. Teens are made to feel inferior if this is not their lifestyle. Since when has getting good grades and following rules made someone unsuitable to a social crowd? That should not be the case. Succeeding in things are reasons someone should be looked up to, not because of how little they studied for their semester final or how much they partied the previous weekend. Doing something different and just being oneself is radical in today’s society since everyone wants to do the same thing in order to look or act cool. Teens should not sacrifice their personality, and especially not their dignity to be accepted into a place that they may not truly want to be.

 

Eventually my preteen-self learned that how popular one is in school does not matter at all in the grand scheme of life. I began to change back to my former self and renewed my former personality that did not care if I was wearing a t-shirt or if my hair was a little messy. I learned to love myself for who I was and not who I hung out with. My friends liked me regardless of the sport I played or how well-dressed I was. I was miserable throughout the process of trying to please everyone, including myself. Once I learned that popularity does not define someone I was happy and confident, which is what really matters.

Features

Wood carver also shows talent in beekeeping

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With the loud and consuming humming of bees in the wilderness, sophomore Jared Koopman begins another one of his many hobbies.  Koopman has acquired, what some would consider, a strange set of talents, such as bee keeping.

“I had thought about starting bee keeping for quite a while , and eventually broke down and just bought my first hive,” said Koopan.  Koopman has put in a lot of hard work and research in preparation of his hive.

“I had to assemble and paint the hive, as well as prepare the spot I will put it.  I have to position it somewhere with good morning and evening sunlight and away from prevailing winds,” said Koopman.  This spring will be Koopman’s first year of bee keeping.

“I’ve ordered my bees and queen which I won’t actually get until April,” said Koopman.  “If you are trying to start beekeeping but are having some doubts, talk to an experienced bee keeper.  Almost anyone can do it, even in most urban areas,” said Koopman.

Along with beekeeping, Koopman has multiple other interesting hobbies including the building of backpacking gear.

“I have a bunch of backpacking gear that I made and sewed myself, and I am a part of the outdoor club,” said Koopman.

Brooke McAfee, Cartoons, Columns

Columnist discusses introverted characteristics

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By Brooke McAfee

I am an introvert. I do not feel compelled spend my free time in the constant company of other people, but the idea of spending a few hours in solitude, reading a book or listening to music, seems to be the perfect way to unwind after a stressful week. Time spent among a crowd, exchanging mindless small talk with unfamiliar people, may seem to drag on and on for hours, but hours spent engaging in meaningful conversation among close friends cannot be wasted. And I do not see the need to fill every silent moment with my voice.

It is not that I am shy or antisocial. Introversion is simply a different way of thinking.

The main difference between an introvert and an extrovert is the way they become energized. An extrovert will find energy by exposure to people and social situations, while introverts recharge by being alone with their thoughts for a while.

Introversion is a commonly misinterpreted personality trait. Though the majority of people tend to have extroverted personalities, introverts are not abnormal whatsoever. It is ridiculous to stereotype us, because we rarely fit perfectly into a category.

We can be quite social, talkative, and vivacious, contrary to the common opinion. And just because we do not want to be around certain people all the time is not a sign of dislike. It is simply difficult for us to have prolonged exposure to socialization. To us, solitude does not have to be synonymous with the terms bored or lonely. It can be easier to feel bored or lonely in a massive crowd of people we do not feel a true connection with.

Many introverts participate in social situations with ease, and we are certainly capable of enjoying the company of people we find interesting. We can even tolerate the sort of dull, meaningless chit chat we find so excruciating, because silence is often perceived as rude or awkward, and a conversation about things that actually matter can be difficult to initiate. And around friends or family, we may be among the loudest and most talkative in the room.

But at the end of the day, we need to be alone with our thoughts, away from the chaos of the external world. Because, let’s face it, people can be exhausting.

There are many ups and downs to being an introvert. We prefer listening to frequent speaking, and we are less likely to act impulsively, preferring to thoughts before action. We can easily concentrate, especially upon matters we are passionate about.

However, with such a personality, there are many complications. We often keep our thoughts locked up inside of us, which can make it quite difficult for people to truly get to know us. Our minds and imagination might be overactive with tumultuous activity, but little escapes from the brain into speech. That’s why many introverts turn to writing as a means of expression.

Perhaps, to the extroverted mind, what I have described seems like complete misery. Yet many people simply do not understand how introverts work. We cannot change who we are: our introversion is lodged deep within our psychology. And that is fine. Sometimes, all I need is the people I care about, meaningful conversation, and some peace and quiet.