Category Archives: Carissa Smith

A&E, Carissa Smith, Features

Second book in Ashes trilogy offers suspenseful read

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By Carissa Smith

Shadows, the second book in the Ashes trilogy written by Ilsa J. Bick, is just as suspenseful as Ashes. The trilogy takes place after an electromagnetic pulse kills some people, changes others into zombielike creatures who eat the unchanged survivors, and causes most technology to stop working.

Shadows starts out with a new character before picking up where Ashes left off with Alex. The reader finally finds out what happened to Tom after he disappeared in Ashes.

Shadows alternates between different characters’ points of view. The alternating points of view can be a little confusing. The stories would keep getting interrupted when the next chapter jumped to another character. There were some chapters where it took a couple of paragraphs to figure out who the chapter was following.

The separated characters begin to doubt that the others are still alive. They are starting to feel like they do not have much reason to hang on anymore.

The Changed are acting more like teenagers, less wild than when they first changed. They travel in groups and keep people as their prisoners until they are ready to eat. They bring the prisoners while they travel looking for more people.

The Changed also pair off into couples like they would have before they changed. They have parties.

There is a lot of violence in Shadows. Most people have guns, even some Changed. People are getting shot and there are limited medical resources. A lot of the medical equipment does not work anymore and medicine is limited. A lot of people are dying because of not having good medical care.

Shadows was suspenseful and kept me hooked until the end. I loved it as much as Ashes. The third and final installment of the trilogy, Monsters, is set to release in 2013.

Carissa Smith

Vampires Everywhere! second CD offers more aggressive sound

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By Carissa Smith

Vampires Everywhere! have taken their music in a new direction with the release of their second album Hellbound and Heartless in June 2012. In an interview with Outburn magazine, vocalist Michael Vampire said their new sound is much closer to what he always envisioned the band would sound like.

The band has done away with the Auto-Tuned vocals from their first album Kiss the Sun Good-bye, resulting in a much more aggressive sound.

The lyrics to their new songs are darker than their older songs. An example of their older lyrics from the song “Kill the Chemicals” from Kiss the Sun Good-bye is “Your heart is breaking, will you scream out loud? Let’s kill the chemicals inside our heads. Fear is just a lie that lies within. Let’s kill the chemicals inside our heads. Fear is just a lie that leaves us dead.”

Some lyrics from “I Can’t Breathe” off Hellbound and Heartless are, “I tore my eyes out, I slit my wrists to breathe. Call me pathetic and torture me, ’cause in my mind I can’t breathe.” The lyrics of “Plastic,”  another song from Hellbound and Heartless, say, “I won’t be your Barbie doll, your fascist heroin. We’re the mass homicide, the anti-cool kids. Do you want to be hateful? Put your faith in the government. Do you want to be faithful? Paying God just to let you in.”

Vampires Everywhere! has a new line-up and with it they have really worked to create an album that is much more fitting to their vision of the band. They took their music in the direction they wanted to, unlike Kiss the Sun Good-bye, which was a result of the band being pulled in different directions by outside forces.

The band was not as rushed with Hellbound and Heartless, so they were able to put more work into it.

Hellbound and Heartless seems to be a better album than Kiss the Sun Good-bye. Vampire is clearly satisfied with it and has said fans can expect future music to be more like Hellbound and Heartless. Vampire hopes to touch peoples’ lives with the messages in future music.

Carissa Smith, Columns

Staff member offers advice on how to recognize warning signs of depression

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By Carissa Smith

How many depressed people go unnoticed? There are so many people who don’t speak up and ask for help for their depression.

There are several reasons people don’t say they’re depressed. They might think it would just be inconveniencing people. They might not know how to explain how they feel. They could be afraid of what would happen if they tell someone how badly they feel. They might think that people don’t care about them or that they can’t get better.If no one notices these people are depressed, they don’t get the help they need.

People don’t really spend much time thinking about people they know being depressed. They don’t notice signs that might be there. It’s good to know the warning signs of depression. It makes it easier to identify and help someone who is depressed.

According to www.teenhelp.com some warning signs to look for are apathy or lack of interest in activities that used to bring pleasure; changes in appearance, especially due to loss of interest in hygiene or personal grooming; inability to concentrate or make decisions; a desire to be alone characterized by trouble with relationships and turning away from friends; missing school or poor school performance; behavioral problems at school; being overly sensitive about rejection or failures; noticeable changes in appetite or weight; changes in sleep patterns, especially insomnia or extreme fatigue. These are some but not all of the signs of depression.

Anyone who is depressed or knows someone who is depressed should seek help. There are several resources out there including National Hopeline Network at 800-SUICIDE (784-2433) 800-442-HOPE (4673) or www.hopeline.com and Depression and Bipolar Support at 800-273-TALK (8255) or www.dbsalliance.org. Another option is to talk to a teacher or counselor.

Carissa Smith, Peter Hyle

Freshmen adjust to life at high school

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By: Peter Hyle and Carissa Smith

A confusing, newer school with intimidating, bigger classmates. Different teachers and more difficult courses; this is all part of starting high school. Freshmen walk in with excitement and no experience as to how the school works. Most of them can agree that FC is a much needed change from middle school.

Even though they were ready for the change, all freshmen coming into FC were unsure of what life here would be like. Right away, they took notice to the many changes between middle school and high school.

“Last year we were at the top of the food chain, now this year we are back down at the bottom and have to work our way back up again,” said freshman Zach Small.

One of the more obvious changes is the size of the school.

“When I first walked in I thought that the school was way too big and that I was going to get lost,” said freshman Aleigha Allen.

But like most situations, there are always positives and negatives.

“There is much more passing period time here,” said Fultz. “They changed it [passing periods at HHMS] to four minutes when the fifth graders moved there. Now I have classes that are scattered out everywhere and I still have time to get to class and talk to my friends.”

More than anything, freshmen are taking notice to all of the freedom they have in high school compared to middle.

“There’s a lot more freedom and a bigger variety of people,” said freshman Jared Coopman.

All part of the give and take, the freedom of high school comes along with some other hassles.

“You have more work already… right off the bat. Last year at Highland Hills it [homework, schoolwork, etc.] took forever to start up,” said freshman Josh Poynter.

The countless activities FC has to offer also interest many new freshmen.

“I dance. I’ve been connected to it [Dazzlers] for a while,” said freshman Maddie Baird.

“I’m definitely interested in some theatre productions,” said Poynter. “Last year I was in a play and had a blast. So I wanted to come back for some more. I want to improve my stage charisma and become a better actor overall.”

Some freshmen already have activities that they have been a part of for a while and are able to continue here.

“I was on the golf team at Highland Hills,” said freshman Michael Sobieski. “It’s something I’m good at and hope to show on the golf team.”

So despite the more challenging workload and the heavier backpacks each night, high school has more positives than negatives. With more activities to take part in, and more freedom to do what they like, FC is an easy adjustment from any middle school.

“It’s a good school and I’ve had a lot of good experiences being here the first week,” said Sobieski.