by Jason Greenberg
 
The saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone” is very true. 

My high school hockey career recently ended, bringing a giant chapter in my life to a close.  I have played hockey ever since I was 6-years-old, and, needless to say, it was a very big part of my life.  I put in countless hours of practice to improve my skills, and Idrove countless miles to faraway games and tournaments all over the country. 

Now that my hockey career has ended, I feel like there is a gaping hole in my life – no more dreaded early morning practices or late night games; no more bruises and cuts all over my body, or smelly sweat-stained equipment.  I can no longer experience the joy of scoring the game-winning goal or the overwhelming sense of defeat after losing an important game.  I wish that I could rewind the clock back several years and tell myself, “Enjoy playing while you can.” 

I have since learned a very important life lesson – to never take what I have for granted or assume that a great thing will last forever.  Instead, I will henceforth examine the joys in my life and try to enjoy every minute of doing what I love.

by Jason Greenberg

The fabled snow day.  Scanning the television news stations closure listings for your school’s name.  The five-thirty wake-up phone calls to notify of school closure.  The beautiful snow-covered landscape.  Building snowmen.  The sledding hills.  Epic snowball fights.  Snow forts.   Endless hours of fun with friends, followed by Mom’s hot chocolate with marshmallows. 

The snow day is every child’s dream.

A few times each school year, area schools are closed due to the weather.  Children breathe a sigh of relief and unload their backpacks in anticipation of a fun-filled day.  However, snow days today seem ever more coveted due to the efficiency of snow crews and ice- and snow-melting salts.  Today, snow days are only made possible by one of two factors: dangerous ice or thickly packed snow that begins late at night.  Often children go to bed unsure of whether or not the following day will become a snow day.  This makes snow days that much more fun. 

Years of snow day experience have taught me one thing, though: the sure-fire way to receive a snow day is to wholeheartedly believe that you will be heading to school the following morning.

It is somewhat of a paradox that high schools begin their school day very early while elementary schools begin later.  Numerous studies reveal the importance of sleep during adolescence, yet high school students are forced to wake up extremely early each morning.  As a student subjected to this harsh treatment, I am very upset.  In order to get to school on time, I must wake up at 6:45 each morning, whereas elementary school students needn’t wake up until 8 a.m.

After waking up so early, I am tired throughout the day. This inhibits my ability to learn, and I am exhausted by the time school ends.  Elementary school students, on the other hand, normally go to bed early and wake up quite early. They have energy throughout the day.  But rather than begin elementary schools at a logical time (say, the time that high schools start), high school students are unfairly discriminated against through deprivation of sleep.

The current logic behind starting high schools at such an early time is the afterschool programs such as sports and clubs. However, I think that with a little planning, such programs could meet either before school, or could extend an hour or so later into the evening. 

The benefits of beginning high schools later in the morning include greater overall health of high school students, as well as greater material mastery and higher aptitude tests, which can bring federal money to the school district.

Please feel free to comment with your opinion on this subject.  Thank you for reading.

by Jason Greenberg

I am currently in the process of applying to colleges, and have found myself considering the choice of a Jewish fraternity as a defining factor in my search. 

I have visited the AEPi and ZBT houses at various schools, and have decided to pledge a Jewish fraternity instead of a non-Jewish fraternity.  Although I do not consider myself very religious, nor are many of my friends Jewish, I feel that pledging a Jewish fraternity will be beneficial for many reasons. 

First, Jews tend to understand Jews; that is, many Jews share traditions and morals that non-Jews do not necessarily have.  In a new environment such as a college campus, it will be comforting to know that I can fit in.  I feel that this will make my social life a bit easier. 

Second, in a Jewish fraternity, Jewish holidays such as Chanukah and the High Holy Days will be celebrated, or at least recognized. In non-Jewish fraternities, I may be subjected to judgment or odd treatment if I decide to celebrate such holidays. Also, Christmas time is a very big deal in non-Jewish fraternities. Being a Jew, I may seem and feel out of place.

So, after much consideration, I have decided that wherever I end up next year in college I will pledge a Jewish fraternity.

By Andrew Schatz

It is important for people to know their strengths in life and not let others tell them otherwise.  This semester I am taking a particular English course.  I have constantly been putting forth a strong effort in the class to succeed.  However, I have not gotten any higher than a C+ on any of the essays I have turned in. 

For a while I could not understand why.  I even convinced myself that I am an average writer at best.  It gave me no motivation to write in my free time.  In addition to this pessimistic attitude, I had very little optimism for the future because my teacher (who reminds me of Ms. Krabappel from The Simpsons so for the sake of this article I will call her that) told our class that her style of writing was the way we will be writing for the rest of our lives so we need to master it.  It is a style that I am not accustomed to…and C+ grades are not exactly mastering anything.

It was not until my supportive mother reminded me of my writing accomplishments in my life.  She restored my love for writing.  My mom made me realize that it might not be my writing that is the problem, so much as Ms. Krabappel.  I have earned A’s in English courses throughout high school and regularly on my essays. 

One year I remember I woke up the day an essay was due and finished it 15 minutes before class started.  It was read aloud to the class as a prime example of how to write.  Ms. Krabappel and I have different opinions, and often she tells me my opinions are wrong.  This resulted in me writing papers based on how she thought they should be written, making me unable to express myself.  I cannot write like a robot, nor should I have to.  Even though I have C in the class, I assure myself that I have a talent for writing and no one can tell me otherwise.