With Christmas approaching quickly, everyone is scrambling to find the perfect gifts for their friends and family. While it’s easy to find presents for under the tree, there are still those “stockings hung by the chimney with care” that are a lot harder to shop for. Target makes it easy to find gifts for everyone. In order to make shopping a little bit easier, I’ve compiled a list of a few stocking stuffers to please everyone, including thinkgeek.com, a nerdy merchandise website covering movies, TV shows, books, video games, and more, equivalents for the geeks in your life.
Disney Tsum Tsum
These adorable little stuffed toys are perfect for a younger sibling, cousin, or even someone who just loves Disney. On target.com they come in three sizes: mini, medium, and pillow-sized. The thinkgeek.com equivalent can be found here.
Jewelry
Do you have a mom, aunt, or grandma that is hard to shop for? Make it easy by getting a necklace or maybe a charm bracelet. On target.com, you can buy the ELYA Stainless Steel Polished Heart Charm Bracelet. The thinkgeek.com equivalent can be found here.
Stationary
If you know someone like me who loves office supplies and cool pens and pencils, this is a great, practical, and inexpensive present that can be found almost anywhere. The Target website has a wide variety of stationery, including notebooks, planners, pens, pencils, and other kinds of office supplies.
Candy
Cheap and convenient, candy is a great last-minute gift idea. There is an extremely vast assortment of candy available, sweet, spicy, and sour; fruity, minty, and chocolatey. Plus, most everybody likes candy. Target has many types of candy, and the think has themed candy from “Monty Python,” “Doctor Who,” and more.
Headphones
Marilyn Manson called music “the strongest form of magic.” So why not give someone a little bit of Christmas magic and give him or her a pair of headphones? Target headphones can be found here. The thinkgeek.com headphones can be found here.
‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la! The Christmas season is finally here. Not even finals could bring down Christmas cheer. When you see Christmas decorations, they are often ornamented with reindeer or Santa Claus.
When kids think about Christmas, they are reminded that they will receive presents under the tree and in their stockings. I often wonder if people are forgetting what Christmas is really all about.
This photo reminds the public of how Christmas is all linked back to the glorious day our Savior was born. source: Google
The word “Christmas” stands for the annual celebration for Christians, revolving around the birth of Jesus Christ. The story of the birth of Jesus is recited in two out of the four gospels, Matthew and Luke.
The story goes that the Virgin Mary and Joseph traveled into Bethlehem from Nazareth because they had to register for a census. As they were traveling, Mary began to go into labor. They began searching for a place to stay so Mary could have her baby.
They found an inn, but there was no room, so they spent the night in a stable with animals surrounding them. When Mary had Jesus, she laid him in a manger and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.
Shepherds watching their flock noticed a star over the stable where Jesus was staying, it was seen as a sign. An angel appeared to them and told them of the good news, a savior was born.
Then a group of angels appeared and said, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and goodwill toward men.” Three magi were close by as well. The three magi followed the star above the stable and brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
This Christmas story has been part of my childhood. Growing up with a Catholic education, I heard this story every year. However, the general public might be drifting from the true meaning of Christmas.
Fr. Marty Smith inputs by saying, Christmas is recognized as a sacred time of year; however, recent American culture is wrapped up in materialistic ideals.
SHG freshman Olivia Kink-Tucker states, “We become occupied with the excitement for the gifts we asked for that we often forget why we are celebrating Christmas in the first place.”
Personally, I love Christmas stories of Frosty the Snowman and the Grinch. They have always been part of my life and are a huge memory from my childhood. Sometimes I am too distracted by them to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
So for people like me who are Catholic and in love with new age Christmas ideals, is having the best of both worlds capable? It is possible!
One important thing you can do each year during Christmas is remember to go to mass. SHG senior Andrew Gonzalez says, “I go [to Christmas mass] every year with my mom, dad, brother, and sometimes with our grandpa.”
By going to mass, you are praising Jesus and remembering his importance during this holiday season. If you’re worried about not having time for mass, remember that there is even a midnight mass. SHG senior Eilise Cummins says, “I go with my immediate family at midnight mass [for Christmas] at Cathedral.”
Another time to continue the faith is on Christmas day. SHG freshman Sophie Kink-Tucker adds, “I think people can incorporate the childhood and religious side of Christmas together by telling the children that they get presents because that’s what Jesus got from the three wise men when he was born.”
Fr. Marty Smith also very much believes in the goodness of the tradition of Santa. He says, “I think the tradition of Santa is a good one, because when done correctly it helps children to believe in something they can’t see, to believe in things that are not always visible to our eyes.”
What is important for faith-filled people is to remember why we celebrate. Cummins states, “I think in the time leading up to Christmas, we can all get really wrapped up in the idea of good prices and getting presents for other people that we forget why we are giving presents in the first place.”
This holiday season, while you are watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and feasting on delicious gingerbread cookies, remember that we wouldn’t be celebrating this joyous time if Jesus Christ was not born. Don’t forget to say your prayers, give back, and have a Merry Christmas!
As the first semester comes to a well deserved close, I can’t help but think how fast this year has been going. As I write this, I can’t believe that I’ll be taking my last winter finals one, short week away. I remember freshman year, winter finals. I was completely stressed, almost to the point of mental breakdowns.
It seems like such a short time ago that I was preparing for my first hour theology final with Mrs. Bauer. I remember feeling as if finals would be the very thing that would be the end of my existence. As a senior, I know the idea of “my finals will destroy my entire life” is only a myth. As long as you organize, prepare and keep a positive mind, you’ll be just fine.
I just find it insane that my last winter finals at SHG are upon me. What’s even more insane to me is that the juniors are slowly moving up to becoming seniors themselves (after my class graduates).
On Thursday, December 3 the junior class had their class ring ceremony. I remember my ring ceremony last year. I’ve worn my class ring every day since then. If I forget to put on my class ring I feel so weird, almost empty.
I wear it every day because it is a constant reminder of the best four years of my life and the amazing experiences I’ve gained from it. This year I am enrolled in a junior class. It is my fifth hour chemistry class. I loved being the only one with a class ring.
However, on the day of the ring ceremony, I realized that my precious time as a senior will not be a long one. Seeing all the juniors adorned with their class rings just reminded me how quickly time is flying.
As excited as I am to go to KU and have a fresh start, leaving all of my memories at SHG makes me sad. I’ve had such amazing experiences at SHG, and it’s hard to believe that in a few months I’ll be graduating from those memories.
Throwback to my sophomore winter finals with retired Jerry the Janitor dressed as Santa.
I just have these emotions of both sadness and eagerness as my senior year keeps moving forward. I guess I could say I’m lucky to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. With my senior year half way done, I think it’s important to carpe diem (seize the day) and make this the best year yet.
I plan to seize the day by making these last memories ones to remember. Going to every city tournament game, grasping every opportunity handed to me and spending more time with amazing friends I’ve made over the past four years is how I plan to spend the last semester. So when the time comes to say goodbye to SHG, I’ll only smile when I think of all the memories that made my high school experience something I’ll never forget.
Want to watch a scary Christmas movie that makes you scream, hold your breath, and jump out of your seat every other scene? Then do not see “Krampus,” which premiered December 4, 2015. The movie was as spooky and realistic as the 1984 film “Gremlins,” which was very cheesy.
As far as horror films go, “Krampus” was disappointing. After watching the chilling movie trailer, I expected a cool and creepy movie about the monster Krampus attacking a broken family. Instead, I laughed at most of the movie. I must have jumped (in fright) maybe two times throughout the entire movie. The film also took some bizarre plot routes.
A gingerbread monster attacks Uncle Howard (played by David Koechner) with a candy cane. “Krampus” was more humorous than expected. Photo courtesy of Google Images.
Aside from the scary movie not being scary, it was rather entertaining. I could compare many of the people in the movie to my own family members, and the movie did give a good glimpse into the stresses of the holiday season. I found myself giggling at many of the “creepy” characters, such as Krampus’ evil gingerbread henchmen and “Purge” mask-wearing elves. (I know it sounds odd, but they both were in the movie.)
The family is reminded of Krampus by one of his bells. Photo courtesy of Google Images.
Although the plot seemed drawn out and took many different twists and turns, it was rather easy to follow. I was pleased with the ending of the film. I found the ending of the movie rather interesting. The ending is happy, but then the family is reminded of Krampus.
I give this movie two and a half stars out of five. “Krampus” was not scary, which really disappointed me, but I was entertained watching it. If you are looking for a scary Christmas movie, then “Krampus” is not a good choice. If you are looking for a more humorous and different Christmas movie to see with your friends or even family, then go ahead and watch “Krampus.” I just recommend that you do not waste your money to see the movie in the theatre.
In the year of 2015, the American people have been exposed to a chilling number of mass shootings in which innocent people have lost their lives. The shock of hearing about these shootings is beginning to have less, and less of an effect because the news is so repetitive. There’s even a website called “Gun Deaths Map” that allows one to type in their zip code, and the map locates all shootings within the area and whether they were deadly or not.
According to The Dallas Morning News, “There have been 353 mass shootings in the year of 2015.” A mass shooting is defined in The Dallas Morning News as, “An event or related series of events where 4 or more people are shot, likely without a cooling off period.” Within these 353 shootings, there have been 462 killed and 1,312 people injured.
Considering that in the past year there has not even been 2 weeks total in the whole year without a mass shooting, something needs to be done. This has been a very pressing issue throughout President Obama’s two terms and he continues to speak out against the violence and instill plans to help prevent these tragedies in the future. During Obama’s speech about the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon he said, “As I said just a few months ago, and I said a few months before that, and I said each time we see one of these mass shootings, our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It’s not enough. It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel. And it does nothing to prevent this carnage from being inflicted someplace else in America — next week, or a couple of months from now.”
The most recent mass shooting was in San Bernardino, California on December 2, 2015. During this horrific event 14 people were killed, and 21 injured. As the investigation dug deeper, there was a discovery that the shooting could have been carried out with intentions of being tied to terrorists. In this year the American people have seen an elevated threat from ISIS and this shooting is no exception. The two suspects in the shooting had pledged alliance to the Islamic State in an online post. One of the suspects had contact with people from at least two terrorist organizations overseas.
Moreover, the past year has been full of brutal mass shootings that must be stopped. There has been one shooting for almost every day of the year. Anticipation that these shootings are tied to terrorism has unfortunately been proven multiple times. The most recent example of this being the shooting in San Bernardino, California.
Halloween is over, and November has begun. While many like to skip November entirely and head straight to Christmas, for some, Thanksgiving is just as important. Families gather together around a dining room table for a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Thanksgiving Day football games play on the TV, and, depending on where you are, snow is falling outside. It’s not uncommon for families to develop their own customs as a step away from tradition. SHG families hold some strange ones.
Freshman Nate Willard’s family doesn’t spend their day indoors. “We go chicken chasing.” Willard’s family goes out to a farm, where they can chase chickens around a pen and try to catch them. “It’s actually really fun. Sometimes it takes a while to catch one and sometimes it only takes a few seconds. It really just depends on the chicken.”
Sophomore Hannah Ketchum’s tradition takes a more sentimental turn. “Every time someone in my family dies, we make a lifesize cardboard cutout of them.” The cutouts are taken to Ketchum’s grandmother’s house and stored there. “Every Thanksgiving, or any family gathering really, we stand up those cutouts to remember [the deceased family members].”
Junior Evan Ihlenfeldt’s family plays a game. “We play a super long game of Monopoly.” A typical game of Monopoly takes about two hours, which can seem like a long time. The Ihlenfeldts, however, are dedicated to the game. “One time, we played for seven hours. We were at my grandma’s house from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.”
Senior Izzy Garcia’s Thanksgiving gets everyone in the mood for Christmas. “Every year after eating, we decorate the Christmas tree.” That sounds fairly harmless, until cannons get involved. “We take potato cannons and shoot the decorations onto the tree. We put the tinsel, for example, in the cannon and shoot it up into the tree.”
And thus, as Thanksgiving ends, Christmas has begun.
Finals: the two most feared weeks of the entire school year. This first semester finals week seemed to creep up on us. Studying for seven classes can be a lot, but here is a list of some of the best study tips for finals.
Notecards, notecards, notecards. Personally, I think notecards are the best way to study. They will take some timeNotecards are easy to make and use for studying for finals. Photo courtesy of Google Images.
to make, but they are great for quick memorization and quizzing yourself and others. “Repetition is key,” sophomore Grace Trello said. “The more you go over something, the more likely you are to remember it.”
Prewrite. If you know essay questions for the final, then why not start writing it. Jot down ideas and bullet points. Establish a thesis statement. Find some supporting ideas. Any preparation for essay writing is helpful for the test. For me, prewriting is like giant notecards. Looking over the main points of the essay keeps them in my memory during my exam.
However, I do not think it is smart to memorize your entire essay. Time spent on memorizing the entire essay will distract you from other final questions. It is my experience learning just the key points of the essay will leave you better off.
Study groups. Sometimes studying by yourself is difficult. Or maybe, you just do not like staring at flash cards for hours. In any case, having a friend quiz you or you quizzing a friend is a great way to study and have fun. “Going over the material with friends allows one to hear the material in a different voice, and they can also fix mistakes you make,” said junior Matthew Melocoton. “Although there is also the chance that they might hinder you by becoming a distraction.”
In all honesty, friends do tend to procrastinate together. So make sure that you and your friends get a considerable amount of studying done before you relax.
Take breaks. Breaks in studying are good, as long as you get back to studying. In a big studying spree, breaks every 45-60 minutes are okay. Trello said that short breaks “give your mind a break, help you stay focused, and retain a lot of information.”
However, do not break too long. It is one thing to relax, have lunch, or maybe hang out with friends (for major stress relief). It is bad to binge-watch four seasons of a show on Netflix because you are not in the mood for studying. Once the study routine breaks, it is very hard to get back into the groove of studying.
Everyone’s studying technique is different, so some tips might work, some might not. Good luck and have fun studying.
Wednesday, September 4, 2015 marked the 10th anniversary of SHG’s choir’s Dessert & Dazzle, a showcase and fundraiser used to benefit the music department headed by Mr. Bill Bauser and Mrs. Karen Danner. “It has been wonderful seeing how Dessert & Dazzle has transformed,” said Bauser. “The kids also seem to really enjoy it.”
Members of the Combined Chorus sang to the piano played by Mrs. Danner and the percussion of three members of the SHG band. Juniors Colleen O’Brien, Sabrina Johnston, and Gabrielle Johnston also played the piano in the commons before the event and during intermission. Photo albums depicting the evolution of SHG’s choir, including pictures from Sacred Heart Academy, were laid out on tables in the commons.
The first half of the event took place in the East Campus gym. For the first time in Dessert & Dazzle history, the event did not take place at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. Guests were seated around circular tables and the choir sang on risers in front of a colored background. While some members of the choir were singing, others were making sure water cups were full and the guests were satisfied.
The choir girls sang an a cappella version of Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” made famous by 2012 movie “Pitch Perfect.” Alumni from the past ten years, including our own Ms. Hoemann, joined current students, to sing the music department’s theme song, “Why We Sing.” Senior Devin Boehme said, “It was so nice being able to sing with the girls that graduated last year. We formed a really close connection and it was nice to have that back again.”
The first half concluded and dessert was served. Choir members walked around to tables handing out pieces of cakes and pies, among other things. Guests were treated to water and tea. Guests were also able to get up and stretch after listening to the first half.
The second half of the night took place in the auditorium. It consisted of a more lively display of the choir’s talent, including not only singing, but dancing. The choir did a medley of the 1992 Disney movie “Aladdin,” complete with full choreography.
Dessert & Dazzle was a huge success, as it has been in the past, and should be for years to come.
Friday, November 6, 2015 was the class of 2018’s Sophomore Retreat. Students arrived at West Campus donning green and yellow t-shirts with the slogan “I’ve got your back” on the back. Students, upon arriving, were sorted into numbered groups. .
The day began in small groups. As students began to enter, beach balls were tossed around with “get-to-know-you” questions written on them. Whichever question your thumb landed on was the question you had to answer.
Students then moved to the bleachers for a presentation on respect. Counselor Denise Klemm shared her experiences with bullying from when she was a child. Mr. Matthew Talkin gave a presentation on self-image. He emphasized how companies try to sell us their products by making us feel like we aren’t perfect and how photoshop is used to make models look more perfect than is attainable. They tell us to strive toward an unrealistic goal. He showed statistics on the amount of people who have eating disorders and self-image problems and how we can help.
The small groups resumed and in an activity designed to emphasize that it’s what on the inside that matters most, each student was given a brown paper bag. We were to draw how we thought others saw us on the bag. We then were given three cards. The yellow card was our happiest moment. We shared those. The blue cards were our saddest moment. These cards were not shared. Green cards were where we saw ourselves ten years in the future. These were also shared.
Sophomore students and their leaders discuss relationships and respect in small groups. Photo courtesy of Yearbook Staff
Students were then split up into boys and girls to talk about relationships. Each student had written a question in their theology class, anything that they had always wanted to ask someone of the opposite gender. These questions were then looked through and the best ones were chosen to be asked. Mrs. Klemm and Mrs. Linda Johnston talked to the girls. “Why do you always go for the ‘bad boys’?” and “Does it matter if the boy goes to church?” were among the questions asked. “It depends” was the answer for almost every question. The boys were also asked questions. Sophomore Noah Lawrence provided some examples from their discussion. “Why are you more sentimental over text?” and “What do you look for in a girl?” were asked. “It’s easier because you don’t have to see them face to face,” and “A girl has to be confident,” were some answers.
After a lunch of sandwiches and chips, students were sent to the gym for a presentation on different relationships. Juniors Sharky Martin and Brad Goldasich gave a presentation on friendship. Senior Tommy Johnston and his sisters, Juniors Gabrielle and Sabrina, gave a presentation on family. Sr. Linda Mary told us three stories about her experiences with faith.
We then gathered on the floor of the gym. An activity dubbed “Cross the Line” ensued. “Cross the line if…” was read multiple times followed by anything, from personal experiences to collective experiences. “Look at the people who crossed the line. Look at those who didn’t. Cross back over the line.” This activity was flooded with emotion and tears were flowing.
After this, we gathered our brown paper bags again and took out our blue cards. We went outside where Mr. Phil Seck burned them as a symbol of letting go of the bad memories. We went back inside and drew outlines of our hands and signed them on pictures of the backs of our classmates. The day ended with prayer.
It was interesting and eye opening to see how everyone felt about each activity. The emotions and experiences shared will continue forever.
Preview Night, on November 12, 2015, was a night to show off Sacred Heart-Griffin to fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders considering SHG as their high school. The night would not have been a success without the help of over 50 student volunteers.
Senior and student body president Megan Schultz gave an opening speech about her involvement and growth throughout her years at SHG.
Many student volunteers were Student Ambassadors who gave tours to the groups of potential students. The tours visited just about every wing of the school, covering just about every class that SHG provides.
Mr. Talken gives a presentation to a tour group at Preview Night. Photo courtesy of Yearbook Staff.
In the science wing, chemistry students presented tour groups with many interesting experiments. In the fashion room, fashion students wore old fashion outfits while they worked on new ones. In the basement, art students displayed and created pieces of art for the people to see. Near the chapel, students helped explain prayer services and retreats. The cheerleading and poms teams performed for the school’s visitors. The choir students performed many songs for tour groups to listen to and the band practiced for all to hear.
SHG students did not do everything though. Many teachers and faculty members took a lot of time in preparing and presenting Preview Night. The teachers set up presentations and powerpoints just for the occasion. “The math department’s set up really interested people from the beginning,” said junior Charlie Costa, who was a tour guide for the event. “They had the engineering bridges set out along with a sound project that was projected on the wall.”
Preview Night was a long night for everyone, but it was a success. Both Megan Schultz and Charlie Costa received positive feedback from many people. Schultz said, “The parents of my sister’s eighth grade friend said that they learned so much from Preview Night and being able to walk through the halls helped open their eyes to how great a school SHG is.”
Campus Crier Online 