February 12, 2013

Vol. 6 Issue 7

Catching Some ZZZzzzs

By Nathan Bonnema
Hendrickson, a senior, said I think I need more. The statistics support his opinion. So what do we make of this nine hours a night proposal? Is the solution to simply get to bed earlier? While nine hours of sleep is attainable, there are many experts that believe that school simply starts too early. High schoolers do, after all, need more sleep than adults do. It is safe to say that this later start sentiment would pass with flying colors among high school students, but a change in school start times would be a difficult proposition on such a large scale. Many still believe that the sleep they get every night is just right for them whether more or less than the recommended amount. Jessica, when asked how important it is for teenagers to get nine hours of sleep a night, summed it up this way: It depends on the person. Some people are okay with less sleep, and some need more.

How Many Zs Do we Really neeD?

There is no denying that sleep is important. In fact, it is essential to human life. But how much sleep we teenagers really need is up for debate between sleep experts and, well, teens. Teenagers are advised to get about nine hours of sleep each night. Admittedly, most teenagers do not reach that number of hours, but why not? First of all, when a person hits the teenage years, it becomes natural to not be able to fall asleep until after eleven oclock. In addition, many people must get up before seven in the morning, which makes it difficult to reach the recommended nine hours of sleep. Jessica Kelly, a junior, said that she gets eight hours of sleep a night; she added that was a good amount. In a poll of thirty-seven of the students here at Calvin, on average, students got just over 7 hours of sleep per night. While some fall a considerable distance from the median, the average is quite good. When asked whether or not he thinks he should get more sleep than the 7 hours a night he does, Will

Student Council Corner

By Claire Stephens
Hey Everyone! All of us Student Council members hope you enjoyed spirit week as much as we did. We had a lot of fun seeing the creativity of those who participated. Looking forward, Student Council has started to think about upcoming events such as the prom! We are currently trying to decide where we want the event to be held. We have a few ideas in mind and now we are trying to decide which location will work best for our school. Stay tuned to find out where we choose to go! While the prom is a long ways away, you should keep yourself busy over the next few weeks by going to basketball games! The girls and boys teams love it when they have fans, and we would all love to see you there. Its a great way to show support for your school while having fun! We hope to see you there!

BasketBall
an Update
By Ian Krueger
Editor: Lydia Marcus
Ian Krueger, Andrew Thomas, Nathan Bonnema, and Lydia Marcus

Staff

Writers: Gabe Modder

Advisors: Miss Branderhorst Contact: thecougarstale@gmail.com The Cougars Tale is a publication of Calvin Christian High Schools journalism class. Students get the experience of interviewing people and writing articles for viewing by others. Questions, comments, or publications should be directed to Miss Branderhorst and will be relayed to the journalism class.

The Cougars Tale is now online. To find more news articles about events around CCHS, please check out our blog at: http://thecougarstale.blogspot.com/

Dont Forget!

Basketball is one of the more important things going on at Calvin during the time of midwinter, and it is important that we know what going on with our teams. Basketball has, in fact, been progressing quite well for both the boys and girls teams. The current record for the boys is 11 wins to 4 losses, and the current record for the girls is 10 wins to 3 losses. Steve Ahrenholz, the Athletic Director, says that the year is turning out better than he expected, and that it has been harder for the girls because two conference schools did not field teams. He also noted that the boys team has been up against some tough conference opponents. One of the team captains, Nathan Bonnema, says that he feels the team has really progressed throughout the season, especially as a passing team. He continued to say that with Nathan Mulder and Jacob Bursaw we are able to basically overpower with size and height. On a more negative note, he said that the team has been challenged with adjusting to the many roster turnovers. Jeremiah Wicklund commented that One of my highlights was when we played Cristo

Rey...because I made two 3s and the guy guarding me congratulated me after the game. Destiny Smith commented that the girls team has been working very well together and that they encourage each other on the court and while they are practicing. She says that she is very proud of her team. Katerina Meybaum said that having so many seniors leave took a big toll on the team. However, she also said that the freshmen girls have contributed to the team in a big way. Overall, the basketball season is progressing very well, and the teams are working well together.

Lydias Soapbox

Editorials

Humans are not meant to be solitary beings. In the past, people have tried to go off and live alone. Often, those people eventually discovered that humans are not meant to live in isolation. Even if you are quite introverted, you need some interaction with humans in order to stay sane. In addition to our need for communion, we also feel a need for acceptance. We want to fit in with our peer group. This yearning for acceptance may be especially strong as Valentines Day approaches. Our society tells us that it is very important for people of our age and older to be in a close relationship with someone of the opposite gender. It seems that having a boyfriend or girlfriend is supposed to make you whole or more acceptable. This is not quite a healthy way to view relationships. Believe it or not, you can live a productive and joy-filled life without a date or a spouse. However, humans are not created to stand completely alone. Even if it is not vital that we have someone to go out with on Valentines Day, it is important that we build strong relationships with our fellow human beings. Yes, building community really is important. Communities can serve a variety of purposes. One reason community relationships are crucial is because members of the community can look out for one another. When one group member is struggling, it is the responsibility of their peers to support and encourage that individual. Being a member of a community is essential to our well being, but it is also a great responsibility. In order for a group to function well, each individual must be willing to work with their peers and care for them. As Valentines Day approaches, the cynic in us may be tempted to say, relationships are overrated. Although our society may put too much emphasis on the importance of romantic relationships, this does not mean all relationships are unnecessary. It is good for humans to be part of a community, but we cannot be passive members. Community membership comes with the responsibility of being compassionate towards our peers.

The Fault in Our Stars

A Review
By Marta Vander Top

If youve talked to me sometime in the past few weeks, you probably have heard me talk about a book called The Fault In Our Stars. Its a book written by one of my favorite Youtubers (a part of the vlog brothers) John Green. Its a story about two teenagers . . . who have cancer. Now I know it sounds incredibly grim, but I have never read a book that has made me laugh out loud on one page and shed tears on the next. The book starts out with a therapy group of teenagers who are either going through or have recently recovered from cancer. Hazel (the main character) is dying with a kind of lung cancer, and she meets a boy named Augustus, who was declared cancer free. They get to know each other and realize they have some of the same ideas and views as to what life is and how to live it to the fullest. One of the most repeated phrases in the book is The world is not a wish granting factory. Hazel isnt exactly what Id call a character of hope, or rather, a character of false hope. She is fairly certain her cancer is going to take away her life very soon...she can wish long and hard, but the fact of the matter is, its not going to go away. What Augustus shows her is how to make the most of the life you have been given, no matter how short it is. He wants to leave an impact on the world that even after hes gone, his impact will still be remembered. It sounded cheesy and dumb to me when I first heard the description, but this book is different than any other book Ive ever read. It is written in a way that is super easy and fascinating for me to read; it took me 3 days from start to finish. Id recommend it to anyone whos willing to laugh, cry, and be challenged in their thinking.

Student Highlights
Marta Vander Top Angela Balboa
Favorite Movie: The Lion King Favorite memory at CCHS: It is a tie between the Arkansas trip and being involved with chapel. Worst injury: I was skipping in a parking lot, dislocated my knee and scrapped myself so badly, I still have a scar. If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you like to have with you? My Bible, a friend and a grand piano. If you could have any super power, which would it be? The ability to play any instrument I touch perfectly. If a movie was made about your life, what genre would it be? I would rather be the one editing the video. Favorite Quote: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12 Plans after graduation: To go into digital media production, most likely at Dordt. 2 Birthday: February 9, 1998 Biggest fear: Performing in front of people. What is on your bucket List? To go skydiving. Favorite TV Show: Smash. If you could have a time machine, where would you travel too? Id travel back in time to 1955. My mom grew up during that time and it seems like it was a nice time; there was less technology. Describe yourself in 5 words: Shy, Loud, Friendly, Creative, and Fashionable. If you could vacation on one continent, which would it be? Id travel around Europe.