What makes an outfit complete?

Rachel McBride

What do you think makes the outfit complete?

An accessory? The main attire? The make-up? Or is it something else?

Something more emotional and less superficial?

To me, its the confidence that makes the outfit one that you look fabulous in, as well as one that inspires others to wear something similar to your individual wardrobe.

I have seen women and men wear some questionable clothing. I stop and think to myself, “Why are they wearing THAT of all things?”

I then am taken back by the attitude of the styled individual. Their presence allows me to reflect back on my prior thoughts and realize that their happiness and confidence while wearing that piece of clothing is what makes the outfit what it is.

My perception of their style changes completely. I gain a sense of respect for who they are expressing themselves to be as a person.

At times it may seem hard to step out of your shell or to not be afraid of the thoughts or opinions of others when it comes to your outer appearance.

It’s a natural instinct to want to be well liked by those around you. However, if you continue to refrain from exploring who you are as a person, you will end up hindering your spirit more than you could possibly imagine.

You will realize that once you dig deeper into your inner self and embrace who you are emotionally, physically, and artistically, you will not only be happier but more self-expressive in everything that you do.

This can benefit you in many ways. One of those ways is your style and wardrobe.

 The way you dress affects the way other people view you, but more importantly it affects the way you view yourself.

Express who you are as individual. If people like who you are trying to be, then that’s just a plus.

If they don’t, then forget them. You didn’t need them anyway.

Being a writer is an amazing thing

 

Amanda McWatt

Being a writer can be an amazing thing. A writer imagines other worlds and creates impossible situations, then transfers them to paper for everyone to read. As a writer, the impossible becomes possible. Being a writer has its pros and its cons.

     Almost every writer has had at least one experience of writer’s block. Writer’s block can be a hard thing to overcome. But there are ways that you can beat it.

     One way is to create a writing schedule and set deadlines. Having a schedule makes it easy to manage time. Having deadlines makes it easier to to stay focussed on writing and not get distracted.

     Another way to overcome writer’s block is to work on more than one project at a time. This allows the writer to take a break from his or her current project; this way it does not become overwhelming. Working on more than one project can also provide new ideas for a new project or the projects already in process.

     Another way is to fight writer’s block is to not worry about what others think. Your work is your work. It should never matter what others think of the story or ideas as long as the writer likes them; that’s all that should matter.

     To be a good writer is to make the unbelievable become believable.Writers should express themselves with great detail and creativity, unless the story is nonfiction. Writing is a way for a writer’s deepest inner feelings and ideas to emerge and be placed on paper for the world to see.

     Writer’s block is very common. Don’t feel bad if you are one of the people who experiences it. There are ways to overcome and beat it. As long as a writer’s mind and heart is in it, there will be success.

Bullying

 

Becky Hopkins

Bullying relies on one person praying on another. It relies on discrimination and humiliation. It is fueled by insensitivity and meanness. It is not a rite of passage. It is not something kids have to cope with to be better adults. No one needs to learn cruelty first hand.

     Bullying is passing a nasty remark that goes unchallenged. It is an act of aggression that gets ignored. It is discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, race or physical appearance. It is verbal and physical abuse. It is pretending not to see it happening when it is right in front of you. 

The faster we as a society stand up and refuse to tolerate such behavior, the faster we can go about eradicating it. Kids are taking more of a stance against bullying, and adults who turned their heads to the issue are now being more aggressive to finding the cause of the issue and putting a stop to it immediately. Schools especially need to enforce this rule so bullying can be ruled out permanately.

Movie Review

Courtney Combs

Movie:Contraband

Action

Produced by: Tim Bevan

Main Actor: Mark Wahlberg (Chris Farraday)

What would you do to protect your family? Mark Wahlberg (Chris Farraday) leads the cast of Contraband. It’s about a man who now works as a home security installer who leaves his smuggling days in the past. Once his brother-in-law, Andy, (Calab Landry Jones) slips up and dumps a stash that he was smuggling for his ruthless boss Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Farraday finds himself back to  what he does best-running contraband to settle Andy’s debt.

Unpredictable from the beginning until the end, Contraband had my interest and kept it. The plot was confusing, to say the least, but if you pay attention, it all comes together. I would call it a “seat grabber”, thrilling action movie. I’m a girly-girl and like to watch chick-flicks, but this movie definitely went down on my favorites list. Wahlberg played his role well, and to add he wasn’t bad to look at either. There was a lot of action, but not to the overwhelming point. It involves a lot of energy and kept me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend that people to go see it!

- Courtney Combs

Fashion, fantasy and romance

Rachel McBride

One of the things that seems to draw people into fashion is the fantasy and romance that seems to come along with it. Regardless of whatever may be going on in your personal life, you can always put on that outfit that transports you to another time, a time where everything seems to be in its exact place. 

I must admit that the circumstances that seem to be arranging themselves in my life have caused me to become more engrossed in fashion than ever before. I’ve felt lonely, abused, used, and everything else along those lines, but when I put that ravishing dress on, all of my worries seem to fade away. I am no longer consumed with my worries or fears. All I can think about is how I feel in that attire, how invincible I seem to be on the outside. I have later learned that although the outside shell is artificial, it can in fact affect the inside as well. 

You may say that I am covering up my problems with superficial items. It may seem as if I am stepping into a fantasy world, where my issues aren’t subsiding but are merely co-existing in reality. I beg to differ with you. Can there not be a fine line where reality and fantasy meet? Who says that does not exist? What is the harm in a little vacation or escape from what is occurring in our lives. Don’t we deserve one? I think so. 

When you come to think of it, isn’t that one of the beauties of fashion? It allows us an opportunity to step outside and see things from another point of view. It’s an alternative reality, where we have the chance to feel accomplished, satisfied, and beautiful inside as well as out. If we are lucky enough, when we step out of that fabulous outfit and back into the real world the natural high will still be with us. Hopefully it will carry us into the completion of the non-materialistic

Fashion is a statement

Rachel McBride

Fashion is not just what you wear. It’s who you are. Fashion is an individualized statement of how you are feeling that day or your outlook on life in general. It tells the outside world a bit about you. 

 

How you dress affects the way you view yourself. It also effects the way other people view you. Although, your perception of yourself is the most important, at times you will need other people’s approval in order to get ahead. A common example  of this is when you are entering into the work force. You need to look profession at all times when working. 

 

Here are some tips to ensure that you always look your best no matter what. 

 

1) Wear what fits

-You will feel more comfortable and confident while doing so. Instead of focusing on how you shouldn’t have eaten dessert last night, you’ll be concentrate on how fabulous you look. 

 

2) Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to styles.

  -Different prints and colors can affect your attitude as well as your perception of yourself. Don’t be afraid to try something different. Styles and fashion trends are always changing. Don’t be intimidated by them. Embrace them!

 

3) Always add one of your favorite pieces to an outfit.

Even if you aren’t wearing your best attire, wearing one of your signature pieces will boost your mood and help you feel more confident about your appearance.

 

Remember to love who you are and what you look like. You don’t have to follow the trends. You can set them! 

Teachers, parents and teens growing up

Amanda McWatt

Graduation, your first job, a car, college, and bills. All of these things can be extremely frustrating and quite scary. Becoming an adult is something everyone has to do. Quite frankly we have no choice whether to stay a child or grow up. But we do have the choice to not grow up too fast.

Teens in the 21st century have the tendency to try and be an adult too fast. On some occasions, acting like an adult is good, but not on an everyday basis. “The 12- to 14-year-olds of yesterday are the 10- to 12-’s of today,” said Bruce Friend, a vice president of the kids’ cable channel Nickelodeon.

According to an article from The Wall Street Journal by Kay S. Hymowitz, absentee parents and a sexualized and glitzy media-driven marketplace are the cause of tweens emergence in today’s society.

With parents working long hours away from home, many youngsters are leaving for school from an empty house after eating breakfast alone, then eating fast food, frozen meals and sometimes nothing for dinner. 

Today’s media plays a big part in the life of a teen. Television causes teens to feel insecure about their bodies and appearance. Almost everything on television advertises that the definition of beauty is having a tall/slim body, straight hair, and top fashion clothing. This makes teens who do not have these body features feel bad about themselves. Some even commit suicide.

Another contribution to the early emergence of teens is teachers. The role of a teacher is important to a student’s educational skills. Sometimes students misbehave in class. That’s when you hear the phrase, “This is ridiculous; you need to act like a grown up. Because if you act like a child, I’ll treat like one.” This may not be the best thing for a teacher to tell a student because the fact is that the student is a child and should not be expected to be able to act like an adult.

The stress that teens today have on their shoulders is unbelievable. Teens should be worried about three things in life: keeping good grades in school, keeping up with chores and homework, and spending time with friends and family. They should not be worried about playing the role of mom or dad to their younger siblings, or having to do everything in the house for themselves, or getting a job because their parents failed to complete college or hold a job to support the family, or even stressing over their appearance in the morning before going to school because they will get teased in school. All of these things and more are the reasons teens are letting their childhood slip away.

Parents need to step up, so do teachers, in making sure that the next generation of teenagers do not go through the stress and pressure that this generation did, and that they get to enjoy their childhood years without having to grow up too fast.

Other career clusters needed at HHS

Brenna Young

There are six different career clusters currently offered at the high school. According to the HHS website, a career cluster is a “broad grouping of related occupations representative of the type of occupations available in the work force.”  Not all students’ interests fit nicely into one of the six clusters available.  Giving a different option of classes that may appeal to students’ interests would improve the students’ attitude toward school and the overall morale.  

Offering fashion design and merchandising would be a wonderful advancement in the education of the students interested in having a career in these fields. Fashion design and merchandising is defined on the WVU website as a “program that focuses on the fashion industry including how products and services are produced, distributed, and promoted to consumers.” Although there are a variety of career choices available toHampshireHigh Schoolstudents, a new course incorporating fashion design and merchandising should be added.  

Personally, I do not have a scientific mind, nor do I enjoy raising animals or farming.  My indifference in these areas also crosses out the engineering and technical career clusters.  I literally faint at the sight of blood, so the health science cluster is another dead end for me.  My artistic abilities don’t go much further than a playful stick figure.  I believe that several students have some similar concerns.  

I also fear that when I get to college I will be very far behind in my studies because I was never given the opportunity to take a basic introductory class to what I’d like to do, fashion and design.  It would be a great advantage for students interested in other clusters to be offered introductory classes in high school.

Christmas is around the corner

Courtney Combs

Time is ticking, and Christmas is around the corner. The deadline for shopping is getting closer and closer, and before we know it, we’ll be out of time.

You must always start with a list that includes who the gifts are for and what the gifts are. Without a list you may find yourself shopping compulsively. Shopping with a cause saves time.

When you shop off-peak hours like early in the morning or late at night, you are less likely to deal with crowds. Many people will be out shopping during the day or after work. When you go early in the morning, the salesperson will be in a better mood which helps with deals.

My final tip is not to wait until the last minute. When you wait until last minute you will most likely not receive the gifts you desire. Shopping online is a great alternative to shopping in the stores. The main thing to remember about the online shopping is to give yourself enough time to return the gift if it does not work out.

Christmas shopping

Courtney Combs

Time is ticking, and Christmas is around the corner. The deadline for shopping is getting closer and closer, and before we know it, we’ll be out of time.

You must always start with a list that includes who the gifts are for and what the gifts are. Without a list you may find yourself shopping compulsively. Shopping with a cause saves time.

When you shop off-peak hours like early in the morning or late at night, you are less likely to deal with crowds. Many people will be out shopping during the day or after work. When you go early in the morning, the salesperson will be in a better mood, which helps with deals.

My final tip is not to wait until the last minute. When you wait until last minute you will most likely not receive the gifts you desire. Shopping online is a great alternative to shopping in the stores. The main thing to remember about the online shopping is to give yourself enough time to return the gift if it does not work out.