High School Confidential

American youth has to turn down its iPods and increase its knowledge of the outside world

By Kaminie Balkaran
Somers High School Class of 2008
As a junior in high school trying to meet the demands of a heavy course load and extracurricular activities, it can be hard to keep up with current affairs. Who has time to remember that the prime minister of Canada is Stephen Harper and that the capital of Iraq is Baghdad?
We’re teens, we don’t need to worry about that stuff, right? Wrong.
The fact that many young American teens don’t even know all the state capitals is very disturbing. Where has the appreciation for geography and foreign affairs gone? Why is it that American kids seem to know so little about the world? Are we destined to eat the dust of kids in other countries?
Let’s hope not. American teenagers can’t afford to be left in the dark. The war on terror and new business prospects in China and India have placed a magnifying glass on the Middle East and Asia.
For coming generations, knowledge of these areas is important if we are going to forge lasting ties with these countries. There are reportedly at least 135,000 Americans living in India. They know the language, the people, and the customs, and are fully immersed in the society. And that number is constantly increasing.
There is also an increasing number of study abroad programs going to China, Tibet, and even Cambodia. www.wheretherebedragons.com features information on how to apply to the best schools in those countries and obtain internships as well.
American youth has to increase its knowledge of the outside world. It’s as simple as that. The first step is knowing ourselves. It’s troubling that not all teens know that Puerto Rico is not a state.
We need to take action fast. Our world is changing and so is our country. The youth of today will be the adults of tomorrow and those same adults are going to have to lead our country. We need to push ourselves to keep up with the other countries of the world.
It’s important that we can identify people like Dr. Condoleeza Rice. We should know who Private Jessica Lynch is. We should know that the prime minister of Pakistan is Pervez Musharraf. It’s time to turn off the iPods, and step up to the plate.

Check Your IQ Instead of Your iPod
Here’s a little quiz to test your knowledge. Can you answer these questions? The answers are below.

1. Who is the Prime Minister of England?
2. What is the capital of Iran?
3. Who is the United States Secretary of State?
4. Nancy Pelosi is the first woman to achieve what political position?
5. Puerto Rico is not a state but a….?

ANSWERS:

5) Commonwealth
4) Speaker of the House
3) Condoleeza Rice
2) Tehran
1) Tony Blair

Depression is a disease requiring medical attention
By Jamie Meyerson

	This week’s contributor, Jamie Meyerson, 18, is a senior at Yorktown High School. She is an opinion writer for her school’s newspaper, The Voice.

Thin, blonde, and beautiful, Laura is the picture of perfection. It is difficult to listen to the things she’s saying. She’s so young and has been through so much. Under her covers laid a pillow stained with tears. In the drawer, a diary full of unspoken words—words that could have saved if one only knew of its existence. When she smiled, she deceived.
Laura was found on the floor of a bathroom after slitting her wrists—one of the 2,700 suicide attempts that occur in America each day.
Seventeen-year-old Laura suffers from Seasonal Depression that peaked when she was 14 years old. The condition tends to occur during the colder seasons and lessens during the spring and summer months.
“At first,” she said, “my parents were angry and confused, but when I was diagnosed, they tried their hardest to understand what I was going through.”
Laura sought help through Four Winds, a leading inpatient and outpatient mental health facility in Katonah for children, adolescents, and adults. “Many people thought I hurt myself for attention. Dealing with the reactions of others was a challenge in itself, as if the depression wasn’t hard enough.”
It would be easy to think that this was an isolated incident. It would be easy to think that this is not, could not be, your child, or another loved one. It would be easy to think that depression is a passing phase. Depression is a major disease that kills over 30,000 Americans each year.
Among teenagers who suffered from depression in 2005, only 20 percent received professional help, says the Department of Health and Human Services.
Lucy is not part of that 20 percent. She has been struggling with depression, bulimia, and cutting herself since she was 12 years old. Lucy is now 17 and has never received professional help. “A lot of the time, you feel like you’re expected to be happy and normal. When you’re not, you feel like you’re letting people down. It’s embarrassing, not only for the person who has the problem, but for his or her parents as well.”
Kendall, 17, has suffered from eating disorders, depression, and cutting since she was in eighth grade. “My whole world was so overwhelming and I didn’t know how to act or what to do,” she explains. Kendall entered Four Winds in her sophomore year of high school as an inpatient. The program helped her recover and taught her that she was not alone. Today, although she still struggles, therapy helped Kendall sort out a whirlwind of emotions.
Guilt, embarrassment, falling victim to the shame of depression— those are the common threads throughout the stories of these teens, who names were changed to protect their privacy.
The overwhelming need of teenagers to be “normal,” the stress of keeping up with today’s fast-paced world, and the lack of acknowledgement that depression is an actual disease all combine to create a stigma around this mental illness.
Admitting something is wrong and seeking help is considered a matter best kept secret. Maybe that is why teenage suicide rates have tripled in the past 40 years. “More often than not,” Kendall believes, “depression is shunned.”
Davia Buggee, Student Assistance Counselor at Yorktown High School, agrees that the stigma of mental health often places it in the backseat as a legitimate health concern. “Some perceive seeking help as a weakness, while it should be perceived as a strength.”

It is the taboo of depression that keeps most teenagers from reaching out for help, even when walking the dangerously fine line between life and death.
The most viable solution to help combat depression and promote mental health is education. It’s trivial to dismiss depression as something that will just go away as time passes, but not everything can be ignored without consequence. Negligence, ignorance, and denial will only leave teenagers to suffer in silence. It’s important to emphasize that depression should not be equated with being selfish or ungrateful.
Growing up in privileged suburbia does not shield children from the grasp of depression. Society needs to realize that depression is very real and can prey on anyone regardless of age, sex, race, or religion. Victims need to feel supported in their decision to seek help. Resources need to be readily available—warning signs must be acted upon. No one should have to go through depression alone.
If you are currently suffering from depression, seek guidance: confide in a trusted adult, tell a teacher, tell a parent, tell a friend. Do not be afraid to speak out.

Hunger for Ivy League status: an unhealthy local obsession

By Emily King

	This week’s contributor, Somers High School senior Emily King, 17, is a staff writer with her high school paper, The Tusker Times. King will begin her freshman year at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland this fall. She is attending the school so she can participate in its highly regarded writing program.

I remember strolling through the Columbia University bookstore on a college visit.
Past the stacks of textbooks, mascot-bearing mugs, and sea of baby blue hoodies, I found a piece of memorabilia that simultaneously amused and disturbed me.
It was a little baby’s outfit with the school’s name branded across the chest, disproportionately sized with the rest of the material.
A thought emerged:
Is this what we are being set up for?
Since the very second we are born, are we waiting to grow into that XXL college sweatshirt, complete with a prestigious name and an inspiring Latin motto?
Unfortunately, here in chunks of northern Westchester, it seems so.

Ivory towers
I cannot deny the appeal in attending an Ivy League school.
Harvard, Princeton, Yale—each syllable connotes images of thick, grassy quads, world-renowned professors, and a ticket to success.
But people have become so obsessed with the names of these schools that they give little thought to what is specifically right for them.
Says a senior at Somers High School who requested anonymity, “I think that those kinds of schools are right for a certain type of person, and most people are not that person. In reality, they would be miserable.”
She recalls a particular instance when she and a friend went to visit a prestigious college.
“My friend walked away hating it,” she says. “She knew that their course requirements just weren’t right for what she wanted, and she was able to look past the name recognition to realize that.
John Malone, an English teacher at Somers High School, echoes this sentiment.
“Some students seem to be focused on the status of the school rather than what might be best for their interests or skills,” he said.
I was recently standing outside with a friend, watching as he admired a brand-name college’s bumper sticker attached to the back of his car. Later, I asked him what exactly this school was known for, and he couldn’t give me a response.
According to college advisor Caren Polino, this type of behavior is typical among high school students.
She states, “Kids tend to be influenced by the popular schools their friends are applying to, and miss out on some really dynamite places.”

Open your eyes
There are hidden gems among these educational powerhouses, lying right beneath our ivy-coated eyelashes.
The pressure to get into an Ivy League school possesses students to the point of complete obsession and endless college conversation.
Our school’s guidance center seems almost dangerous—a college-obsessed nerve center. Documents detailing student grade point averages and SAT scores can be unearthed. Anxious and frenzied teens scramble for yet one more letter of recommendation.
And even after all the paperwork is mailed out, there’s still a slim chance of being accepted. The college rejection letter can lead to sheer hopelessness, where no other school seems to compare.
Self-worth, as a result, is scrutinized and questioned.
Tristan Hastings, a senior at Somers High School, condemns this attitude, saying, “I know people who take a ton of AP courses, still don’t get into the school they want and think their lives are over.”
And who can blame them?
Amy Banino, a Somers High School social studies teacher, believes – from cradle through adolescence and beyond – society conditions us to embrace this unhealthy attitude.
She says, “Kids have to get into the best nursery schools, play the right sports, and take the right activities, just because of this belief that a prestigious college will get them the best in life.”
I think we need to reassess the reasons why we go to college.
We are buying an education, a chance to learn and to excel, not just a sweatshirt with a name on it.
The US News & World Report rankings will only get you so far.
It’s the four years you spend on those grassy quads that make the real difference.

Teachers should voice opinions in class

By Michelle DeCurtis

	This week’s contributor, 16-year-old Yorktown High School junior Michelle DeCurtis, is the Opinion Editor for her school’s newspaper, The Voice.

As young adults begin to dive into what some call “the real world,” high school provides a birthplace and safe haven for an individual’s thoughts and views.
Unfortunately, this is only an accurate circumstance for the students, while teachers are forced to remain neutral and unbiased.
Throughout my high school career, it is impossible to keep track of the number of in-class debates that have occurred, primarily during social studies and English.
The usual outcome is as follows: the class is split between two opposing and passionate viewpoints.
After several minutes of going back and forth, the argument comes to a standstill, and the students usually ask the teacher for his or her opinion to help continue the discussion. The typical response from the educator consists of a quick brush-off along the lines of “my opinion shouldn’t matter.”
But the views of the teacher rarely factor into the formation of a student’s opinion. And for the sake of an intelligent discussion, it should most definitely be included.

No respect
Contrary to what some may believe, we are not 12-years-old, and do have the ability to formulate opinions on our own.
At this point in a student’s school life, a teacher’s viewpoint has little influence because we are old enough to think for ourselves. I was always under the impression that high schoolers are perceived as constantly looking for opportunities to be rebellious and cause unnecessary controversy.
Why is there a sudden need to protect us when teachers have been the ones contributing to this stereotype?
In actuality, students like to hear the thoughts of their educators.
One Yorktown High School junior, Samantha Russell, states, “I think it could add to the learning experience to get the teacher’s perspective.”
Their thoughts could essentially help stimulate conversation and prompt students to justify and defend their arguments.
With the teachers playing devil’s advocate, a student would be able to consider the teacher’s views, which in turn could very well strengthen their own.
Martin Mata, a senior at Yorktown High School, agrees.
“They’re more educated and have more experience in life, and would probably be able to provide new insights into discussions about various topics, especially those more adult-oriented,” he told me. “There is nothing wrong with adding these seasoned opinions if its ultimate goal is to develop an argument and spark the students’ intellectual curiosity.

Fear factor
If a teacher’s opinion can benefit a class discussion so positively, why is it that educators feel so intimidated to do so?
A possible answer is the potential backlash one may get from fellow colleagues, administration, and/or parents if a teacher says something viewed as too controversial.
Too many worried about their image – in fear actually – choose to remain silent. And for the untenured few, the possibility of not being asked back understandably stirs those fears.
The first few years of teaching pose a time of great caution for teachers.
Walking on eggshells, they must not rub the administration the wrong way if they want to even think about being granted tenure, which includes saying controversial comments in class. All it takes is for one statement to be skewed by a student, reported to a parent, and then complained about to the administration.
“If the board doesn’t like a teacher in the first place, they can use their controversial opinions in class in order to scapegoat and not tenure them,” says an untenured middle school Spanish teacher who wishes to remain anonymous, fearing retribution. “The administration’s ability to deny tenure without due process puts teachers at a disadvantage and helps keeps them in line.”
Does a school have the right to scare its educators, limiting what they think is appropriate to say? Teachers aren’t allowed to practice what they preach. Whatever happened to our freedom to express ourselves?
Unfortunately, the majority of students are apathetic about this issue.
This leaves the teachers’ fears ignored by their schools, enabling the administration to continue its system of scholastic serfdom.
And that’s a shame.

Both sides in “War on Christmas” debate need to take a chill pill

By Jacqueline Palumbo

	This week’s contributor, Somers High School senior Jacqueline Palumbo, 17, is a former staff writer and chief editing assistant with her high school paper, Tusker Times.

Just before Christmas, I went to the mall to do some last-minute gift shopping. I was helped by a very nice salesperson in the card store.

As I was leaving, I opened my mouth to say “Merry Christmas,” but then realized I had no idea whether this person celebrated Christmas.

I then went to say, “Happy Holidays,” but I wondered, if the salesperson was Christian, whether that would be more offensive.
I ended up just muttering a feeble “goodbye” and exiting the store.
Pretty ridiculous, no?

Unfortunately, however, the mainstream media again promoted the distracting and trivial debate over an alleged “War on Christmas.” As a result, more and more people are uncertain how to handle similar situations.
In public schools, this is especially a problem because schools are required to not show preference for any religion.

This becomes more complicated than it sounds when one takes into account the wide variety of religions and cultures intermingling in public schools.
As always, it’s impossible to please everyone.

P.C. High
Political correctness, in recent years, has gained more and more subscribers.
Since the “War on Christmas” issue has emerged in the national media, more and more people – including teens – are sucked into the debate.
Said Somers High School student Eva Khoueiri, “I usually say Merry Christmas because it’s the first thing that comes to my mind…But once I had my thoughts provoked about the issue, I thought, ‘Okay, technically, I should say Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanza all the time.’”

One student who wishes to remain anonymous expressed similar sentiments.
“When I walk past a door that says Merry Christmas on it in three different languages with a big wreath…it kind of bothers me because it’s completely not acknowledging that Hanukkah is just around the corner too,” the student said. “It would be nice to have some acknowledgement that there is another holiday at this time besides Christmas.”

The student was referring to the door of the language office of Somers High School, which reads, “Joyeux Noël, Feliz Navidad, Buon Natale.”
A number of students I have spoken to have mentioned noticing the door, which contains no references to any other winter holidays.
The decorator of the door, department head Judith Bourtin, doesn’t see a problem.

“No one has ever expressed any kind of resentment at [wishing them a Merry Christmas],” she said, pointing to her “It’s Okay to Wish Me a Merry Christmas” pin.
“It is a national holiday,” she added, “so I don’t see what the big deal is about that word.”
Continued Bourtin, “It stands for beautiful sentiments and beautiful things. And why people should be offended by that is beyond me.”

Something to argue about
Some people are indeed up in arms over this issue. But when you stop to think about it, is there really any good reason to get worked up about it? It seems as if we’re just looking for something to argue about.
Interestingly, most of the students I requested to interview for this article declined, saying they had no strong opinion on the issue.

Tristan Hastings exemplifies this attitude, saying, “I know ‘happy holidays’ is politically correct, but it makes me happy to see people not being p.c. all the time. I don’t really care.”

Sometimes, counterintuitive as it might sound, apathy is a good thing.
Somers High School senior Emily King says, “I’m not Christian, but I really love Christmas because I think it’s such a festive holiday.”
“To me,” she sensibly added, “it’s just a time for all of us to get together and have fun festivities. I’m not offended by that.”
The essence of holiday spirit is togetherness, appreciating families, friends and communities.

Whether we are wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a more generic happy holiday, the greeting is generally offered in good cheer.
So loosen up, appreciate the true spirit of the winter season, and, well…
…Happy New Year!